This community memories
project from the Cape
Bonavista Lighthouse gives a
general introduction into the
life of a lighthouse, circa
1870, in Newfoundland. It
describes the importance the
lightstation had to the
people of the area, and
indeed the country, as it was
| one of the first major
constructions of a young
colony that was barely a
decade old in 1843.
The lightstation, as an
industrial site, was a busy
one, having an impact upon
local and international sea
commerce as well, but this
was no ordinary job. The
| lightstation, for mariners,
was more than a workplace; it
was a real lifeline, glowing
a friendly hello in calm
weather, and giving a
lifesaving warning in bad
weather. It was truly a
guiding light. In a time when
industrialization was
homogenizing the labour
| force, the lightkeepers and
their families harkened back
to a time of task-oriented
work, with more cross-gender
cooperation in labour than
would be found in most
nations of the late 19th
century. As a place of family
residence, as most
lightstations in Newfoundland
|