1958 Compared to 2012

The present keepers house was built in 1958 by Joseph McDowell & Son, a local contractor. Fortunately, Elmer Wilcox documented the construction and took this photograph when the keepers house was finished and the original keepers house was still standing. The photograph was taken from the top of the light house.

Original and new keepers houses taken from the lighthouse in 1958.  Photograph taken by Elmer Wilcox

The original keepers house and small outbuildings were torn down and the site levelled. The keepers house did have an ell on it early on but it was removed probably because of wind damage and other difficulties in keeping buildings tight. leading to its deterioration. Soil remediation for lead and bismuth removed much of the soil where the original house was located and left the site more uneven. Some of the brick and concrete foundations still exist but otherwise it is only in photographs and people’s memories, but as you can see little else has changed with the building footprint, other than decks and paths. The door in the north porch (right side of the photograph) was changed soon after the keepers house was built because of the difficulty of opening it during north east gales.

Keepers House and Boat House as seen from the lighthouse in September 2012.  Photograph taken by Ken Ingersoll.

While some new trees have sprouted, the small clump in the background doesn’t look like it has changed in 52 years.  The herring weir has been moved further away from the peninsula and, of course, the fog bell now sits by the keepers house instead of the lighthouse.