the Port Burwell Lighthouse -our iconic structure
The Historic 1840 Lighthouse
History
Port Burwell's Historic Lighthouse was erected by the Canadian Colonial government in 1840, making it the oldest lighthouse on the north shore of Lake Erie. The frame structure rises more than 65 feet above the ground.
The lighthouse is of a simple, but classic design. Large pine timbers from the local Big Otter Valley formed the original framework to carry the exterior lapstrake siding. An interior staircase wound its way to the top of the lighthouse where a glassed-in cupola housed the light mechanism and lenses, which were imported from France. An exterior balcony made it possible to clean the outside of the windows.
The quality of this construction is reflected by the fact that the building stood for over one hundred and forty years without any major reconstruction.
The lighthouse was kept by the Sutherland family for over a century, establishing a record of service that earned the family recognition by two monarchs and a place in the history of navigation on the Great Lakes.
The light from the Lighthouse was the only beacon of hope for ships caught in a storm east of Long Point, across an expansive coastline of clay cliffs. When storms struck, captains who were caught west of the point attempted to claw their way around to the relatively calm and safe waters of Long Point Bay. If they didn’t make it, they were almost certainly doomed to go aground and break up on the shore. There was little chance of making Port Burwell in a bad blow. In effect, the Port Burwell light could only tell a captain how much trouble he was in. If the weather were more favourable, it was an indispensable guide to bring him safely to port.
Restoration 1980's
The lighthouse was run by the Canadian Government until it was taken out of active service. Fearing that the lighthouse might be demolished, it was acquired by the Village of Port Burwell in April of 1965.
A partial restoration was done in 1977 through a Local Initiatives Program grant. More painting and refurbishing took place in 1983 and soon after, public tours of the building were allowed.
However, it soon became apparent that the structure needed more than a coat of paint. A close examination of the lighthouse produced evidence that the foundation and lower main beams needed to be replaced.
In July of 1986 a major restoration program commenced. Leroy Eicher led a team of local Mennonite craftsmen to begin the reconstruction program. Leroy and his sons began work using the same hand tools with which the tower was originally built. The adze with which the team shaped the beams was the same tool used by the skilled carpenters who built the schooners at Port Burwell over a century before. Mortice and tenet joints were used to join the timbers forming the framework of the old lighthouse.
When the work was started, it was discovered that the decay was more serious than had been estimated. Virtually all of the long beams had to be replaced with Douglas Fir and the exterior siding had to be replaced.
Today's Issues and Status
In 1985, the Council for the Town of Port Burwell enacted a bylaw establishing the Historic 1840 Port Burwell Lighthouse as a Historically Designated structure.
On January 1, 1998 the Village of Port Burwell was amalgamated with the Township of Bayham and the Village of Vienna to form the Municipality of Bayham and the ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to the Municipality.
In 2022, the Municipality noticed some issues with the lighthouse and began a process to replace some of the exterior components. However, their approach did not adhere to the guidelines required for an historically designated structure. Push back from the local community and the Ontario Historical Society forced the Municipality to withdraw the proposed course of action and instead follow the recognized process and procedures for restoration and conservation of historic buildings.
In early 2023, initial examination of the structure began to document the areas that needed to be addressed and to formulate a plan of action for the restoration of the lighthouse. However, it was soon discovered that the foundation and the support beams were unsound and the structure was declared unsafe. Concerns about windshear on the building were addressed through the implementation of a “temporary” collar and guy wire solution.
In August 2023, the consulting firm of a+Link delivered a preliminary report estimating the work and materials required to reconstruct and restore the lighthouse would be in the neighbourhood of $1.5 Million. As of this date, the Municipality has determined they will not have funding available to begin this desperately needed work until their 2025 budget.
The Municipality is currently (as of February 1st) looking at ways of removing the Historic Designation so that they can once again proceed with repairs to the Lighthouse that will not have to follow the established guidelines for restoration of a Historic Structure. The Port Burwell community is already challenging this action.
