// PRINCE EDWARD COUNT Y LIVING //
A Light in the Storm: Point Traverse Lighthouse BY ANDREW HIND
One of the most historic and picturesque lighthouses on Lake Ontario, the tower performs a deadly serious function.
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The lighthouse stands 36-feet above the water. Its light can be seen 10 miles out onto the lake. Photo courtesy County of Prince Edward Tourism. Photo by: Karen Palmer
square, white wooden lighthouse looms 36-feet over the sandy shoreline. Water laps against the shore. It’s a calm day on Lake Ontario, a good day for boating. Offshore, pleasure craft take advantage of the balmy weather.
But weather on the Great Lakes can change on a dime; squalls descend seemingly out of nowhere, transforming placid waters into tempests of howling wind and whitecaps. It’s at such times that boaters are grateful for the presence of the shoreline sentinel with its guiding light. This is Point Traverse Lighthouse, one of the most historic and picturesque lighthouses on Lake Ontario. Don’t let its pretty appearance fool you. The tower performs a deadly serious function. Built in the middle of the 19th century, its job is to save ships and to save lives. Prior to 1879, there was no navigational aid at Point
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Traverse (also known as Prince Edward Point or South Bay Point), much to the consternation of skippers rounding this southeast tip of Prince Edward County. A petition signed by numerous ship owners and captains was put before the Canadian government, pressuring them to build a lighthouse there. Finally, the Department of Marine relented and appropriated $1200 for construction. In 1880, John W. Fagan was contracted to build the lighthouse, which consisted of a 36-foot square wooden tower topped by a fixed red light which could be seen up to ten miles out on the lake, and an adjacent keeper’s home. Both were ready by the following summer, though the project was well over budget, at $2308.70. Fagan stepped in as interim lighthouse keeper until October when the official keeper, Daniel McIntosh, took over with an annual salary of $150.
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