FHBRO # 90-107

LOL # 971

BUILT 1881

POSITION 46 00 10.7 N 62 27 36.4 W. Located on the headland at the southeasternmost point of the Island near Beach Point

LIGHT Yellow light: flash 2 seconds, eclipse 4 seconds

FOCAL POINT 22.6 m (74 ft)

TOWER HEIGHT 12.2 m (40 ft)

NOMINAL RANGE 19.3 km (12 miles)

The Cape Bear Lighthouse is a well-proportioned example of a square tower. The alignment of its tall windows (and door) on three elevations gives the illusion of a taller tower. The tower’s cornice is classically inspired. The corner boards on the tower were removed in 1891. It is the same design as the Cape Egmont, Prince Edward Island, light tower, which was built in 1883. When the lighthouse was built it had an attached dwelling. In 1898, the dwelling was enlarged by 6.4 m (21 feet) to accommodate the keeper’s large family. In 1947 both the lighthouse and the dwelling were moved because of eroding cliffs. The dwelling was removed in 1960 and moved to Guernsey Cove, where it is now a private residence. A barn built around 1906 was removed in 1954. An oil house built before 1939 was removed in 1959.

The Marconi Wireless Telegraph Station was built adjacent to the lighthouse in 1906. The station was one of seven established and put into operation by the Department of Marine and Fisheries in 1905-06. It had a 50.3 m (165 foot) pole which was located near the lighthouse. Its principal purpose was to communicate in code with the ice-breaking government operated steamers, Stanley and Minto, which linked Pictou, Nova Scotia, and Charlottetown and Georgetown, Prince Edward Island. Mr. D.E. Hobbs was the operator in charge until 1912 when Thomas Bartlett took over. Cape Bear was the first Canadian land station to received the distress signal from the Titanic as it was sinking 153 kilometres (82.6 nautical miles) south of the coast of Newfoundland. The station was in service 24 hours daily during the winter months and operated until 1922.

During the Second World War, the Cape Bear Lighthouse proved useful for spotting German U-boats that neared the coast. Several were seen along the shore but disappeared while being tracked.

Abraham Daley was keeper from 1887 until 1896. Luther Jordan and Hiram Hyde were also keepers at Cape Bear. Ewert A. Keeping was keeper from 1926 to 1959.

The Cape Bear Lighthouse is operated by a volunteer non-profit group, the Northumberland Community Development Corporation. It is open to the public during the summer months. Visitors can climb to the top of the tower to learn about the lighthouse and area. One of the highlights of the museum is a re-created telegraph office, complete with a very life-like Thomas Bartlett describing receiving the message from the Titanic.