Sambro Island Lighthouse

Infobox_Lighthouse

---

caption = Sambro Island lighthouses with solar panels and old fog cannons
location = Sambro Island, Halifax, Nova Scotia
coordinates =
yearlit = 1758
automated = 1988
construction = stonework, sheathed in wood shingles
shape = Tapered Octagonal
height = 82 feet
lens = rotating airport electric beacon
range = convert|24|nmi|km|0
characteristic = Flashing White

Sambro Island Lighthouse is landfall lighthouse located at the entrance to Halifax, Nova Scotia, near the community of Sambro. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America and a Canadian National Historic Site.

History

The Sambro lighthouses was established by the very first act passed by Nova Scotia's House of Assembly on October 2, 1758 which placed a tax on incoming vessels and alcohol imports to pay for the lighthouse. ["Sambro Light Fog Horn Won't Be Turned Off Without Being Heard", "Chebucto News" Vol. 9, No. 10, January 2008] An earlier attempt by the colonial officials in 1752 to finance the lighthouse with a lottery was unsuccessful. With funding secured by the Assembly, construction began in the fall of 1758. Masonary work was completed by November 3, 1758 and a temporary light was first lit while construction continued. Construction was completed in 1759 and Joseph Rous was appointed as the first keeper. Cannons were used to provide fog warnings beginning in the late 1700s until the 1870s when a steam fog whistle was installed. As the landfall light for the major strategic port of Halifax, Sambro has witnessed many shipwrecks, sea battles and the "Noble Light" served as the departure point from North America for Joshua Slocum's famous solo navigation around the world in 1895, "I watched light after light sink astern as I sailed into the unbounded sea, till Sambro, the last of them all, was below the horizon. The Spray was then alone..." [ ["Sailing Alone Around the World," Joshua Slocum, 1900 http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/js/a03.htm] ]

The lighthouse grew 22 feet higher in 1906, when two extra stories were added to the top of the tower and a new First Order lighthouse lens was installed. Acetylene was first tested and then manufactured for the light in a specially constructed "Gas House" in the cove below the lighthouse. Red stripes were added to the tower in 1908 to make the tower more visible against the snow. The lighthouse was declared a National Historic Site in the 1937. In 1966, the First Order lens was replaced by a rotating electrical beacon but the lens was preserved by the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

The lightstation was destaffed in 1988 and the island is now uninhabited. One of the three 1960s keeper's dwelling was demolished for salvage in 1989. The other two were abandoned to the elements. After lobbying by the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society, the tower was declared a Classified federal heritage building and the Gas House was declared a Recognized heritage building in 1996. ["Lighthouses and Lights of Nova Scotia", E.H. Irwin, 2003, p.73-74] Major repairs to the lighthouse followed in 1998 when the lighthouse was reshingled and repainted. In 2003, Hurricane Juan caused major damage to the Gas House. Despite the fact that it is a recognized federal building and donors have offered to assist in repairs, the Canadian Coast Guard has refused to repair the historic building. [Heritage Canada Foundation, Presentation to the Standing Committee of fisheries and Oceans, http://www.heritagecanada.org/eng/news/s220_brief.htm] Many have accused the Canadian Coast Guard of essentially abandoning Canada's oldest lightstation to the elements, despite its historic status and proximity to Halifax. In addition to the unrepaired heritage gas house, the two keeper's dwellings have been left as gutted ruins. In October 2007, after the underwater cable supplying power to the island was damaged, the Canadian Coast Guard turned off the fog horn, ending over 200 years of fog warnings from the island with plans for a solar system with just enough power for the lighthouse beacon. The move triggered a protest move to protect the navigational role and heritage value of the light station. ["Sambro Foghorn Goes Quiet", Brian Mendel, "Chronicle Herald" Tues. Nov. 13, 2007 http://thechronicleherald.ca/Metro/978241.html and "Voice of lighthouse falls silent", Rick Howe, "The Daily News" Nov. 16, 2007] Mariners and heritage groups have petitioned the Coast Guard and the Nova Scotia House of Assembly passed a resolution in November 2007 labellling the neglect of the island as "a careless disregard for the nation's Maritime and its history of responsible government." ["Sambro Light Fog Horn Won't Be Turned Off Without Being Heard", "Chebucto News" Vol. 9, No. 10, January 2008] In the wake of these concerns, an enlarged solar system was installed in the spring of 2008 with enough power to run both the light and a foghorn. The tower was also repainted. On August 16, 2008, the community of Sambro Harbour and the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society celebrated the lighthouse's 250th birthday by bringing 150 people to the island for talks and tours. One of the derelict keeper's houses was destroyed by a suspicious fire on September 14, 2008, raising fears about the fate of the other neglected heritage structures on the island such as the Gas House. ["Historic Lighthouse Escapes Fire", "Halifax Chronicle Herald", September 15, 2008, page 1.]

The Site

The lighthouses is located at the summit of the half kilometre square Sambro Island. It is located on the western approaches to Halifax Harbour, about 6 kilometres southeast of Sambro Harbour. It is surrounded by a maze of dangerous shoals. The lighthouse and island are owned and maintained by the Canadian Coast Guard. In addition to the 18th century stone tower, the lightstation includes the endangered 19th century wooden building known as the Gas House as well as a fog horn shed which is in poor condition. Ruins on the island include the basement of one abandoned keeper's house, the burned out ruins of another and a partially dismantled keeper's dwelling, all from the 1960s. Several cannons used as fog signals can be found near the tower. A narrow sheltered cove runs into the centre of the island. The island is granite, covered by a thin layer of topsoil.A unique geological formation, an intrusion dike, called "The Devil's Staircase" can be seen near the lighthouse. The massive First Order Fresnel Lens used at the lighthouse until 1968 can be seen at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax. The Canadian Coast Guard does not permit regular tours of the island but good views of the site are obtained from Crystal Crescent Beach and Sandy Cove near Ketch Harbour.

Commemoration

The Sambro lighthouse was declared a National Historic Site in 1937, marked by a plaque and cairn mounted beside the United Church in near-by Sambro Harbour. A $20 silver coin featuring the lighthouse was issued in 2004 by the Royal Canadian Mint. [Sambro Lighthouse Coin http://www.coinboutique.com/scripts/dispitem.cgi?item=2004_sambro] Canada Post announced a permanent stamp honouring the Sambro lighthouse in December 2007.

References

External links

* [http://www.nslps.com/lights/lighthouse_page_01.asp?ID=355&SP=1&M=Intro Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society Sambro Lighthouse page ]