Wood Islands Lighthouse

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Wood Islands Lighthouse
Wood Islands Lighthouse, Wood Islands Provincial Parks - panoramio.jpg
Wood Islands Lighthouse
Wood Islands Lighthouse
LocationWood Islands
Prince Edward Island
Canada
Coordinates 45°57′00″N62°44′46″W / 45.94991°N 62.74621°W / 45.94991; -62.74621
Tower
Constructed1875 for 1876
Foundationstone basement
ConstructionWooded Tower
AutomatedElectrification 1958
Height16.5 metres (54 ft)
Shapesquare tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower, red lantern and balcony
OperatorWood Islands and Area Development Corporation
Heritagedesignated heritage place, recognized federal heritage building of Canada  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Fog signal 1941 - 1998
Light
First lit1876
DeactivatedDestaffing 1990
Focal height21.8 metres (72 ft)
RangeNominal 12 nautical miles
Characteristic Iso W 10s.

The Wood Islands Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse built by Donald MacMillan [1] situated on the southeastern shore of Prince Edward Island, located in the community of Wood Islands. The lighthouse is a well-preserved three storey tower with an adjoining 1+12-storey keeper's residence. The white shingled tower is topped by a red iron lantern, which is enclosed by a white railing on the observation deck. The red roof of the dwelling provides a striking contrast to the white shingled exterior of the dwelling. [2] [3]

Contents

It was one of the last three lights on Prince Edward Island to be fully automated, and the last where the keeper and his family lived. The lighthouse and residence are now open as a museum, with exhibits about the history of lighthouses, ferry service and fishing on the island, and includes a 1950s period kitchen and keeper's quarters. [4]

History

Wood Island Lighthouse: Meacham 1880 WI Lighthouse 1880.png
Wood Island Lighthouse: Meacham 1880

During its session of 1874, the Canadian Parliament appropriated $6,000 for the construction of a lighthouse at Wood Island, on a site purchased from Thomas McMahon in June 1875, being finished in the autumn of 1876, it was put into operation on 1 November 1876. Archibald MacKay of New Brunswick first signed the contract to construct the lighthouse, making little progress into 1875 he abandoned his efforts and Donald MacMillan, a local master carpenter, was hired to complete the lighthouse. [5]

Prior to the construction of the federal ferry wharf, that began in 1937; the light served as a navigation aid to marine traffic in the Northumberland Strait and fishing boats in and around Wood Islands Harbour. From 1940, Northumberland Ferries Limited began to use this coastal light for their seasonal ferry service operating between Wood Islands and Caribou, Nova Scotia. In 1950, the dwelling attached to the tower was renovated with a new kitchen built to accommodate the light keeper, and in 1958, the dwelling and lighthouse were wired for electricity. The light then operated on a 1000 watt airway beacon lamp and changed from a fixed light to a revolving flashing light, which is still in use. [6]

In 1984 light tower was renovated when a generator and fog alarm equipment were installed, windows were changed to accommodate ventilators, a halon fire alarm system was installed and a balcony was built in 1984 to accommodate the fog alarm equipment. [6] After 133 years on one spot, shoreline erosion forced the moving of the lighthouse, from just a few metres above the Northumberland Straight, back 70 metres back to more solid ground, on March 10, 2009. The move was made in winter so the ground would be solid enough to support the structure for the move. [7]

Keepers

Early light-keepers had a significant challenge in access, to their home and the light, as it could only be approached through dense woods and along the beach from well west of the lighthouse. The light was initially accessed from a track running south down now Pioneer Cemetery Road, to a land spit stretching south from 'Wood Island', over a sand bar, to its southeast island corner location. With time, this track was lost and a new land was access gained running south from now McLeod Road. The southeast island came to be attached to shore with changes in the harbour design, with the construction of the Wood Islands ferry terminal and its ferry berthing docks. [8] [9]

