How We Use Your PBL Plate Donations
More than 10,000 Rhode Islanders have chosen our plates for their cars. We thank each and every one of you for your donation! We are an all-volunteer group dedicated to preserving for years to come the historic North Kingstown icon.
Many will recall the condition of the lighthouse prior to our group obtaining the deed from the State in 1999. For more than 60 years, the lighthouse sat abandoned, neglected, and deteriorating on Narragansett Bay. The Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse was formed because it was rumored the States was trying to shed its ownership and responsibilities by offering it for sale in 1988.
It was just a rumor, but even today people still ask us “Is that the lighthouse that was for sale for a dollar?” For years there was even a local navigational map being sold, labeling it as “The Dollar Lighthouse.”
After giving us the deed in 1999, the State went one big step further by offering us a $500,000 construction grant to renovate the lighthouse. The project transformed the decaying eyesore into a shiny “Renewed Beacon of Hope” in 2003. The Coast Guard issued us a “private aid to navigation” again blinking every five seconds on the Bay.
It was now our responsibility to keep the beacon lit and lighthouse looking nice. It was also our task to raise funds for the next paint job, and with the lighthouse under constant assault, that was to take place in 2010. The license plate idea came to us in 2009, and by the summer of 2010, we released the first order of plates. With the success of selling more than 2000 plate sets the first year, we were able to raise enough funds to pay for not only the 2010 repainting, but for the 2017 job as well. We also placed a new flagpole on the top of the lighthouse, and each spring raise the flag signaling the start of the summer season.
Also in 2017, we placed a brighter flashing light in the lantern room, and replaced the lower level auxiliary lights to better illuminate the tower. All of this could not have happened without your wonderful support.
One of the key components of lighthouse outreach was the creation of “Plummy,” our 7-foot tall mascot. He’s a big hit whenever we roll him out at parades, festivals or other events.
Your enthusiastic response for the plates allowed us enough funds to pay for the repainting. We also repainted it in 2017, and are raising funds to do it again by 2024. We are an all-volunteer organization, and all your donations from the license plates has gone directly to the lighthouse. We are Swamp Yankees, pragmatic and conservative with your generous contributions to our mission. There’s neither big parties nor large bonus checks for our board. Every penny goes to the lighthouse and its stewardship. We wouldn’t have it any other way!