TWO RANGE LIGHTS

The Margaree Harbour Range Lights, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia are deteriorating, and we need your support to help our community restore them to their original beauty. These are not the more common lighthouses which warn ships of danger, to “stay away;” ours are two Directional or "Range Lights,” welcoming seafarers in, showing them a safe path to harbour. They are geographic and historical icons of our area, Nova Scotia and Canada, and are still being used—a direct link with our past. Descendants of the men who took care of the lights in the past, and others who sailed under these lights, still use them today. They are simple, square, sturdy wooden structures, held down by cables and have withstood whatever nature has thrown at them in our extreme climate for 115 years. Other lighthouses are being replaced by steel poles with a light on top. At any given time there are about 25-30 local lobster or crab fishing boats at our wharf; from the opening of the season at the beginning of May through to December, the boats are busy. Fisherpeople continue to set sail here in the early hours of the day, and, even with the modern navigational aids such as GPS, they can still use these lights for guidance and comfort when returning home at night. The history of Margaree’s onshore fishery, characterized by individual owner-operators, is a vital part of our history, our culture and our understanding of ourselves. Our community supports our efforts to save and restore the two Lights once they are transferred to us. Fortunately this simple, square, wooden design will also allow the community to readily maintain them in future. Following the transfer of ownership, we want to refurbish them to their original condition. These Lighthouses still have good bones, but minor structural fixes are necessary. Some trim and glass needs repair, the cedar-shakes will be replaced and finally, a fresh coat of paint applied. We hope you will become honorary members of our community and participants in our history by supporting the Lights!! Margaree Harbour Heritage Lighthouses Group Box 67 Margaree Harbour NS Canada B0E 2B0