Volunteers from all over North -America give crumbling NS lighthouse a facelift

On an uninhabited island near the community of Westport, NS, part of the past of the community is quietly falling apart.

But this summer a group of volunteers will arrive at Brier Island from North America, to bring that structure back to life.

The lighthouse of Peter Island was built in 1909 to accompany ships through treacherous tides and thick fog at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy.

“The lighthouse is such an iconic -looking lighthouse on … This rugged island with the tides and the huge waves that hit the rocks,” says volunteer John Schwinghamer. “It really doesn’t get better than that.”

The Canadian Coast Guard ignored the lighthouse in 2014. By the time the municipality of Digby acquired it after years of effort in 2023, it already fell apart.

Since 2015, volunteers have worked at a community group called Save An Island Lighthouse to maintain the structure, together with two other lighthouses on Digby Neck.

In September, volunteers will spend three weeks repairing the lighthouse of Peter Island, which is covered with Korstmos and runs the risk of being destroyed in a large storm.

The lighthouse is recognized under the Federal Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, which indicates and keeps historically important lighthouses.

But when the Financing Community Group applied via Parks Canada to cover the repair costs, it was not successful. That meant the prospect to hire contractors for $ 200,000 in work.

‘It was time to perform’

Schwinghamer lives in Westport, where he runs an artist residence with his wife; He can see the lighthouse through the windows of a 19th-century church that he owns and restored, on Brier Island.

He said that the quotes that the group of contractors received were “outrageous”, partly because of the logistical challenge that the site presented. “It is a bit of a nightmare to work on an island that is not only accessible by boat, but also the tiger problems.”

So he made a suggestion to the group. It would ask volunteers to come and do the work and he would coordinate.

“It was time to perform, and I have the skills, and it was real, I thought, a cool idea to get all these volunteers from everywhere.”

Repair job a unique opportunity

The first phase of the work includes replacing rotten sections of wood and making the structure weather -resistant. New shingles and fresh paint is part of the plan for next year.

From the end of August, about a dozen volunteers from Saskatchewan to the southeastern US will spend three weeks with repairs. They are fed and housed in the community.

John Penner participates from Saskatchewan. Before he retired, he worked on heritage architecture with the municipality of Saskatoon. “The project was so unusual, it aroused my interest.”

He said that heritage buildings are also lost on the prairies, which made the opportunity to save a historic building on the east coast, attractive.

“[Heritage buildings] Are not only symbols, but physical representation of history. “

Steven Sparks heard about the project via social media for the first time. As an old fan of the show The curse of Oak Island, Sparks had become a member of various Nova Scotia Community Facebook groups and saw the call for volunteers posted there.

Sparks, a contractor who lives in Greensboro, NC, has never been to Nova Scotia, but saw the project as a unique opportunity.

“How often do you have the chance in your life to say,” Yes, I worked on a lighthouse? ” I can understand the desire of a community to maintain the work of the past and to have that as a beacon. “

Sparks said he was struck by how hospitable and friendly people have been in the community, even at a time when the relationship between Canada and the US has been on the rocks.

“I support all people. I support Canadians, I support Americans. I think working, working peacefully, being respectful for our neighbors and our community is what makes us a great and successful society, both Canada and America. And I think we should keep looking at ways to work together.”

Heritage buildings are important for the community, volunteers say

Tyler Pulley, the collective labor agreement of the Digby municipality, said that the municipality sees the lighthouse as an integral part of the community and has dedicated $ 60,000 of his budget to repairs. “We have chosen to take over these lighthouses. And in the end we have the responsibility to ensure that they are maintained for years.”

But the costs of even minor repairs can increase, so Pulley said that he admires the work of the community group, and of volunteers who are willing to pitch on preservation.

“They have worked very hard for a long time to acquire and restore the lighthouses and their diligent work and the pride they have in the community is admirable,” he said. “It’s amazing, frankly.”

When the lighthouse was taken out of use in 2014, it was replaced by a simple metal structure with a light to guide seafarers. Although the lighthouse is no longer necessary for navigation, Schwinghamer said that it can still offer a leading light.

“If you reduce everything to pure figures, then … maybe it is not logical to save these buildings, but that just doesn’t record at all what makes a community a good place to live,” he said. “If we just eliminate everything that was rotten or fell down … we would lose many beautiful, beautiful buildings.”