Lighthouses of Southwestern Ontario

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 southern part of the province including Lake Erie, the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair River. 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 Ontario Canada Lighthouses Excellent photos plus historical and visitor information from Kraig Anderson's LighthouseFriends.com web site. Lighthouses of Lake Erie Excellent photos posted by C.W. Bash; several of these photos appear on this page. 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. Detroit River Lights Photos taken in August 2007 and posted by Noah Greenia. Leuchttürme Kanadas auf historischen Postkarten Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.

Pelée Island Light, July 2008 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Eastern Lake Erie Lighthouses

Point Abino 1917. Inactive since 1996. 30 m (98 ft) square concrete Greek Revival tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white; lantern is red. Ray Ordinario's photo is at right, Anderson has a photo, Lighthouse Digest has an April 2006 feature article on the lighthouse, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Endangered. This remarkable lighthouse has been the object of an extended controversy. The land behind the lighthouse is occupied by upscale vacation homes whose owners were determined to prevent any public access to the lighthouse through their neighborhood. Lighthouse Digest had a story on the problem in 1999. In May 2001 the town of Fort Erie agreed to accept ownership of the lighthouse, and the Point Abino Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed to work for its restoration. In 2003 a deal was reached allowing tightly restricted public tours of the lighthouse. In 2007, there was considerable concern about the continuing deterioration of the building. The Point Abino Lighthouse Preservation Society (PALPS) was reorganized. In April 2009, the Town of Fort Erie applied to the National Historic Sites of Canada Cost Sharing Program for funding to support restoration. The program offered $425,000, and in July the town council decided (to the dismay of PALPS) to sell the keeper's house to raise matching funds. Located on the point, roughly halfway between Fort Erie and Port Colborne. Normally accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed except for occasional tours. Owner/site manager: Town of Fort Erie. ARLHS CAN-385. Port Colborne Outer 1928. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); continuous red light, more intense to the south southwest. 7.5 m (25 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from the center of a 1-story concrete fog signal building. The lighthouse, floodlit at night, is painted white, lantern red. Anderson has a distant photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. This little lighthouse marks the southern entrance to the Welland Canal. Located at the south end of the T-shaped west breakwater at the canal entrance in Port Colborne. Visible distantly from Lakeview Park at the end of Elm Street. Accessible only by boat (breakwater does not connect to shore). Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-765; USCG 7-6755; Notmar 556.

Point Abino Light, June 2009 Creative Commons photo by Ray Ordinario

Port Colborne Inner

1903. Active; focal plane 15 m (50 ft); white flash every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) square pyramidal tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. The lighthouse is painted white, lantern and gallery red. Anderson has distant photos, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the northeast end of the T-shaped west breakwater at the canal entrance in Port Colborne. Visible distantly from Lakeview Park at the end of Elm Street. Accessible only by boat (the breakwater does not connect to shore). Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-764; USCG 7-6765; Notmar 558.

Mohawk Island

1848. Inactive since 1969. Approx. 24 m (80 ft) stone tower attached to a stone keeper's house; both buildings are in ruins. The lighthouse was gutted by fire, and only the shells of the buildings remain. Dave Johnson has a good closeup, Anderson has a distant photo, and a wintertime aerial photo is available. This lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. The Mohawk Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed to work for restoration of the lighthouse, and fundraising is in progress. Some emergency repairs have been made to stabilize the remains of the keeper's house. Located on a small island about 1.5 km (1 mi) offshore between Mohawk Point and Rock Point. Visible from the end of Pyle Road off Lakeshore Road (regional route 3) about 20 km (13 mi) southeast of Dunnville; probably visible also from Rock Point Provincial Park. Accessible only by boat. Site closed April through July (bird sanctuary), tower closed. Owner: unknown. Site manager: Mohawk Island National Wildlife Area. ARLHS CAN-324.

