Southeastern Ontario Lighthouses

Ontario has a tremendous width east to west, including the entire Canadian side of the Great Lakes. Across this vast area there were once about 250 lighthouses. More than 130 remain, a large percentage of them active. This page lists the lighthouses in the southeastern part of the province including the Ottawa and upper St. Lawrence Rivers, Lake Ontario, and the lower Niagara River. Lighthouses of Lake Erie, formerly on this page, are now on the Southern Ontario page.

Unfortunately, there is no provincial lighthouse preservation society. Although much restoration work has been done locally, the various efforts seem disconnected. The good news is that in recent years the provincial and federal government have been more supportive of lighthouse preservation. The Canadian Coast Guard, in particular, has quietly retired its former policy of quickly demolishing deactivated light towers.

A note: this page has been greatly improved by the comments and corrections of Michel Forand.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Notmar numbers are from the Inland Waters volume of the List of Lights, Buoys, and Fog Signals of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. For lights near the international border, USCG numbers are from volume 7 of the U.S. Coast Guard Light List.

General Sources

Lighthouses of Lake Ontario

Excellent photos posted by C.W. Bash; several of these photos appear on this page, including the two at right.

Lighthouses in Ontario, Canada

Aerial photos posted by Marinas.com.

Lighthouses of Ontario

An extension of Bryan Penberthy's US-lighthouses.com site.

Lighthouses of the Great Lakes

This site, maintained by Neil Shultheiss, has excellent photos and brief but informative accounts for many of the lighthouses on both the Canadian and U.S. sides of the Lakes.

Images of Ontario Lighthouses

Photos of more than 60 towers.

Detroit River Lights

Photos taken in August 2007 and posted by Noah Greenia.

Windmill Point Light, July 2004
Creative Commons photo by C. W. Bash

Burlington Canal Main Light, October 2006
Creative Commons photo by C. W. Bash

Ottawa River Lighthouses
L'Orignal Range Front: 1915. Inactive since the early 1990s. 9 m (29 ft) square pyramidal wood tower, painted white with red trim. Located in a private campground on the south river bank on the promontory of Pointe Laviolette (Furnis Point), west of the village of L'Orignal. Site closed, although visitors may ask for permission to view the lighthouse; tower closed. Owner/site manager: A La Rochelle Campground. ARLHS CAN-1035.
St. Lawrence River Lighthouses
Lancaster Range Front: Date uncertain (station established 1844). Active; focal plane 11.5 m (38 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 10 m (33 ft) hexagonal wood tower with gallery, painted white with red trim; lantern removed. The tower also carries a triangular orange daymark. Google has a satellite view. Located on a crib near the middle of the river off Lancaster. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1037; Notmar 0123.
* Dickinson Landing (2): 1891 (station established 1865). Inactive at least since the 1950s. 7 m (23 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white; lantern roof is gray. Merri Wolf has a photo, a closeup is available, Diane Blackburn has a more distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Dickinson Landing is one of ten small villages on the St. Lawrence near Cornwall that were flooded during construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The St. Lawrence Parks Commission removed many historic buildings from the villages, including the lighthouse, and moved them to a heritage park near Morrisburg called Upper Canada Village. Part of the park is a short canal along the riverbank, and the lighthouse was located at the west end of the canal. Located about 10 km (6 mi) east of Morrisburg off ON 2. Site open, tower closed. Site manager: Upper Canada Village Heritage Park. ARLHS CAN-1060.
*** Windmill Point: 1873 (tower built as a windmill in the 1820s). Inactive since 1978. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) old-style round stone tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and gallery painted red. Bash's photo appears at the top of this page, Jeff Rozema has a nice photo, and Google has a satellite view. The windmill was the site of an important battle in 1837, during a rebellion in the British colony of Upper Canada (now Ontario). Restored by the Friends of Windmill Point and opened as a national historic site in 1996. In 2004, cracks in the exterior were repaired. The tower includes a museum and gift shop. Located at the end of Windmill Point Road just off ON 2 about 2 km (1.3 mi) north of Prescott. The area is also accessible by bridge from Ogdensburg NY. Site open daily all year; tower open (to an observation level just below the gallery) daily in July and August, weekends in June and September. Owner: Parks Canada (Battle of the Windmill National Historic Site). Site manager: Friends of Windmill Point. ARLHS CAN-534.

