Île-Verte Lighthouse 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 lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

on Île Verte in Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs,

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Completed in 1809, it is the oldest lighthouse on the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

and the third oldest in Canada. The Lighttower, which is in height.

History

Constructed between 1806 and 1809 on behalf of Trinity House in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, the lighthouse was responsible for the improvement and surveillance of the lower

. It was among the first lighthouses built in Canada, and was the first built on the banks of the Saint Lawrence. The Île-Verte Lighthouse illustrates the expansion of trade and navigation in the early nineteenth century and was an important milestone in the development of a network of safe waterways in Canada.

Keepers

* Charles Hembleton 1809-1827 * Robert Noel Lindsay 1827-1867 * Gilbert Lindsay 1867-1888 * Irenee Lindsay 1888-1927 * Joseph-Alfred Lindsay 1927-1964 * Armand Lafrance 1964-1972 The last lighthouse keeper left in 1972.

Legacy

The Île-Verte Lighthouse served as a prototype for the construction of other lighthouses along the St. Lawrence, by its masonry construction, its cylindrical shape, small size and its overall simplicity. The longevity of the building and its continued use attest to the success of this design, which proved highly functional, as well as to the quality of materials and construction.

Heritage

The Île-Verte lighthouse reinforces the austerity of its location on the coast. The building is an important landmark in the region and is now a tourist attraction and a source of pride in the region. Federal Building, it was classified a historic monument of the

National Historic Sites of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 1974 because of its historical importance, its relevance in terms of architecture and the special place it occupies in its environment.

References

External links