Keeper [5] Period of ServiceNotes / Comments
James MacMillan1876 – 1887Assisted by Son Neil
William D. MacMillan1887 – 1898Dismissed for Political Activity
John Roderick W. McKay1898 – 1912Lived in Wood Islands
Levi Morrow1912 – 1924Lived in Iris, PE
Thomas Art Smith1924 – 1949From New Glasgow, NS
George Stewart1949 – 1972WW2 Medal of Bravery 1945
Manson E. Murchison1972 – 1974WW2 Veteran: Italy / France
Bernard Beaton1975 – 1976From Cape Breton, NS
Leon Patton1977 – 1990From Cape Breton, NS
Wood Islands Harbour Range Lights
Wood Island Lighthouses.JPG
Wood Islands Front Range
Wood Islands Lighthouse
LocationWood Islands, PE
Coordinates 45°57′00″N62°44′44″W / 45.95001°N 62.74560°W / 45.95001; -62.74560 (Wood Islands Harbour Range Rear Light) (rear)
45°57′01″N62°44′46″W / 45.95026°N 62.74617°W / 45.95026; -62.74617 (Wood Islands Harbour Range Front Light) (front)
Tower
Constructed1902
Constructionwooden tower
Automated1990  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Height16.5 m (54 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Shapesquare tower with lantern and gallery
Markingswhite tower, red vertical stripe on the range line
OperatorWood Islands Lighthouse
Heritagedesignated heritage place, recognized federal heritage building of Canada  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Light
Deactivated2007
Focal height21.8 m (72 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Range12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Characteristic Iso W 10s  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Harbour Range Lights

The Wood Islands Harbour Range Lights are a set of range lights at Wood Islands, Prince Edward Island, Canada, are now located by the Wood Islands Lighthouse, it built in 1876. The Wood Islands Harbour Front Range and Wood Islands Harbour Rear Range were built in September 1902, they were relocated to the southern pier at the harbour entrance in 1940, and no longer active. [10]

Designed by the Department of Marine, and built by M. Walsh, the Front Range Light began as a square, wooden, tapered light covered with metal siding, standing 4.5 m (18.4 feet) in height from base to vane. It later gained its attached shed and a gable roof, over its door. The larger Back Range Light, of the same builder and designer, has retained its design with its most outstanding feature being the lantern deck's wooden railing and supporting wooden brackets. [11]

Range (leading) lights, placed in line, are used as inbound aids to navigation, for a tight entry into dangerous narrow and/or shallow channels. Though they may be any two objects in line, typically they are distinctive lights operating as a pair, the front range beacon being lower than the rear, to form a range (leading line), when brought into transit. The one nearest to the observer is the front light and the one farthest from the observer is the rear light. [12] When both ranges are aligned the vessel is on a correct bearing. If a ship veers too far to the right, the rear range appears to drift to the right of the front range; if the error is to the left, the rear drifts left. [13]

Designation SourceFront Range NumberRear Range Number
AdmiraltyH0964H0964.1
Canada F&OCCG 973CCG 974
NGA81688172
ARLHSCAN-536CAN-537
Standing Height6 m / 20 ft10 m / 33 ft

See also

References

  1. "Federal Government: Wood Islands Lighthouse". Canada's Historic Places. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  2. Canada, Province of Prince Edward Island. "Historic Places, Prince Edward Island, Wood Islands Lighthouse". www.gov.pe.ca. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  3. "Prince Edward Island Lighthouse Society" . Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  4. "Home". Woods Island Lighthouse. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Wood Islands Lighthouse". LighthouseFriends. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  6. 1 2 "Prince Edward Island Lighthouse Society". peilighthousesociety.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  7. "Moving day for Wood Islands Lighthouse". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  8. "Historic Maps of PEI: Plan of Lot Sixty & Sixty Two" . Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  9. "Historic Maps of PEI: Lots 60 and 62" . Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  10. Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Canada: Eastern Prince Edward Island". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  11. "Lighthouse History". www.virtualmuseum.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  12. Willemsen, Diederik. "Lights, buoys - aids to navigation". www.sailingissues.com. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
  13. Bachand, Robert (February 3, 2017). "Aids to Navigation Range (Leading) Lights". Boating World | Current Issue. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2018-02-25.