Cole Shoal: 1856. Inactive since 1927. 10 m (31 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with gallery, painted white. Lantern removed. In 2002 the Ontario Heritage Foundation spent $15,600 to restore this abandoned tower. Located on a rock in the river near Brockville. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Ontario Heritage Foundation.
De Watteville Island Range Rear: 1927. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); continuous white light visible only on the range line. 14 m (45 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower with lantern and enclosed wood watchroom. Tower and lantern painted red; watch room painted white. The lighthouse also carries an orange inverted triangular daymark with a black vertical stripe on the range line. Jon Clay has contributed a photo. Located on the island about 5 km (3 mi) upstream from Brockville. Site presumably closed (private vacation homes in the area). Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1170; USCG 7-1115; Notmar 0334.
Wolfe Island (2): 1910 (station established 1861). Active; focal plane 11 m (37 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 6.5 m (21 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with gallery, painted white. Lantern removed. Google has a satellite view. Located on Québec Head, the northeastern point of Wolfe Island, largest of the Thousand Islands. The lighthouse can be seen only from the water, as there is no public access to the site. Site open, tower closed. Island accessible by ferry from Kingston and (in the summer) from Cape Vincent NY. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-638; USCG 7-1605; Notmar 0378.
Knapp Point: Date unknown (station established 1847). Inactive since 2000. 6 m (20 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and gallery painted red. The lighthouse is nearly concealed by trees in a Google satellite view. Located on the point, on the north side of Wolfe Island east of Marysville. Apparently accessible only by boat (surrounded by private property). Owner: unknown. Site manager: private. ARLHS CAN-1034.

Eastern Lake Ontario Lighthouses
* Nine Mile Point: 1833. Active; focal plane 16 m (53 ft); white flash every 10 s. 12.5 m (41 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery attached to a 1-story fog signal building. Lighthouse painted white with northern channel of the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario. Penberthy also has a good page on the light. Located at the southwestern point of Simcoe Island just off the island's single gravel road. The island is accessible during the summer by cable ferry from Wolfe Island. Site and tower closed (private property) but the lighthouse can be seen from the gate and polite visitors are sometimes admitted. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: private. ARLHS CAN-578; USCG 7-2565; Admiralty H2864; Notmar 419.
Pigeon Island (2): 1909 (station established 1871). Active; focal plane 20 m (65 ft); white flash every 4 s. 15 m (50 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower with central cylinder, lantern, and gallery. Skeletal woodwork painted white; lantern, watch room, gallery, and central cylinder painted red. All other light station buildings demolished. This is the only Canadian example of a skeletal lighthouse design common in the U.S. The island is a provincial wildlife reserve. Located on a small island in the northeast corner of Lake Ontario, about 7 km (4.5 mi) southwest of Wolfe Island. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-785; USCG 7-2570; Notmar 421.
Main Duck Island: 1914. Active; focal plane 23.5 m (77 ft); white flash every 6 s. 24.5 m (80 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and gallery are red. Abandoned fog signal building and other structures in poor condition. Marinas.com has aerial photos. Once owned by U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, the island has been owned by Parks Canada since 1977. Located at the western end of the island, which is in the center of the lake about 40 km (25 mi) southeast of the Ontario shore and 16 km (10 mi) west of the U.S. lighthouse at Galloo Island, New York. Accessible only by boat; tours to the island and lighthouse are available. Site and tower closed. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: Parks Canada (St. Lawrence Islands National Park). ARLHS CAN-760; USCG 7-2585; Notmar 424.
False Ducks (False Duck Island) (2): 1965 (station established 1828). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); red flash every 4 s. 19 m (62 ft) round "apple-core" hexagonal cylindrical concrete tower with flared top supporting the lantern; no gallery. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. Keeper's houses demolished. Sibling of Cape Forchu NS and Point Escuminac NB. Second oldest light station on the Canadian Great Lakes. The 1828 lighthouse was demolished in 1965, but the lantern and gallery were relocated to Milford (see below). Located at the easternmost point of Swetman (False Duck) Island, off Prince Edward Point at the eastern end of the Quinte Peninsula. Accessible only by boat; distantly visible from the end of county route 13 at Prince Edward Point. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-545; USCG 7-2615; Notmar 427.
* Prince Edward Point (Point Traverse) (1): 1881. Inactive since 1959. 11 m (36 ft) square pyramidal wood tower attached to a 1-1/2 story wood keeper's quarters. Lantern removed. Modern light (focal plane 14.5 m (47 ft); white light, 1 s on, 1 s off) on 13 m (43 ft) triangular pyramidal steel skeletal tower, painted white, next to the original lighthouse. Jeff Rozema has an excellent photo, Lighthouse Explorer has a photo by Susan LeFever, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Clearly endangered, this abandoned lighthouse is in very poor condition. Located on the point, at the extreme end of county route 13 (rough road, 4WD recommended) about 35 km (22 mi) east of Milford. Site open, tower closed. Owner: unknown. Site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-787 (original light) and 788 (active light); USCG 7-2630; Notmar 429.
** False Duck Island (1): 1967 tower with 1828 lantern. Inactive. 10 m (33 ft) round stone tower with the lantern, gallery, and 3° Fresnel lens of the original False Duck Island lighthouse. Built as a memorial to sailors of Prince Edward County, the lighthouse is one of the exhibits of a maritime museum. Bash has a good photo, Penberthy has a nice closeup photo, a 2008 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the intersection of county roads 10 and 13, southeast of Milford near South Bay. Site open; museum open on weekends from late May to mid October and daily except Friday in July and August; tower closed. Owner/site manager: Mariners Park Marine Museum. ARLHS CAN-864.
* Point Petre (2): 1967 (station established 1833). Active; focal plane 21.5 m (71 ft); white flash every 10 s. 19 m (62 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower rising from a square workroom. No lantern, but there is a round "watch room" with the light displayed from its roof. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. The 1-story wood keeper's house is now used as an environmental research station. Bash has a photo, Bill Patterson has a closeup, and Google has a satellite view. This modern lighthouse replaced a historic stone tower very similar to the Nine Mile Point Light. Located just east of the point, at the southern end of the Quinte Peninsula and at the end of county route 24. Site and tower closed, but the lighthouse can be seen easily from the gate and visitors are sometimes admitted to take photos. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-763; USCG 7-2635; Notmar 490.

