LIGHTHOUSE
Subject: Bell Island Lighthouse
Location: Eastern end of Bell Island at point of land called "Eastern Head."
Construction material: Wood
Date of Construction: 1940
Dates of operation: 1940 to present
Date of Destruction: Still in operation
History: In 1896, it was noted that Bell Island was in need of a lighthouse, no doubt because of the large ore carriers that were entering Conception Bay since iron mining had begun in 1895. It was not until September 1940 that the first lighthouse was constructed. That lighthouse was powered by storage batteries that each lasted about a year. In the 1950s, a power line was built to the lighthouse. Apparently the original lighthouse (cone-shaped, pictured below) blew over the cliff about 1966(?) and was replaced that year.
Location: Eastern end of Bell Island at point of land called "Eastern Head."
Construction material: Wood
Date of Construction: 1940
Dates of operation: 1940 to present
Date of Destruction: Still in operation
History: In 1896, it was noted that Bell Island was in need of a lighthouse, no doubt because of the large ore carriers that were entering Conception Bay since iron mining had begun in 1895. It was not until September 1940 that the first lighthouse was constructed. That lighthouse was powered by storage batteries that each lasted about a year. In the 1950s, a power line was built to the lighthouse. Apparently the original lighthouse (cone-shaped, pictured below) blew over the cliff about 1966(?) and was replaced that year.
The page below with images and history of Bell Island's first lighthouse is from the Submarine Miner, V. 2, No. 1, January 1955.
The photo below is of a painting by Patricia Brazil McIsaac, painted c.2011. It shows the 1966 lighthouse on the right and the 1966 dwelling on the left. The duplex in the middle was part of the original 1940 construction.
