- Louisbourg Lighthouse
Infobox_Lighthouse
name = Louisbourg Lighthouse
caption =
location =Louisbourg, Nova Scotia
coordinates =
yearbuilt =
yearlit = 1734, 1842
automated = 1990
yeardeactivated =1758
foundation =
construction = concrete
shape = octagonal
marking = White tower, red lantern
height = 16.8 m
elevation = 32 m
lens =
currentlens =
intensity =
range =
characteristic = Flashing White, once every 9 sec
fogsignal =
admiralty =H3344
NGA =9204
ARLHS =CAN-756Louisbourg Lighthouse is a historic Canadian lighthouse at
Louisbourg, Nova Scotia and is the site of the first lighthouse inCanada .The First Light
Construction began on the lighthouse in 1730 to assist navigation to
Fortress Louisbourg . It was completed in 1734. A fire in 1736 destroyed the lantern but the stone tower was unharmed and a new lantern was installed in 1738. [ [http://nslps.com/lights/lighthouse_page_01.asp?ID=216&SP=2&M=Early%20History "Early History: Louisbourg Lighthouse" "Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society" web page] ] Lighthouse Point played a decisive role in both seiges of Fortress Louisbourg as, once captured, it provided a commanding gun battery location to bombard the fortress. This lighthouse was badly damaged in 1758 during the Final Seige of Louisbourg and abandoned by the British after they demolished the fortress. Stonework ruins from the first tower are still visibile at the site.The Second Lighthouse
A square wooden lighthouse with a black stripe was built by the government of
Nova Scotia in 1842. The lighthouse was a large two and a half story wooden building supported by a massive masonary base. It included the keeper's dwelling in the base of the light. Afog horn building was added in 1902. This lighthouse was destroyed by fire in 1922. The foundation remains visible today and has been excavated and stabilized byParks Canada archaeologists .The Lighthouse Today
An octagonal concrete lighthouse decorated with neoclassical architectural features was built in 1923. The tower is a twin of the Georges Island Lighthouse in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The Louisbourg lighthouse was destaffed in 1990. The lighthouse is a popular lookoff point and in 2008 became the start of a coastal walking trail. Interpetive plaques mark the ruins of the previous lighthouses.
References
*E.R. Irwin, "Lighthouses and Lights of Nova Scotia", (Nimbus, 2003), pages 140-141.
*cite web|url=http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/ns2.htm|author=Rowlett, Russ|title=The Lighthouse Directory|accessdate=8 September|accessyear=2008External links
* [http://nslps.com/lights/lighthouse_page_01.asp?ID=216 "Louisbourg Lighthouse", "Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society Web Page"]
* [http://fortress.uccb.ns.ca/LouisbourgLighthouseSociety/ Louisbourg Lighthouse Society]
* [http://www.mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/e/stmp1032-35.htm Louisbourg Lighthouse Stamp, Canada Post, 1984]
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