Western Lake Ontario Lighthouses
* Toronto Harbour: 1974. Active (maintained by Toronto Port Authority); focal plane 22.5 m (74 ft); red flash every 10 s. 12 m (40 ft) octagonal steel tower without lantern. Upper 1/4 of the lighthouse painted red, the rest white. Leighton-Anthony Miller has a closeup, Michael Rugosi has posted a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse marks the eastern outer entrance to the harbor, at the end of a long artificial peninsula known as the Leslie Spit. The area is part of a large city park, located at the foot of Leslie Street off Lakeshore Boulevard (ON 2) on the east side of downtown. Accessible by bicycle or by a hike of about 5 km (3 mi) each way through the park; from mid May to mid October a free shuttle van covers more than half this distance. Site open, tower closed. Owner: City of Toronto. Operator: Toronto Port Authority. Site manager: Tommy Thompson Park. ARLHS CAN-544; Notmar 509.2.
* Gibraltar Point: 1808. Inactive since 1958; a decorative continuous green light is reportedly displayed. 25 m (82 ft) hexagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted gray stone; lantern and gallery painted red. A photo appears at the bottom of this page, Joseph Wisom has another good closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. The height of the tower was raised from 16 m (52 ft) in 1832. This is the oldest lighthouse in Ontario and second oldest in Canada, one of the oldest buildings in Toronto, and the oldest lighthouse on either side of the Great Lakes. It is famous as being haunted by the ghost of its first keeper, who died mysteriously in 1815. The city maintains the lighthouse but has failed to interpret it as the important historical monument it is. Lighthouse Digest has a January 2002 feature article on the lighthouse. Located at the southwestern point of Centre Island, which shelters the city's inner harbor. The island is accessible by passenger ferry from the foot of Bay Street in downtown Toronto. Lighthouse accessible from the ferry by bike trails and two footbridges; bike rentals available during the summer. Site open daily year-round; tower closed. Owner: City of Toronto. Site manager: Toronto Island Park. ARLHS CAN-199.

* Burlington Canal Main (Burlington Canal Range Rear) (2): 1858 (station established 1837) (John Brown). Inactive since 1961. 17 m (55 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery, unpainted; lantern is a rusty brown. 1-1/2 story brick keeper's quarters apparently used as a private residence. The builder, John Brown, is famous as the builder of the Imperial Towers of Lake Huron. This lighthouse is not usually included in that group, but it should be. One of C.W. Bash's photos appears at the top of this page, Jimmy Emerson has a 2008 photo, and Google has a satellite view. Endangered: the lighthouse has been abandoned and in poor condition for years. The Beach Canal Lighthouse Group was organized in late 2003 to work for restoration of the tower. In September 2004 engineers studied the tower to determine what need to be done. Restoration was estimated to cost C$250,000. Progress on this effort has been slow, but in October 2007 the City of Hamilton agreed to provide C$50,000 for detailed planning. Located just to the west of the older lift bridge that carries Eastport Drive over the canal. Parking available off Eastport Drive under that street's bridge over the canal. Owner/site manager: City of Hamilton (?). ARLHS CAN-063.
* Port Dalhousie (Range Front): 1879. Active; focal plane 13 m (42 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 14 m (45 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and tower base painted green. C.W. Bash has a good closeup, and another good photo is available. This lighthouse marked the northern entrance to the Welland Canal until the entrance was relocated to Port Weller in 1932. Located at the end of the breakwater on the east side of the Port Dalhousie harbor entrance, at the end of Lighthouse Road in St. Catherines. Accessible by walking the concrete pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-540; Notmar 539.
* Port Dalhousie Range Rear: 1898 (station established 1852). Inactive since 1988. 12 m (40 ft) octagonal wood tower with lantern and gallery, covered by aluminum siding. Lighthouse painted white with green trim; lantern is green. C.W. Bash has a good closeup, a 2008 photo is available, and Marinas.com has aerial photos. Located at the end of the breakwater on the east side of the Port Dalhousie harbor entrance, at the end of Lighthouse Road in St. Catherines. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Niagara College. Site manager: Niagara College Sailing School. ARLHS CAN-541.
* Port Weller Outer: 1931. Active; focal plane 15.5 m (51 ft); red flash every 10 s. 12 m (40 ft) lighthouse consists of a 6 m (20 ft) red pyramidal skeletal tower atop a 6 m (20 ft) square Art Deco concrete base. C.W. Bash has a closeup, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse marks the northern entrance to the Welland Canal . Located at the end of the west breakwater at the canal entrance in the Port Weller district of St. Catherines. Access is blocked by an active Coast Guard station, but the lighthouse can be seen from the east breakwater on the other side of the canal entrance. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-766; Notmar 543.

