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Swallowtail Lighthouse, Grand Manan

The white wooden lighthouse high on the northern tip of Grand Manan has greeted visitors into North Head Harbor since 1860. 150 years later, it now serves as an example of how a community can rally around a local lighthouse and save it and its history for future generations.
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The January 1857 shipwreck of the 1,009 ton Lord Ashburton as it rounded the northern headland of Grand Manan en route from France to Saint John, New Brunswick resulted in the death of 21 men.  A few months later a resolution was entered in New Brunswick’s House of Assembly to erect a lighthouse on “the Northern Head of Grand Manan”.
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The January 1857 shipwreck of the 1,009 ton Lord Ashburton as it rounded the northern headland of Grand Manan en route from France to Saint John, New Brunswick resulted in the death of 21 men. A few months later a resolution was entered in New Brunswick’s House of Assembly to erect a lighthouse on “the Northern Head of Grand Manan”.

1353SwallowtailLight

  • The January 1857 shipwreck of the 1,009 ton Lord Ashburton as it rounded the northern headland of Grand Manan en route from France to Saint John, New Brunswick resulted in the death of 21 men.  A few months later a resolution was entered in New Brunswick’s House of Assembly to erect a lighthouse on “the Northern Head of Grand Manan”.
  • Plans for the proposed lighthouse and outbuildings were drawn up and a construction contract was awarded to John McKay of Saint John for £495.
  • In June of 1859 McKay along with the Superintendent of Lighthouses in the Bay of Fundy traveled to Grand Manan and selected an area known as ‘the Swallows Tail’ for the construction of the light.
  • McKay erected an octagonal 45 foot shingled wooden tower and keepers dwelling, however the pre-fabricated lantern room was not completed until mid-1860.  Once the lantern was received from Birmingham, England and installed, Keeper Jonathon Kent ascended the stairway on July 7, 1860 and lit the nine oils lamps with reflectors of the Swallowtail Lighthouse.  The lighthouse cast its beam over the Bay of Fundy 148 feet above sea level.  A bridge connecting the point where the lighthouse sat to the headland was added in 1861.
  • In October 1869 the lighthouse was struck by a hurricane known as the Saxby Gale.  The storm caused damage throughout the area and at the lighthouse the station boat and landing slip were destroyed.  The Keepers house had two chains secured over it to keep it in place.  There was damage also to the foundation of the lighthouse and a stone wall was built beneath the tower to help shore up the base.
  • Keeper Jonathon Kent retired in 1873 and was replaced by his son, John W. Kent.  John received several commendations from the Department of Marine and was praised for keeping the station ‘in first class condition’.  In 1907 a Chance Bros. 4th Order Fresnel lens was installed in the lantern along with a vapor lamp.  The light was changed from a fixed light to an occulting light.  In 1914 a wooden fog bell tower was added to the station.
  • In 1936 tragedy struck the keepers family at Swallowtail Light.  Keeper Tom Foster was visiting the lighthouse at Southwest Head one evening, leaving his wife Elodie to light up at sunset.  While lighting the alcohol lamp Elodie’s clothes caught fire and she ran down the lighthouse stairs where her children extinguished the flames.  Her son Leonard ran up to the lantern and put out the fire saving the tower, however Elodie passed away from her burns the following day.  The Foster’s left the station in 1937.
  • A new 2 story Keepers dwelling was erected in 1958, the old home was torn down.  Keeper Grimmer Ingersoll was assigned to the station in 1960 and served until the lighthouse was automated and destaffed in 1986.  Ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to the Village of North Head in 1994, then to the Village of Grand Manan in 1996 following merging of island villages.
  • The Keepers dwelling was opened as a Bed & Breakfast known as the Swallowtail Inn in 1996, but the venture was closed in 2004.  In 2008 the village announced plans to sell the Keepers house citing the high costs of maintenance.  A town meeting was called which resulted in the formation of the Swallowtail Keepers Society.  The Society’s stated aim was the conservation of the historic station and in 2009 the Village signed a 20 year lease with the Keepers Society.  The Society hosted a 150th birthday party for the lighthouse in 2010.
  • The Swallowtail Keepers Society has remained active in recent years hosting fundraisers along with the local Rotary to maintain the lighthouse station.  In 2012 the station fog bell was returned and in 2013 the station boardwalk to the tower was rebuilt.
  • Unfortunately, the lighthouse did not receive a Heritage Designation from the federal government in 2015; however its future remains bright with the Swallowtail Keepers Society leading the way.
  • Old postcard view of the Swallowtail Lighthouse station
  • Old postcard view of the Swallowtail Lighthouse station
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