On an uninhabited island right next to the Westport community, NS, a part of the community’s past is being silent.
But this summer, a group of volunteers will arrive on Brier island from North America, to return that structure to life.
Peter Island lighthouse was built in 1909 to guide the ships through treacherous tides and thick fog in the mouth of Fundy Bay.
“The lighthouse is such an iconic lighthouse … This difficult island with the tides and the huge waves that crash against the rocks,” says the volunteer John Schwinghamer. “It really doesn’t become more beautiful than that.”
The Canada Coast Guard dismantled the lighthouse in 2014. When the municipality of Digby acquired it in 2023 after years of effort, it was already falling apart.
Since 2015, volunteers with a community group called Save An Isand Lighthouse have been working to preserve the structure, along with two other headlights in Digby Neck.
This September, the volunteers will spend three weeks repairing the Peter Island lighthouse, which is covered with lichens and at risk of being destroyed in an important storm.
The lighthouse is recognized under the Federal Law on Protection of the Faro of Heritage, which designates and preserves the historically significant headlights.
But when the community group requested funds through Parks Canada to cover the cost of repairs, it was not successful. That meant the possibility of hiring contractors for $ 200,000 in work.
‘It was time to step forward’
Schwinghamer lives in Westport, where he directs an artist residence with his wife; You can see the lighthouse through the windows of a nineteenth -century church that it has, and restored, on Brier island.
He said that the quotes received by the group of contractors were “scandalous”, partly due to the logistics challenge presented by the site. “It is a nightmare to work on an island that is not only accessible by boat, but you also have the tide problems.”
Then, he made a suggestion to the group. I would ask the volunteers to come to do the job and he would coordinate.
“It was time to step forward, and I have the skill set, and it was really, I thought, a great idea to bring all these volunteers everywhere.”
Repair work a unique opportunity
The first phase of the work will involve replacing rotten wooden sections and proof of the structure. The new tiles and fresh paint are part of the plan for next year.
From the end of August, approximately a dozen volunteers from Saskatchewan to the southeast of the United States will spend three weeks making repairs. They will be fed and housed in the community.
John Penner joins Saskatchewan. Before retiring, he worked in the architecture of the heritage with the municipality of Saskatoon. “The project was so unusual that it aroused my interest.”
He said that patrimonial buildings are also being lost in the meadows, which had the opportunity to save a historic building on the attractive east coast.
“[Heritage buildings] They are not only symbols, but physical representation of history. “
Steven Sparks first listened to the project through social networks. As a program fan for a long time Oak Island’s curse, Sparks had joined several Facebook groups from the New Scotland community and saw the call of volunteers published there.
Sparks, a contractor who lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, has never been in Nueva Scotia, but saw the project as a unique opportunity.
“How many times in your life do you have the opportunity to say: ‘Yes, I worked on a lighthouse?’ I can understand the desire of a community to preserve the work of your past and have it as a lighthouse. “
Sparks said he has been surprised by how cozy and friendly people have been in the community, even at a time when the relationship between Canada and the United States has been in the rocks.
“Support for all people. Support to Canadians, support for Americans. I think that working together, working peacefully, being respectful of our neighbors and our community is what makes us an excellent and successful society, both from Canada and in the United States. And I think we need to continue looking for ways of working together.”
Important heritage buildings for the community, volunteers say
Tyler Polley, the CAO of the municipality of Digby, said that the municipality sees the lighthouse as an integral part of the community and has committed $ 60,000 of its budget for repairs. “We chose to take care of these headlights. And, ultimately, we have the responsibility to ensure that they remain in the coming years.”
But the cost of even minor repairs can add, so Pulley said he admires the work of the community group and volunteers, who are willing to participate in preservation.
“They have worked very hard for a long time to acquire and restore the headlights and their diligent work and the pride they have in the community is admirable,” he said. “It’s surprising, honestly.”
When the lighthouse was dismantled in 2014, it was replaced by a simple metal structure with a light to guide sea people. Although the lighthouse is no longer necessary for navigation, Schwinghamer said that preserving that it can still offer a guide light.
“If you reduce everything to pueros numbers, then … maybe it makes no sense to save these buildings, but that does not capture at all what makes a community a good place to live,” he said. “If we simply eliminate everything that was rotten or fall … we lost many beautiful and beautiful buildings.”
