Port Dover Lighthouse
The Port Dover West Pier Lighthouse was one of approximately 1,000 lighthouses across Canada that was declared surplus to the Department of Fisheries and Ocean’s needs. The possibility of this iconic lighthouse being left to deteriorate, eventually removed, and replaced with a metal structure was unacceptable to the Port Dover Waterfront Preservation Association.
Through research, collaboration and community support, the Association developed a business plan with Norfolk County for the ongoing maintenance of the lighthouse. This plan was submitted to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and received its approval along with a $25 000.00 federal grant. To assist with the maintenance costs of the lighthouse, the Port Dover-Woodhouse Community Foundation, Port Dover Lions Club, Port Dover Legion, Port Dover Yacht Club and the Port Dover Waterfront Preservation Association all contributed donations. As a result, Norfolk County was able to assume ownership of the Port Dover Lighthouse and have it declared a significant heritage site to ensure its protection. The lighthouse continues to serve its navigational purpose and is a constant reminder of Port Dover’s maritime and commercial fishing roots.
Lighthouse a Landmark (article from Port Dover Maple Leaf – May 11, 2016)
The Port Dover lighthouse will officially be declared a heritage landmark at a ceremony planned for Sunday, May 29 (2016) when a heritage plaque will be unveiled. It will be a big day for Sheila Whitely and Marg Creighton, the two Port Dover women who sparked the campaign to reserve the lighthouse four years ago (in 2012) after the federal government declared it surplus.
Norfolk County took ownership in 2015. In February, county council declared the lighthouse a heritage landmark.
Mayor Charlie Luke received an official plaque recently from Norfolk’s heritage committee. In the next little while the plaque will be affixed to the lighthouse above its entrance door. A piper will lead a procession to the May 29 unveiling at 2 p.m.
The lighthouse has been a landmark on the west pier since about 1843, Mary Caughill, heritage committee chair, told count councillors on May 3. It is one of the oldest examples of a small wooden lighthouse built on the Great Lakes before Confederation. The lighthouse has survived fires, crashes, hurricane winds and graffiti, Ms. Caughill said. It was rebuilt in 1904 and in 1986 it was moved 15 feet along the pier after the Coast Guard said it was no longer needed.
Ms. Caughill credited the Port Dover Board of Trade and the Dover Mills Heritage Association for fighting to keep the lighthouse on the pier.
In 2012, Mrs. Whitely and Mrs. Creighton alerted the community to the federal government’s plan to dispose of surplus lighthouses. Their efforts led to the federal government transferring ownership to Norfolk last year and giving the County $25,000 to help maintain the structure. The fund has reached close to $30,000 thanks to donations from the Port Dover Waterfront Preservation Association, Port Dover-Woodhouse Foundation, Royal Canadian Legion, Port Dover Lions and the Port Dover Yacht Club.
The lighthouse will sport a fresh coat of paint for the plaque’s unveiling. And a metal structure that formerly held sound equipment is being removed. The designation under the Ontario Heritage Act protects the lighthouse’s simple design, profile, tapered tower, square lantern platform, gallery handrail, pediment and interior wood construction. The designation also restricts placement of any new openings.
Port Dover Councillor John Wells in an interview offered congratulations to Mrs. Whitely and Mrs. Creighton. “If it hadn’t been for them, we might have had a different outcome,” he said.
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