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POINT PRIM LIGHTHOUSE

The Lighthouse was built in 1817 on the west side of the Digby Gut. Until 1871 a whale-oil lamp and swivel gun were used to warn ships during foggy times. These were replaced with kerosene lighting and a steam whistle. In 1811 a kerosene vapour lamp and a compressed air-fog horn were installed. This was later replaced with an electrically powered light and diesel engine. Eventually the lighthouse housed a fully automated system. In 1873 the original lighthouse was destroyed by fire forcing the construction of a new one. In 1964 the lighthouse was demolished and replaced with a modern concrete structure.

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Point Prim Lighthouse
1960
Lighthouse Road, Digby, Nova Scotia

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Point Prim Lighthouse
1960
Lighthouse Road, Digby, Nova Scotia

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Point Prim Lighthouse
23 September 2004
Lighthouse Road, Digby, Nova Scotia

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The Lighthouse at Point Prim, and the Lifesaving Station below the lighthouse, are located at the end of Lighthouse Road. The lighthouse marked the entrance to the Gut and warned of its perilous shores. The old lighthouse was bulldozed over the bank and replaced by a modern automatic one. The Lifesaving Station later was moved further along the shore towards Digby.

The lighthouse is also known as the Fundy Light. It was built in 1817 on the west side of the Digby Gut entrance to the Annapolis Basin. The first keeper was Richard Bragg from England who worked for 56 years. In 1871 a kerosene lighting and steam whistle were then installed. This system was replaced in 1911 by the kerosene vapor lamp and an oil fired, compressed-air fog horn. Next came the electrically power light and diesel engine. This was followed by a fully-automated, unmanned beacon.

The original 1817 lighthouse burned to the ground on March 16, 1873, but a new modern one was built and later demolished in 1964.