Block Island Light. Block Island sits approximately 12 miles south-southeast off the coast of Rhode Island, squarely astride the coastal sealanes. The Block Island South East Lighthouse has stood atop Mohegan Bluff, high above the Atlantic Ocean, since 1874. The lighthouse and keepers quarters were meant to be showpieces for the U.S. Lighthouse Bureau. They were among the most elaborate built during the 1870s. South East light has been the focus of an intense preservation campaign. Local and national efforts forged a complex partnership to move the structure away from eroding bluffs and restore it to operation, with long-term preservation in mind. Photo by Carol Highsmith.