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 West Quoddy Head, in Quoddy Head State Park, Lubec, Maine, is the easternmost point of the contiguous United States. In 1808 a lighthouse was constructed at the site to guide ships through the Quoddy Narrows. The current tower, with distinctive r ...

) is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

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 The Bay of Fundy (french: Baie de Fundy) is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its extremely high tidal range is the hi ...

. 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 octagonal tower of heavy timber; the structure is painted a highly-visible white and marked with a large red

St. George's Cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross, the Cross of Saint George, is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with the cr ...

which has been a landmark dating back to the

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

. The House of Assembly of New Brunswick approved funding for a lighthouse on Campobello Island in 1829, and construction of the main lighthouse was undertaken that same year. The other buildings at the light station, including a keeper's residence built in 1840, a fog alarm building built during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, a workshed completed by 1915, and a

boathouse A boathouse (or a boat house) is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. describing the facilities These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats ...

built in 1947, are similarly painted white with roofs and doors in a bright red. The station is situated on a small islet, accessible by land for only two hours during

low tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables can ...

; visitors can become stranded by the incoming tide which rapidly rises at a rate of five feet per hour. Roads and ferries connect mainland Canada to Campobello Island, but the final path to the lighthouse can only be traversed on foot. 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. A third-order Fresnel lens, installed in 1887, is located in the lantern room.

History

The United States completed the construction of

, situated near the Canadian border at the easternmost point in the United States, in 1808. 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. In February 1829, the provincial government of New Brunswick appropriated £400 () to erect a lighthouse on Campobello ("Campo Bello") Island. Head Harbour Light Station was completed later that same year. 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. The lantern room was altered in 1842 to enable the installation of a "new and much superior" beacon. This year also saw the initial painting of the tower's iconic red cross. A fog horn was added in 1880 that was used in conjunction with a machine-operated bell. The first modern Fresnel lens was installed in 1887. The extant diaphone fog signal and fog horn building were installed during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in 1915. The Canadian Coast Guard manned the station until 1986, when it was automated. 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. The property was deeded to the group in 2002, and full control of the light station was transferred in 2006.

References

{{reflist Lighthouses in New Brunswick Lighthouses completed in 1829 Buildings and structures in New Brunswick 1820s establishments in New Brunswick

Description

History

See also

References