For Want of a Lighthouse

PREFACE - - - When gazing from the mainland at the crumbling ruins of the distant Scotch Bonnet Island lighthouse, or viewing up-close the boarded-up Point Traverse lighthouse, I've often wondered... Why were these and other lighthouses along these shores built? Who built them, and who maintained them? Why were most of these lighthouses demolished, and what will become of those lighthouses that remain? I've long been curious about how past events and people are connected with the houses, barns, barracks, churches and other structures which they’ve built and which are still standing as enduring monuments to their energy and vision. Historic documents and written accounts can help to connect us with our past; as can old maps, paintings and photographs. However, it's only the three-dimensional, tangible objects, especially buildings, that evoke in me a strong connection with those people and events that have preceded us. It's with this mindset that I started to delve into the history of the few lighthouses that are still standing in the area where I live, at the eastern end of Lake Ontario on the shores of Prince Edward County in Ontario, Canada. Through my research, I found that, prior to 1914, there had been no fewer than twelve lighthouses constructed in Prince Edward County, and that these dozen towers were really part of a much larger, closely connected network of lighthouses stretching over one hundred kilometers along the Canadian shore of Lake Ontario and through the Bay of Quinte from Presqu'ile Point in the west to Kingston harbour in the east. I soon realized that to restrict my examination of lighthouses to the limited boundaries of this one county was to ignore the larger historical and geographical context which led to the establishment of what I discovered was one of the world's largest concentrations of lighthouses. By expanding my research, I found that more than forty-five lighthouses and light towers had been built on the Canadian shores of eastern Lake Ontario in the period from 1828 to 1914. In an attempt to present a comprehensive record of the building of these lighthouses and to provide a resource for others who may be inspired to do further research, I've compiled this documentary history relying heavily on primary sources; especially contemporary newspaper articles and official government reports from which I've quoted extensively. In so doing, I've tried to place these documents — this raw historical data — into a broader context to show why these lighthouses were important to 19th and 20th Century mariners, and how they made a significant contribution to Canada's history. Over the decades, as transportation patterns changed and aids to navigation evolved, most of the lighthouses and light towers of eastern Lake Ontario were discontinued, demolished or replaced by simpler, more efficient lighting systems. Today, only seven of the original forty-five towers are still standing. It's my hope that, by documenting the history of all of the lighthouses which were once part of this remarkable network of fixed aids to navigation, I might be able to contribute, in some small way, to saving these last few pieces of our built marine heritage; these last remaining physical links to an important part of our past. Marc Seguin Prince Edward County, Ontario February, 2015.