Heritage Lighthouse
Which site was the heritage designation of Point Clark Lighthouse from May 2013 to May 2014?
Point Clark Lighthouse Point Clark Lighthouse is located on in a beach community , Point Clark , Ontario , near a point that protrudes into Lake Huron . Built between 1855 and 1859 under the instructions of the Board of Works , Canada West , it is one of the few on the Great Lakes to be made primarily from stone . It is one of the Imperial Towers , a group of six nearly identical towers built by contractor John Brown for the Province of Canada ( Canadian government ) on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay , all completed by 1859 . The location for the Point Clark lighthouse was selected to warn sailors of the shoals ( sandbars ) off the Lake Huron coast . It is still functioning as an automated light . A restoration that eventually exceeded $2.3 million started in 2011 and the facility reopened for tourism in June 2015 . The origin of the designation Imperial 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 Empires Board of Trade . Since the lighthouse is on the mainland ( not on an island ) it can easily reached by bicycle or a vehicle . The original wooden storage building and keepers house are a Township of Huron-Kinloss museum . The lightkeepers home and the lighthouse can be toured from mid June to Labour Day for a fee . The Point Clark tower was formally registered as one of the National Historic Sites of Canada , the only lighthouse on the Great Lakes or Georgian Bay to receive this highest-level designation . It has also been designated under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act . The keepers cottage is a designated place of historic interest , and has been listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places since 2008 . History . Before the lighthouse was built , a lantern had been hung on a branch of a pine tree near the beach ; this led to the settlement being called Pine Point . Like the nearby Chantry Island Lightstation Tower this one was built at a time when commercial shipping traffic was increasing on the Great Lakes between Canada and the U.S . because of new trade agreements and the opening of the Sault Ste . Marie Canal locks in 1855 . Other towers were also built on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay between 1855 and 1859 to act as navigational aids for the ships . Intended to warn ships about the point and about dangerous shoals in the area , construction started in 1857 . The second order Fresnel lens was manufactured in Paris and installed by workmen from France . Much of the tower , and the keepers house , was made of Dolomite limestone , much of it from a quarry about 60 kilometers from Point Clark . The walls are five feet thick at the base but only two feet near the top of the tower . The light was first illuminated on 1 April 1859 . In the early years , it was fueled with spermaceti oil as fuel but in 1860 , that changed to colza oil ; the latter was less expensive and allowed for the light to burn even on the coldest winter nights . The keeper was required to carry the fuel up the stairs in buckets . Electricity was used since 1863 . The first attempt in automating the light started in 1924 . The new system was not considered adequately effective or reliable , so in 1926 , it was removed and the original Fresnel lens was again used . The early revolving light mechanism was replaced with an electric motor in 1953 . A light keeper was no longer required after 1963 when the light was fully automated . Its light characteristic is a single white flash every ten seconds , emitted at a focal plane height of . The tower is owned by Parks Canada but the site is operated as a tourist attraction by the Township of Huron-Kinloss . The light operates under the control of the Canadian Coast Guard . Like the other Imperial Towers on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay , it is among the few on the Great Lakes made of cut limestone and granite ( not brick , wood , metal or concrete ) , with a functional design that is simple but elegant and pleasing to the eye . After a $3.7 million reconstruction that lasted four years , the lighthouse and museum reopened for tours in June 2015 . An announcement at the reopening ceremony indicated that the Point Clark lighthouse had been designated under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act because of its significant heritage value . Lighthouse design . The tower is tall , made primarily of cut limestone brought from Inverhuron by barge , but a section near the top is made of granite for extra rigidity . There are 114 steps from the bottom to the lantern room . The 12 sided cast iron lantern was first lit on April 1 , 1859 and is from the base of the tower . The light keepers house , resembling a British stone cottage , is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building , a place of historic interest . The 14 July 1994 summary praises its symmetry , excellent build quality , pleasing appearance and practical design . The Lightkeepers . The job of light keeper was an attractive one and positions were often filled on the basis of affiliation with the current political party in power . After WWI and WWII however , preference was given to war veterans . The keeper was required to maintain the property , clean and whitewash the tower as required , and maintain the light . In the years before electricity and automation , he was also required to carry the fuel up the stairs in buckets , and , twice a day , to wind up the clockwork-like mechanism—with weights and pulleys—that enabled the weights to rotate the lens . The following individuals were responsible for the lighthouse and its property over the years : - John Young 1859–1882 - David Small 1883 - John Rae 1883–1896 - Murdock McDonald 1897–1914 - George H . Ray 1914–1924 - John E . Ruttle 1926–1938 - John A . Campbell 1938–1946 - John C . Campbell ( 1947–1962 ) In 1875 , John Youngs salary would have been approximately $400 per annum , based on published data for the salary at the Chantry Island Lightstation that year . ( Another report indicates $435 per annum but does not state the year ; that amount may have been paid in a later year. ) After the light was automated , Elmer MacKenzie was retained as a part-time caretaker for the property ( 1963-1964 ) at a salary of $75 per year . Some sources discuss subsequent caretakers Elden Lowry ( 1964-1967 ) and Joe Burke . Currently , the light produces a white flash every 10 seconds .