*** Welcome to piglix ***

Chantry Island Lightstation Tower

Chantry Island Lightstation Tower
Chantry Island Lightstation Tower.jpg
Keepers Dwelling, Lighthouse and Shed
Chantry Island Lighthouse is located in Ontario
Chantry Island Lighthouse
Ontario
Location Lightstation, Chantry Island, Ontario
Coordinates 44°29′22″N 81°24′07″W / 44.48938°N 81.40194°W / 44.48938; -81.40194Coordinates: 44°29′22″N 81°24′07″W / 44.48938°N 81.40194°W / 44.48938; -81.40194
Year first constructed 1859
Year first lit 1857
Automated 1954
Construction limestone tower
Tower shape cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markings / pattern white tower, red lantern
Height 26 metres (85 ft)
Focal height 31 metres (102 ft)
Original lens Fresnel lens
Current lens Solar
Range 6 nm
Characteristic Fl W 4s.
CHS number CCG-788
ARLHS number CAN-619
Managing agent Canadian Wildlife Service (Ontario Region)
Marine Heritage Society
Heritage classified federal heritage building of Canada Edit this on Wikidata
[]

The Chantry Island Lighthouse, officially known as Chantry Island Lightstation Tower, is a lightstation on Chantry Island, off the coast of Southampton, Ontario in Lake Huron. It was constructed in the years 1855 through to 1859, by John Brown of Thorold, Ontario, under the authority of the Province of Canada and is recognized as one of the six Imperial Towers. Virtually identical, they were completed in 1858-1859 on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay and are among the few lighthouses on the Great Lakes made of cut limestone and granite (not brick, metal, wood or concrete).

This lighthouse was planned in about 1850 because underwater shoals of massive granite boulders made navigation in the area dangerous. There are many accounts from the 1800s on of disasters and lost lives in this area of Lake Huron. The first beacon on the island (1857) was provided by a temporary fixed light which was replaced by the tower. The actual lighthouse was first lit on 1 April 1859. Valuable in its day, it still emits a bright beam, but now, buoys and modern navigational tools are more important for safe navigation.

The tower and the keeper's dwelling have been extensively restored. The dwelling is listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places while the Lightstation Tower is listed on the National Historic Sites of Canada. However, because the island is a bird sanctuary, only one company has a license to offer tours of the property and only on a limited basis. All other access to the island is prohibited.

The origin of the Imperial designation is not certain, but some historians speculate that because the towers were public construction built under the colonial administration while Canada was a self-governing colony of Britain, the name would assure at least some funding from the British Empire's Board of Trade. All six Imperial towers on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, along with a limestone lightkeeper's dwelling, were constructed by John Brown, a contractor and stonemason from Thorold, Ontario.


...
Wikipedia

...