In 1897, during the zenith of the shipping industry on the Great Lakes, a navigation light was put into service on the north easterly point of Flowerpot Island. That summer, a square wooden keepers cottage with a wooden tower was erected atop Castle Bluff at a cost of $1,137.00. From a height of 33 meters above the water, the fixed white dioptic light was visible for 22.4 km. Donald Smith, the first lightkeeper to be stationed here was paid $300. a season.
The original lighthouse building was dismantled and the remains pushed from the cliff in 1969 after being replaced by the steel tower still at the site. The fog plant, which was decommissioned in 1995, now stands where the original lighthouse once stood.
Costing a total of $4,410.65, the fog alarm and fog building was established at the cliff site in 1909 replacing earlier, less effective bells and hand horns. The observation deck occupies the site where the original fog building once stood.
Lightstation History:
The 2-storey lighthouse dwelling was built in 1901 at a cost of $1,396.93, on 24.37 acres of property that was purchased in 1900 from the department of Indian Affairs at a cost of $8.64. The one storey dwelling was built in 1959 at a cost of $18,000. Prior to its building, the assistant lightkeeper lived at the lighthouse. The boathouse/workshop was erected in 1963.
At the water are the remains of a dock which was destroyed by a fierce winter storm in 1987. Chunks of its concrete wreckage can be seen underwater from the cobble beach in front of the houses. As the lightstation was to be unmanned at the end of the 1987 season, the dock was never replaced.
Occasional witnesses to marine disasters and heroic rescues, the lightkeepers and their families lived out lives of hard work in lonely isolation from April to December for the 90 years that this station was manned. With the decline of the once-vital shipping industry and the introduction of automation technology, the era of the lighthouse keeper has passed into a much romanced part of our Marine Heritage.
The Friends of the Lightstation
Thanks to the generosity and support of The Coast Guard, Parks Canada, True North II Charters and the efforts of the volunteers, the lightstation is getting a facelift which includes clean-up and repainting of the dwellings, boathouse and observation deck; roof reshingling; gardening and lawncare, trail improvement and signage. In 1998, a public composting toilet will be built and a host program will be set up for the enjoyment of the 10,000+ annual visitors to the site.
Fundraising events, such as the popular spirit walks and teas hosted by the Friends will continue at the Lightstation. If you would like to learn more about Flowerpot Lightstation, or become involved with the Friends, please contact us at Box 66, Tobermory, Ontario, N0H 2R0. To find out if there is a volunteer at the lightstation, ask at the SeaviewIII Ticket Booth, Little Tub Harbour, Tobermory.
MapHistoryPhotos from July 2nd,3rd,4th, 1998Photos from Sept. 2/3/4, 1998Photos from Aug. 22/23/24, 1999Photos from Aug. 27/28/29, 2000Photos from Aug. 26/27/28, 2001Photos from Aug. 20/21/22, 2002Photos from Aug. 18/19/20, 2003Photos from Aug. 31, Sept. 1/ 2, 2004Photos from Sept. 26,27,28,29,30, 2005Photos from Aug. 28,29,30, 2006Lighthouses: A Photographic JourneyThe Bruce PeninsulaTobermory Information