Shining a light on history
Victoria County structures named heritage lighthouses
Two Victoria County lighthouses have been added to the list of Canadian designated heritage lighthouses.
Catherine McKenna, the minister responsible for Parks Canada, and Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, jointly announced three more designations this week.
With the new designations, a total of 95 lighthouses in eight provinces have been protected under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, with more designations to follow.
The newly designated lighthouses located on Cape Breton are Gillis Point Lighthouse and Black Rock Point Lighthouse. Both lighthouses guide vessels navigating the Bras D’Or Lake.
The Black Rock Point Lighthouse was established in 1868, with the current lighthouse built in 1978. It is a 10.8-metre tall combined light tower and engine room with a square tower built into one corner. A seasonal foghorn is on the grounds, activated by a small beacon located near the lighthouse. The light station is associated with Cape Breton’s industrial past, having guided shipments of coal and other goods from Sydney down through the calmer waters of the
Bras d’Or Lake throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, it supports the local fishing industry and pleasure boaters. The secondary coastal light services the entrance into the Great Bras d’Or Lake channel from St. Anns Bay. It is located 30 minutes from Sydney.
The Gillis Point Lighthouse was built in 1895 and is an 11.3-metre tall wooden, square-tapered tower that sits on a narrow section of land stretching into the Bras d’Or Lake. Gillis Point Lighthouse is one of a small number of harbour lights established along the shores of
the Bras d’Or Lake in the late 19th century, and is associated with Cape Breton’s industrial past, having guided shipments of coal and other goods from Sydney down through the calmer waters of the Bras d’Or. The lighthouse is also noted for having been tended by one of the few female lightkeepers in Nova Scotia, Catherine MacLean, who was lightkeeper from 1916 until 1939. Today the lighthouse serves mariners navigating the Bras D’Or Lake system. It is located about an hour’s drive from Sydney.
Among the 95 heritage lighthouses, 42 are to be managed by the federal government and 53 are to be managed by new, nonfederal owners. Communitybased organizations and other levels of government are currently working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to take over responsibility for the care and protection of many more lighthouses that are important to their communities.
“The Gillis Point Lighthouse and the Black Rock Point Lighthouse are treasured symbols of our community,” SydneyVictoria MP Mark Eyking said in a news release. “This heritage lighthouse designation will ensure that these lighthouses will be protected for generations to come … Both lighthouses are cherished landmarks by the local community and support the local fishing industry and pleasure boaters.”
The Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, which is administered by Parks Canada, allows for the identification and protection of federally owned lighthouses with heritage value. The federal government and other non-federal owners protect heritage lighthouses under the terms of the act.
These designations are made on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.