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By The Canadian province of Nova Scotia hosted Canada’s first International Lighthouse Conference as part of a week long event titled, “The Lights Along the Shore Festival,” to draw attention to the plight of Canadian lighthouses and how to best save them for the future.
Sponsored by the Atlantic Lighthouse Council and organized by the South Shore Tourism Association—the event took 18 months to plan—no easy task when you are trying to coordinate an event that brought lighthouse experts from all over Canada, the United States, Great Britain, and Australia.
As Nova Scotia’s “Mr. Lighthouse” Rip Irwin says, “Nova Scotia has over 160 lighthouses, give or take a few.” For the lighthouse aficionado Nova Scotia is lighthouse heaven, and even the average tourist soon realizes Nova Scotia’s strong ties to the sea.
Before attending the International Lighthouse Conference we followed the “Lighthouse Route” to explore Nova Scotia’s coastline. This is fairly easy to do; all you really need is the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Map, which is available from the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society and most tourist information centers. Then, simply follow the Lighthouse Route signs, which are posted everywhere. The map helps, because it tells you which lighthouses have museums, restrooms, picnic areas etc., and which lighthouses are located in the water far from shore. This is helpful if you have limited time and wish to bypass some of the lesser lights. And time is something you need in Nova Scotia as the province is much bigger than you think, especially with its winding roads and beautiful peninsulas. The winding Lighthouse Route (along with its other scenic routes along the coast) is a great way to see Nova Scotia, with its breathtaking shores, towering cliffs, peaceful beaches, and charming seaside towns. Proving Nova Scotians’ love of lighthouses, we stopped counting lawn lights after the first day.
Don’t expect to find a lot of big shopping centers and large motels, they are far and few between. Look instead for quaint B&B’s, romantic restaurants, lots of museums and historic sites and very friendly people.
If you like big cities, then you will like Halifax. We only went there to visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic which is a must see location for anyone with a maritime interest. However, Halifax has lots to offer with many other museums, a beautiful waterfront and even a first class casino that features a large new lighthouse facsimile.
But, back to the primary reason we were there, the International Lighthouse Conference, where it was hoped that ideas could be developed for local groups to save and maintain the lighthouses in their communities. While it is true that many lighthouses are well maintained and preserved because of their locations, such as Nova Scotia’s Peggy’s Cove, Cape Forchu and Fort Point Lighthouses, most of Nova Scotia’s lighthouses and most of Canada’s lighthouses as well as other nation’s beacons are in remote areas with small, if any, population bases to support and maintain them, especially now that most governments are abandoning and disposing of lighthouses.
The people who planned this conference knew what they were doing; there was never a dull moment. The days started at 7:30am and we never finished up until 10:30 or 11pm at night. The long days were filled with an array of speakers, presentations, exhibits, thought provoking discussions, lighthouse tours, and great food.
Speakers included myself with a slide/talk presentation on the American Lighthouse Foundation, and, naturally, Lighthouse Digest and Lighthouse Depot, telling how ‘for profit’ and ‘non-profits’ can work together in partnerships to save lighthouses, their history and heritage.
From the conference everyone gained great knowledge of new ways and ideas for alternate uses of lighthouses and more importantly how lighthouse groups can make a difference, if they work together as a team.
This story appeared in the July 2000 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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