Point Prim Lighthouse

Point Prim Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built on Prince Edward Island and remains virtually unchanged from its original state. It is unique in that it is the only stone lighthouse on the Island. The local Island brick was so soft and susceptible to weathering that it had to be covered in boarding and shingles in 1947, only two years after it was built. The original brick walls are still visible from the interior of the lighthouse, which features four floors connected by steep wooden stairs leading up to the polygonal cast iron lantern room.

Today the tower stands alone on the point, close to the capital city of Charlottetown, but was originally surrounded by various outbuildings and a keeper’s cottage. Erosion of the coastline is a constant concern at Point Prim, as at many Island lighthouses, so a retaining wall was built in 1982 on the south and west sides of the point to help protect the site.

Visitors to Point Prim Lighthouse can tour the tower during the summer months, and it has been a popular destination for tourists and Islanders alike who come to admire the province’s solitary stone lighthouse.