It is on the site of the oldest lighthouse in Canada, the second oldest in North America.We had to drive up a narrow winding road that had fishing boats and lobster traps along the way.
This is the third lighthouse that has been on the site. It was built in 1923 and destaffed in 1990.
The ruins of the first lighthouse are still there. Construction began on the lighthouse in 1730 to assist navigation to Fortress Louisbourg. It was completed in 1734. A fire in 1736 destroyed the lantern but the stone tower was unharmed and a new lantern was installed in 1738. Lighthouse Point played a decisive role in both sieges of Fortress Louisbourg as, once captured, it provided a commanding gun battery location to bombard the fortress. This lighthouse was badly damaged in 1758 during the Final Siege of Louisbourg and abandoned by the British after they demolished the fortress.
The foundation of the second lighthouse is still there. A square wooden lighthouse with a black stripe was built by the government of Nova Scotia in 1842. The lighthouse was a large 2 1⁄2-story wooden building supported by a massive masonry base. It included the keeper's dwelling in the base of the light. A fog horn building was added in 1902. This lighthouse was destroyed by fire in 1922.
This is looking towards the Fortress of Louisbourg ... hard to see with the fog!
We walked along the rocks for a while. The water was really rough and it was windy.
The lighthouse looks like a ghost behind Gord.
I love lighthouses! And I love being by the ocean!
This is definitely worth the drive if you are in the Fortress of Louisbourg area.
1 comment:
This looks like a very interesting trip! Thank you for sharing about the light house.
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