Lighthouses Of Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia has 170 lighthouses past and present. Some are well known and treasured and others are hidden and known by few. Together they have a rich history and reveal much about the people, coast and seafaring history of Nova Scotia. For this book Allan Billard has chosen twenty-four lighthouse sites, including classic beacons such as Peggy's Cove and Cape Forchu, plus an additional sixteen lights that may not be as well known but remain prizes in the province, such as Fort Point or Port Bickerton. Each short chapter focuses on one of the twenty-four lights, and presents the aspect of lighthouse technology and history which that light best illustrates. Among the many fascinating themes Allan Billard explores are tidal power, seabird sanctuaries, the role of the light keeper, traditions and changes in the fishery, the complex and changing technology of lighthouses, ecotourism and more. The text is enhanced with beautiful colour photography of the lighthouses and their natural surroundings. Lighthouses of Nova Scotia combines natural and social history, and while documenting the astonishing and fascinating diversity of Nova Scotia's lighthouses, gives the reader a far deeper appreciation of this appealing feature of the province's landscape.

The move by the federal government in 1968 to auomate and de-staff Nova Scotia's lighthouses--those icons of the province's seafaring tradition--sent shockwaves through the community of lighthouse conservationists. Concerned that lighthouses would disappear form the landscape forever, author Rip Irwin, a retired naval cheif petty officer, undertook to visit and photograph each of the structures still in existence. This book is the result of 17 years of exhaustive research on the evolution of each light. In addition to photographs and detailed information on each of the province's lightstations, Lighthouses and Lights of Nova Scotia contains stories and anecdotes about specific lights and lighthouse keepers. It also contains an alphabetical listing of all 164 lighthouses and lights, and is cross-referenced with the Coast Guard numbering system. Lighthouses and Lights of Nova Scotia is the complete guide to the province's most recognized nautical icons.

Dave Stephens and Susan Randles are travel writers and educators living in Nova Scotia.

Imagine living your life perched on a tiny island, without electricity, exposed to the fury of the sea, and always at the service of the mariner. This is how lightkeepers and their families spent their lives, even up until the 1960s. We are very close to losing the last of the people who lived this isolated life and experienced the heyday of lightkeeping in Canada. Lighthouse Legacies lets us share in the memories of those who kept the lights. These stories are presented largely in the words of the people, with context and history by author Chris Mills. Each chapter deals with an element of lighthouse life and is complemented by photos from lighthouse family collections, the Coast Guard and Mills' own collection.

In this classic memoir of life in rural Nova Scotia, a woman recounts her family’s experiences running a lighthouse station on their own island. In We Keep A Light, Evelyn M. Richardson describes how she and her husband bought tiny Bon Portage Island and built a happy life there for themselves and their three children. On an isolated lighthouse station off the southern tip of Nova Scotia, the Richardsons shared the responsibilities and pleasures of island living, from carrying water and collecting firewood to making preserves and studying at home. The close-knit family didn’t mind their isolation. Instead, they found delight in the variety and beauty of island life. We Keep A Light is much more than a memoir. It is an exquisitely written, engrossing record of family life set against a glowing lighthouse, the enduring shores of Nova Scotia, and the ever-changing sea.