Pelee Island Lighthouse

Pelee Island is the largest island in Lake Erie and the southernmost populated point in Canada. Because of its moderate climate, it's been used for agriculture for centuries. It's located near the shipping route leading to the Detroit River. Because of this, local authorities saw the need for a lighthouse on the tip of the island. The lighthouse project commissioners selected Brushey Marsh Point, the northern tip of the island, as the site for the lighthouse. On April 24, 1833 a £675 contract for the work was awarded to John Scott of Detroit, the lowest bidder. It was completed in 1833.

The commissioners' report stated: “It will be remarked that this Light House is, in every respect, a neat and well-finished, and most substantial building, well pointed and whitewashed on the outside, which has been found preferable to roughcast, and it cannot fail to last for ages.” It indeed stands to this day. William McCormick was the owner of Pelee Island under an old “Indian lease” at the time the lighthouse was built. He offered to give 10 acres of land to the government for the use of the keeper. The commissioners stated that no money had been provided for a keeper’s dwelling in the original appropriation. They recommended that a residence be promptly built. Without it, they felt it would be difficult to get the lighthouse “properly attended to and taken care of.” They placed McCormick in charge of the light.

The island was the site of a battle during the Patriot War. The Battle of Pelee Island took place along what is now the Michigan-Ontario border in 1838 involving small groups of men on each side of the border seeking to "liberate" Upper Canada from the British. On Feb. 26, 1838, 300 men captured the island, and on March 3 they were repulsed and either fled the island or were captured. The McCormick family had to flee to the mainland during that conflict.

A keeper's dwelling was built in the 1850s. Its construction preceded decades of complaints about the quality of the light. They found that not having a keeper living near the light affected the quality of the light. Whale oil was initially used in Pelee Island Lighthouse, but as its prices increased, coal oil, which was found to possess equal if not superior illuminating qualities, was introduced in the more accessible lighthouses in 1860. The lamps at Pelee Island were adapted to use coal in 1864.

In 1908, a fifth-order French lens with an adjustable iron stand and duplex lamp replaced the array of lamps and reflectors used in the lantern room. This improvement saw little use. Pelee Island Lighthouse was discontinued after being lit for the last time on June 30, 1909. Pelee Passage Lighthouse, midway between Pelee Island and Point Pelee, was completed in 1902. The Pelee Island Lighthouse was left to deteriorate and was all but forgotten. A Relight the Lighthouse Committee was formed to restore and activate the structure. In December 1999, the committee received word that it had been awarded a Canadian Federal Grant that would provide the needed additional funding to complete the restoration. Architect Nicholas Hill was hired to draw up plans. The historic lighthouse was restored in time to be rededicated in August 2000.

Pelee Island Lighthouse, LighthouseFriends. Accessed July 27th 2020. https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=1544.

Lighthouse Point Provincial Nature Preserve, Discover Pelee Island. Accessed July 27th 2020. https://pelee.com/lighthouse-point-provincial-nature-reserve/.

History, Pelee Island Heritage Centre. Accessed July 27th 2020. https://peleeislandmuseum.ca/history/.