Land purchased to keep lighthouse from falling into sea
CBC News | Posted: July 22, 2014 2:47 PM | Last Updated: July 22, 2014
Shore erosion threatening the Cape Bear Lighthouse
The historic Cape Bear Lighthouse in southeastern Prince Edward Island is being saved from toppling into the sea. The lighthouse is currently perched just two metres from the bank.
The lighthouse has been a subject of concern for years. The bank had been eroding away at a rate of about one metre per year.
Cape Bear Lighthouse and Marconi Station Incorporated, the group that has been overseeing its restoration, has purchased 50 hectares of land about 400 metres east of the current location.
The corporation wants to develop the site into an historic attraction.
"It's about the only thing we have left down in southern Kings County. It's one of the last symbols," said group president Wallace Jorden.
"We don't want to lose it over the bank by default. We want to preserve it and to develop it and to make it to be something that people will look forward to."
The group says it is still negotiating with the federal department of Fisheries and Oceans to turn the lighthouse over.
The lighthouse was built in 1886. It now houses the Marconi Museum. The Marconi Station at Cape Bear used to be next to the lighthouse and was the first in Canada to receive the distress signal from the Titanic. A station in Newfoundland had heard it earlier, but was not part of Canada at the time.
The move is planned for early October.
Corrections:- A previous version of this story said the Cape Bear lighthouse was the first site in Canada to receive the distress signal from the Titanic. In fact it was the Marconi Station, near the lighthouse, which received the signal. July 22, 2014 7:24 PM