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Head Harbour Light Station
Head Harbour Light Station in 2012
LocationCampobello Island, Canada Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates 44°57′29″N 66°54′00″W / 44.95794°N 66.90003°W / 44.95794; -66.90003
Tower
Constructed1829  Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionlumber, masonry (foundation), lumber (tower)  Edit this on Wikidata
Automated1986  Edit this on Wikidata
Height15.5 m (51 ft)  Edit this on Wikidata
Shapeoctagon  Edit this on Wikidata
Markingswhite (tower), red (lantern)  Edit this on Wikidata, cross (red)  Edit this on Wikidata
Heritageprovincial heritage place  Edit this on Wikidata
Light
Focal height17.5 m (57 ft)  Edit this on Wikidata
Range13 nmi (24 km; 15 mi)  Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicF R  Edit this on Wikidata
Designations
Official nameHead Harbour Light Station
DesignatedMarch 17, 2006
Reference no. 6537

Head Harbour Lighthouse, also known as East Quoddy Head Light (mostly by Americans to differentiate the Canadian beacon from its American counterpart, West Quoddy Head Light) [1] is a lighthouse and station on Campobello Island, New Brunswick. Erected in 1829 by the provincial government, its purpose was to aid navigation for ships in the Bay of Fundy. While West Quoddy Light stands at the mouth of the narrows around Lubec, Maine, East Quoddy was built on the north side of Campobello, on a small tidal islet connected to the primary landmass, guiding entry into Passamaquoddy Bay. Today, the light and its accessory structures are a historically designated heritage site, supported by an independent preservation group.

Description

The lighthouse is a 51-foot (16 m) octagonal tower of heavy timber; the structure is painted a highly-visible white and marked with a large red St. George's Cross which has been a landmark dating back to the Canadian Confederation. [2] [3] The House of Assembly of New Brunswick approved funding for a lighthouse on Campobello Island in 1829, [4] and construction of the main lighthouse was undertaken that same year. [2] The other buildings at the light station, including a keeper's residence built in 1840, a fog alarm building built during World War I, a workshed completed by 1915, and a boathouse built in 1947, are similarly painted white with roofs and doors in a bright red. [2]

The rocky outcropping on which the lighthouse stands is cut off from Campobello Island during high tide.

The station is situated on a small islet, accessible by land for only two hours during low tide; visitors can become stranded by the incoming tide which rapidly rises at a rate of five feet per hour. [1] Roads and ferries connect mainland Canada to Campobello Island, but the final path to the lighthouse can only be traversed on foot. [5] The footpath includes a wooden bridge, metal ladders, and slick rocks. During the summer months, the Friends of the Head Harbour Lightstation preservation group offer paid tours of the lighthouse. [6] A third-order Fresnel lens, installed in 1887, is located in the lantern room. [7]

History

The United States completed the construction of West Quoddy Head Light, situated near the Canadian border at the easternmost point in the United States, in 1808. [8] While the American light aided sailors in the southern region of the "famously foggy" Bay of Fundy, a new light station on Campobello Island was built with the intention of aiding ships in the Passamaquoddy Bay, north of the Maine–New Brunswick border. [1]

In February 1829, the provincial government of New Brunswick appropriated £400 (equivalent to $37,448 in 2021) to erect a lighthouse on Campobello ("Campo Bello") Island. [4] Head Harbour Light Station was completed later that same year. [2] The first keeper was John Snell, who served from 1829 to 1847, when he was replaced by his son, William Snell. William's daughter, Mary Snell, grew up on the light station, and later wrote about her and her family's life at Campobello. [9] [10]

The lantern room was altered in 1842 to enable the installation of a "new and much superior" beacon. [11] This year also saw the initial painting of the tower's iconic red cross. [6] A fog horn was added in 1880 that was used in conjunction with a machine-operated bell. [12] The first modern Fresnel lens was installed in 1887. [7] The extant diaphone fog signal and fog horn building were installed during the First World War, in 1915. [7] [13]

The Canadian Coast Guard manned the station until 1986, when it was automated. [6] The "Friends of The Head Harbour Lightstation" organization was established in 2000 to renovate, repair, and manage the station as a historical and tourism site. [6] The property was deeded to the group in 2002, [14] and full control of the light station was transferred in 2006. [2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Crompton, Samuel Willard; Rhein, Michael J. (2018). The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses. New York, NY: Chartwell Books. p. 94. ISBN  9780785836049.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Historic Places Canada - Head Harbour Light Station". Archived from the original on 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  3. ^ Linford, Jenny (2008). Lighthouses. Bath, England: Paragon Pub. p. 153. ISBN  9781405471176.
  4. ^ a b G. K. Lugrin (1829). Journal of the House of Assembly of the province of New-Brunswick from ... December 1828 to ... February 1829 : 1828/29. Fredericton, New Brunswick: Library and Archives Canada. p. 106.
  5. ^ "Explore NB - Head Harbour Lightstation". Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  6. ^ a b c d D'Entremont, Jeremy (2021). The Lighthouse Handbook: New England and the Canadian Maritimes (4th ed.). Kennebunkport, Maine: Cider Mill Press Book Publishers. pp. 433–434. ISBN  9781604339741.
  7. ^ a b c "Lighthouse Friends: Head Harbour (East Quoddy), NB". Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  8. ^ "Quoddy Head State Park". Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18.
  9. ^ "Mary Snell of Head Harbour Lighthouse". Lighthouse Digest. October 2019.
  10. ^ Snell, Mary S. (1881). Essays, Short Stories and Poems Including a Sketch of the Author's Life. Chatham. pp. 3–6.
  11. ^ Simpson, J. (1842). Journal of the House of Assembly of ... New Brunswick from ... January to ... April [1842] ... : 1842. Fredericton, N.B.: Library and Archives Canada. pp. clxv.
  12. ^ List of Lights and Fog Signals (PDF). Ottawa: Department of Marine and Fisheries, Dominion of Canada. 1907. pp. 4–5.
  13. ^ Friends of the Head Harbour Lightstation. Head Harbour Lightstation Archived 2021-09-26 at the Wayback Machine. Brochure.
  14. ^ "Friends of the Head Harbour Lighthouse Take Charge". Lighthouse Digest.
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