Beacons of Beauty: The lighthouses of Nova Scotia
Explore the lore and history behind the world-famous lighthouses
Peggy’s Point Lighthouse is among the world’s most photographed. This aesthetically pleasing fifty-foot, octagon-shaped white tower stands on a rocky outcrop in the fishing village of Peggy’s Cove. Rectangular windows along the side rise to a bright red lantern housing, which warns boats to stay away but attracts tourists like moths to a light.
Long before the lighthouse became a tourist destination, the sheltered cove near Halifax was a fishing hot spot. Six families settled here in 1811, and the lighthouse was completed in 1868. The small village is located at the entrance to St. Margaret Bay, and according to local lore, the cove was once known as Margaret’s Cove before adopting the nickname Peggy. But that’s not the story you’re likely to hear. Peggy’s Cove was home to the renowned artist William E. deGarthe, who captured the cove and its lighthouse in his paintings. In the 1950s, he wrote and illustrated a book titled "This is Peggy’s Cove", sharing the tale of a schooner that crashed against the rocks. Everyone on board went to Davy Jones’s Locker except for Margaret, who swam through the raging, choppy waters to shore and was rescued. For some odd reason, she chose to stay and marry one of the local fishermen. The locals would say, “Let’s go see Peggy of the Cove,” and the name stuck; a town was named after her.
Nova Scotia is home to over 160 historic lighthouses. (The Weather Network)
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Years later, the lighthouse helped prevent post-Margaret shipwrecks but killed the cove’s dating scene overnight. In 1915, the current lighthouse was built to replace the original and has continued to watch over the sea.
Lighthouses today are mainly automated, but in the past, their keepers and families lived isolated lifestyles, braving harsh weather, strong winds, and powerful storms to ensure the safety of passing boats. Lighthouse keepers had to be self-sufficient, working long hours for low wages and farming their own food. If they had children, they needed to homeschool them. This made for an impressive resume.
Nova Scotia’s historic lighthouses are even more impressive, a familiar sight along the vast coastline featuring 160 shining beacons.
Helpful map created by the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society outlines a route to see them all. (The Weather Network)
Near the town of Yarmouth stands the Cape Forchu Lighthouse, a tall structure painted with red and white vertical stripes resembling an apple core. It is the tallest of its kind in the province. In comparison, Advocate Harbour’s Cape d’Or Lighthouse is stout, offering overnight accommodations and a spectacular view of the Bay of Fundy.
The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society has created a helpful map of Nova Scotia lighthouses, outlining a route to see them all.
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