Have you hugged a lighthouse lately?

“Lighthouses are not just stone, brick, metal, and glass. There’s a human story at every lighthouse.”
― Elinor Dewire

ST. PETER’S HARBOUR LIGHTHOUSE ON CANADA’S EAST COAST “RIVIERA”

We are spending a month on Prince Edward Island, on the east coast of Canada and one of the things on our must-do list was to visit some of the historic lighthouses that are scattered throughout the island. With over 1,100 miles of coastline, lighthouses played a vital role in safely guiding the ships that plied the coastal waters over the centuries.  Prince Edward Island has 63 lighthouse and range light buildings and of these, 37 are still active.

Because Prince Edward Island is a relatively small island (2,184 square miles), we were able to explore from coast to coast, encountering some amazing historical structures.  The first on our list was found quite by accident and ended up being less than ten minutes from where we were staying on the north shore near the harbour of St. Peter’s.

Our modern-day exploration led us down random red dirt roads that we figured would ultimately lead towards the sea and hopefully to a lighthouse. Encountering Lighthouse Road, we made the educated guess that we were on the right track!  With not a soul in sight, the bumpy winding road led us through farmer’s fields and groves of trees and we started to second guess as to whether we should have taken this path to “nowhere” in the first place!

Debating whether to turn around or not, we abruptly came to the end of the trail and could go no further. We parked the car and gazed out over miles of dunes covered in marram grass, wild rose bushes and bayberry plants, a haven for birds. We wondered how these plants could cling to life so bravely in the sand, surrounded by the harshness of the saltwater marsh.

Peeking out through the sand dunes, we saw the red and white, capped tip of a lighthouse, completely surrounded by the dunes. To get to the lighthouse we carefully stayed on the sand pathways so as not to further disturb the fragile ecosystem of the dunes. We later found out from residents that the ever-shifting dunes had claimed the lighthouse as its victim over a century ago.

The lighthouse (range tower) is believed to have been built around 1865 and is a square tapered wooden structure with a broad base and steeply sloping sides. It is now a relic, no longer in use and not even easily seen from the ocean. It has since been dug out of its sand coffin and stands as a lonely sentinel in faded glory, a reminder of a time long gone. The shingles are weathered, the white paint chipped, the door nailed shut, with no other purpose than to give us a glimpse into Prince Edward Island’s maritime history.

St. Peter’s Harbour Lighthouse surrounded by dunes 

My brother, who had just arrived on the island for a holiday, was ecstatic with our find. We are both history and archaeology buffs and finding this lighthouse was a wonderful start to his vacation. He ran up the sandy path to the abandoned lighthouse, gently touched the ancient wood and then gave it an even more gentle bear hug.

St. Peter's Lighthouse prior to it's restoration

This is the power of lighthouses…they make grown men want to hug them. It also makes you wonder about the role that this particular lighthouse played in a maritime community from a bygone era. What ships did this lighthouse save from a watery grave? Who were the lighthouse keepers that stood watch through winter gales and in the dark of night? Why did no one realize that the sand had claimed it for its own? And how was it found again?

As we walked on the path through the dunes towards the Gulf of St. Lawrence, we realized that there is an easier way to get to the lighthouse than via the road. We could have simply taken a longer walk along the beach toward the harbour from our cottage in Lakeside!

If you want to see this historic lighthouse for yourself, take Highway 2, just east of Morell and turn north on St. Peter’s Harbour Road towards the sea. After 2.1 km (1.3 miles) turn right on Lighthouse Road and follow it to its end where you will find the St. Peters Harbour Lighthouse. The road is bumpy and may not be passable in rainy weather so be prepared to walk a portion of the road if this is the case (or take a fabulous walk on the beach to the lighthouse)!