Experience Our New Exhibit:

Saviors & Salvagers: Block Island Shipwrecks

The history of Block Island is one riddled with shipwrecks. Islanders were the first responders to these crises, doing what they could to save lives, care for the injured, and recover the dead. Wrecking was a necessary part of dealing with stranded vessels and became an Island industry for a time. Wrecks had to be cleared so as not to pose a threat to other ships, ship owners wanted to recover as much property as possible, and Islanders needed the resources wrecks provided. 

As shipping traffic increased on the Eastern Seaboard, so did the number of wrecks, peaking in the 1890's. To help ships navigate around the difficult currents and shoals of Block Island, Islanders served as pilots, lobbied for the construction of the North Light, the Southeast Lighthouse, and three concurrent Life-Saving Stations to help prevent wrecks and mitigate the loss of life. 

Voices of the past tell their moving and unforgettable stories through letters, diaries, and testimonials.  Saviors & Salvagers presents discoveries new to the Block Island Historical Society from other New England museums and is sure to be of interest to even the expert Block Island historian.