Niagara River Lighthouses
* Niagara River Range Front: 1903. Active; focal plane 10 m (34 ft); continuous red light visible only on the range line. 10 m (34 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with red trim; lantern is red. Hans Last has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the entrance to a marina on Ricardo Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake, a short distance from Lake Ontario. Site and tower closed, but the lighthouse can be seen and photographed from outside the marina. Also visible from Fort Niagara, across the river in the U.S. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club. ARLHS CAN-620; Notmar 549.
* Niagara River Range Rear: 1903. Active; focal plane 14 m (47 ft); continuous red light visible only on the range line. 13.5 m (45 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with red trim; lantern is red. C. Seeman has a photo showing both lights as seen from the U.S. side of the river, and Google has a satellite view. Located near the Niagara Pumphouse Art Centre at the end of Collingswood Street, off Ricardo Street, one block south of the front range light. Parking nearby. Site technically closed, but there's no obstacle to approaching the tower; tower closed. Also visible distantly from Fort Niagara, across the river in the U.S. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: private. ARLHS CAN-621; Notmar 550.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Arnprior Island (1906-?), Ottawa River. ARLHS CAN-1044.
Aylmer Island (1888-?), Ottawa River. ARLHS CAN-867.
Baskins Wharf Range Front and Rear (1903-1966), Ottawa River. ARLHS CAN-1046 and 1047.
Belleville (1881-1941?), Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-810.
Britannia (1872-?), Ottawa River. ARLHS CAN-1050.
Bronte (1906-1959?), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-1051.
Buckham Point (1889-?), Ottawa River. ARLHS CAN-1052.
Burnt Island (1856-1906), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-1053.
Campbell Island (1873-?), Ottawa River. ARLHS CAN-1054.
Centre Brother Island (1890-?), Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-1056.
Chippawa (1912-?), Niagara River. ARLHS CAN-1057.
DeWattville Range Front (1927-1960), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-1060.
Frenchman Bay (1857-?), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-1064.
Gananoque Narrows (1856-?), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-1065.
Glengarry Point (1873-1913), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-1067.
Green Shoal (1900-1970s), Ottawa River. ARLHS CAN-811.
Grenadier Island (1856-1946), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-818.
Hamilton Island (1873-?), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-1068.
Jackstraw Shoal (1856-?), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-1069.
Kingston (1844-?), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-1070.
Lancaster Bar (1879-?), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-1071.
Lynedoch Island (1856-?), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-1074.
Mississauga Point (1804-1812), mouth of the Niagara River. ARLHS CAN-761.
Morris Island (1873-?), Ottawa River. ARLHS CAN-1077.
Narrow Shoals (1894-ca. 1920), Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario
Newcastle (1846-1914), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-1078.
Onderdonk Point (1912-ca. 1940), Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-1080.
Peter Rock (1840-1957), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-1082.
Point Pleasant (1866-1956), Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-1083.
Port Credit (1882-?), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-642.
Port Hope (1868-1950), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-802.
Portsmouth Range Front (1912-1960), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-815.
Red Horse Rock (1856-about 1970), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-857.
Salt Point (1851-ca. 1913), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-822.
Snake Island (1858-1900), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-823.
Spectacle Shoal (1856-1946), St. Lawrence River. ARLHS CAN-828.
Telegraph Island (1870-ca. 1950), Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-1085.
Toronto Harbour East Entrance Inner (1905-?), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-805.
Toronto Harbour East Entrance Outer (1895-1958), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-806.
Toronto Harbour West Entrance Range Front (1856-1912), Lake Ontario
Toronto Range Rear (1838-ca, 1914), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-804.
Whitby (1844-ca. 1915), Lake Ontario. ARLHS CAN-816.

Gibraltar Point Light, Toronto, November 2006
anonymous Creative Commons photo

Notable faux lighthouses:

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