Community rallies to save 200-year-old Seal Island lighthouse
CBC
A nearly 200-year-old wooden lighthouse on a remote island about 30 kilometres off southwest Nova Scotia is facing an uncertain future.
The Seal Island lighthouse, the oldest wooden lighthouse in Nova Scotia, was built in 1831 by local families and played a vital role in saving the lives of countless seafarers navigating the area.
The lighthouse was given recognized heritage status by the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office in 2009.
Now under the control of the Canadian Coast Guard, the structure is still in use as a beacon, but has fallen into disrepair.
Fearful that there are plans to replace the structure with a metal tower, the community formed a group in 2022 to ensure the existing lighthouse is preserved for future generations.
The group is made up of people with deep family ties to the island, some are descendants of former lighthouse keepers.
Jamie Symonds is vice-president of the Seal Island Lighthouse Preservation Society and says his father spent time on Seal Island when he was growing up.
"He said he learned how to play basketball in the lighthouse," Symonds said.
"A lot of families in the 1950s and 1960s, would move to Seal Island for a few months during the year. Either they fish from there or they had a relative that was the lighthouse keeper at one point. So there's a sense of family connection."
Symonds said the society was set up to raise awareness and community support for preserving the lighthouse while also influencing decisions about its future.
According to Symonds, some recent water damage to the structure was caused by a leaky window the coast guard installed while preparing to put in a new foghorn.
Symonds said he has been told the lighthouse is still structurally sound despite some water damage.
The coast guard also replaced a door on the lighthouse in August after a break-in, he said.
He said the group has been told that government estimates it will cost $2.5 million to preserve the lighthouse but they believe a more realistic estimate could be about half that amount.