Molinari's Bed & Breakfast Tobermory

Lighthouses of the Bruce Peninsula

The Bruce Peninsula's shoreline has several lighthouses to provide guidance to the many ships that would pass by her shores.

The lighthouses of the Bruce Peninsula are standing now more as an attraction then what they were in the past - a necessary, practical function for ships and sailors of the past. The waters surrounding the Bruce Peninsula are treacherous - many ships lie in the depth of her waters - as Fathom Five National Marine Park can prove with the many shipwrecks found with the waters of this national park.

Cove Island Lighthouse is one of the famous "imperial Lighthouses" - constructed of dolomite limestone and granite. This lighthouse built in the 1850's by contractor John Brown. Brown, originally from from Thorold, built the lighthouses to last. Below the ground, the foundation of each lighthouse is seven feet thick, narrowing to five above ground and eventually to three at the top of the structure. The lighthouses measure 80' from base to tip, but the height above the water varies due to the terrain upon which they are built.

The other lighthouses on the Bruce Peninsula are of frame construction with the signature red tower housing the light at the tip.

Each Lighthouse had its own light keeper, whose job it was to refuel the light, trim the wicks, adjusting the flame height, polish the lens, and scraping the ice from the outside windows.

 
Photo: Cove Island Lighthouse

Photo:

Big Tub Lighthouse

Tobermory's first permanent settlers were Charles Earl and Abraham Davis. The port grew rapidly as fishing, logging, and shipping expanded throughout the 1880's and 90's. Navigational aids were crucial due to storms, shoals, and fog. Before a lighthouse was built, Charles Earl maintained a lantern on a high pole to guide vessels into the safety of Big Tub Harbour. He was paid $100 a year for his service - a considerable amount in those days.

In 1885, a hexagonal tower was built on Lighthouse Point at Big Tub Harbour. Hotly contested, the keeper's job was awarded to Earl's rival, Abraham Davis. Davis held the job until 1895 when he vanished on a trip to Devil Island. Another political appointee, his son Henry Bradley, replaced him.

Thomas Andrew Hopkins, a veteran of the First World War, was appointed part-time keeper in 1926 and remained on duty until the light was automated in 1952. In spite of storms and ice, the light at Big Tub has endured.

 
Photo: Big Tub Lighthouse

Sources: http://www.brucecoastlighthouses.com/index.cfm

http://www.getawaystoontario.ca/brucepeninsula/lighthouse_bruce_peninsula.htm

http://www.pbase.com/merriwolf/lighthouses