Sambro Island Lighthouse Keeper’s House Destroyed
By Sue Clark on Sep 16, 2008 in Featured 
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Fire Ruled As Arson
In sad news out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, one of the lighthouse keeper houses at Sambro Island was totally destroyed by fire on Sunday morning. About 8:00 am local time, the Canadian Coast Guard received a call from a citizen who reported seeing what appeared to be the Sambro Lighthouse on fire. As the Coast Guard Cutter Sambro approached the island, the crew was able to see that the fire was not in the lighthouse, but in one of two nearby abandoned keepers houses. The crew of the cutter had firefighting equipment on board.
By mid-afternoon, there was nothing left but the foundation, chimney and part of one wall. It is suspected that the cause of the fire was arson, but there is no way to prove it, according to authorities.
Demolition By Neglect
That was how Chris Mills, former lighthouse keeper and lighthouse historian described the state of the buildings. The Sambro Island Lighthouse lays claim to being North America’s oldest working lighthouse, having been commissioned in 1758. Just this summer it celebrated its 250th birthday.
Freshly painted white with red stripes, the lighthouse itself “looks awesome” says Mills. “I heard they got $50,000 to paint it for this year’s anniversary.” But he adds, “the rest of the place is falling apart.”
Two keepers homes on the small island “haven’t been touched, other than by vandals and the elements since 1988,” Mills stated. That was the year the lighthouse was automated, and the keepers left the island. Mills says two other structures, a foghorn building and what he calls “a gas-house building,” built in the early 1900s, are in terrible shape.
Last Photos Of House Appear in Lighthouse Digest
The Lighthouse Digest has a story about the 250th anniversary celebration of the lighthouse station in the upcoming October issue. The photo of the keeper’s house in the magazine will be the last photo taken and published of the keeper’s house, which is now totally destroyed.
Tim Harrison, Editor of Lighthouse Digest said, “This is another prime example of what can happen when historic lighthouse stations are left to the elements. Although a number of people, including the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society, have tried to raise public awareness over the plight of the light station in recent years, as well as money to stabilize the buildings, funds have not been forthcoming, even though the lighthouse was declared a Canadian National Historic Site in the 1930s.”
In 1998 the Canadian Coast Guard spent $250,000 restoring the lighthouse tower and recently painted the tower again. However, Harrison says, “For all practical purposes the Canadian government paid little attention to 250th anniversary of the light station, and has done nothing to help protect the other historic buildings at the site.”
Another Irreplaceable Loss
I’m not sure what the Canadian government could have done to have prevented this tragic loss. Perhaps the keepers houses should have been fixed up and used on a daily basis, either as a museum, or as a rental unit for visitors wanting to experience a slice of the past. At least there would have been someone around to perhaps prevent this from happening.
In the meantime, we need to stop this destruction of our history. Support (monetarily, legislatively, and physically) is needed so that this never happens again.
Photo credits: Chris Mills. All rights reserved.
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