* Port Maitland (Range Front) 1898. Active; focal plane 15.5 m (51 ft); green light (2 s on, 2 s off). 12.5 m (41 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and gallery are green. Bill Strong's photo is at right, Anderson has photos, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was formerly the front light of a range, but the rear light has been demolished. Located on the end of the west pier at the mouth of the Grand River, off regional route 11 in Port Maitland, south of Dunnville. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-617; Notmar 563. * Port Dover West Pier (2) Date uncertain (station established 1846). Active; focal plane 11 m (37 ft); green light (2 s on, 2 s off). 8.5 m (28 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern and gallery are green. User-activated fog horn (3 s blast every 30 s). Mark Lewis has a good photo, Anderson has closeup photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the end of the west pier at the foot of Harbour Street, two blocks off ON 6 in downtown Port Dover. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-616; Notmar 571. Central Lake Erie Lighthouses * Long Point Cut (Old Cut, Long Point West End, Port Rowan) 1879. Inactive since 1916. 15 m (50 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story wood keeper's quarters. Lighthouse painted white with red trim; the lantern (a replica) is painted red. Bash has a good photo, Anderson has several photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse marked a former channel through the base of the Long Point Peninsula; it was deactivated after the channel silted shut. There's only dry land in the area today. The building is a private summer residence. The lighthouse, which had been considerably modified, was restored by new owners in 1999-2000 and is now close to its original appearance. The original lantern was removed long ago; the gallery is an observation deck with an open replica lantern. Located just off county route 59 near the entrance to Long Point Provincial Park. Site and tower closed, but the lighthouse can be seen easily from the street. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS CAN-580.

Port Maitland Range Front Light, June 2006 Creative Commons photo by Bill Strong

Long Point (2)

1916. Active; focal plane 29.5 m (97 ft); white flash every 8 s (it is reported that every fourth flash is omitted, due to a broken prism in the lens). 26 m (86 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story fog signal building. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. The original 3rd order Fresnel lens is on display at Port Burwell Light. Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was originally 32 m (102 ft) tall, but its base has become buried in the sand. During a renovation in the late 1980s the buried base was filled with concrete and a new entrance cut. The lighthouse marks the end of the Long Point Peninsula, a 40 km (25 mi) long finger of sand extending due east into Lake Ontario. Most of the peninsula is an ecological reserve, and there is no public land access to the light station. Accessible only by boat. Site open, if you can get to it by water; tower closed. Owner: Canadian Coast Guard. Site manager: Long Point World Biosphere Reserve. ARLHS CAN-759; USCG 7-6785; Notmar 579.

**** Port Burwell 1840. Inactive since 1963 (a decorative light is displayed). 20 m (65 ft) octagonal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white with red trim; lantern and gallery painted red. 3° Fresnel lens still in place in the lantern. Bash's photo is at right, Anderson has several photos, Corey Seeman has a 2008 photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Huelse has a historic postcard view. In 1986 the lighthouse was beautifully restored by Mennonite craftspeople using authentic construction techniques. The Port Burwell Marine Museum, across the street, has a large collection of lighthouse lenses and artifacts, including the 3rd order Fresnel lens and rotating mechanism from Long Point Light. Located on the waterfront in Port Burwell. Site open; museum open daily from mid-May to Labor Day, except closed on non-holiday Mondays and on Tuesdays after holiday Mondays during May, June, and September. Tower open for climbing whenever the museum is open (small fee). Owner: Municipality of Bayham. Site manager: Port Burwell Marine Museum. ARLHS CAN-405. * Port Burwell Approach (West Pier) 1914. Inactive since the late 1990s. 7.5 m (25 ft) square pyramidal concrete tower topped by a short skeletal tower. Anderson has a photo. This light was replaced by a light at the end of a new breakwater extending the old pier. Located at the end of a pier on the west side of the entrance to Otter Creek at Port Burwell. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS CAN-1041. Port Stanley Breakwater 1908. Active; focal plane 11 m (37 ft); green flash every 5 s. 9.5 m (31 ft), steel skeletal tower mounted atop a 1-story square pyramidal concrete structure. Lighthouse painted white. Deborah Knott has a photo, Anderson has a photo, Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the outer end of the breakwater on the west side of the harbor entrance in Port Stanley. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-622; Notmar 588.

Port Burwell Light, January 2004 Creative Commons photo by C. W. Bash

Western Lake Erie Lighthouses
* Rondeau East Pier

1905. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red flash every 4 s. 11 m (36 ft) square pyramidal skeletal steel tower with lantern and gallery. Tower and gallery painted white, lantern red. Anderson has photos, Val West has a 2008 photo, and Renée Laliberte has a similar photo. Located at the end of the east breakwater at the entrance to Rondeau Harbour in Ereiau. Accessible only by boat (the breakwater does not connect to shore); easily visible from the west pier across the entrance. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-636; Notmar 591.

* Rondeau West Breakwater Range Front

1912. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) square pyramidal white concrete tower; there is a small gallery but no lantern. Val West has a photo, Stephen Herr has a photo, Anderson has photos, and Marinas.com has aerial photos. Located at the end of the west breakwater at the entrance to Rondeau Harbour in Erieau. Parking available nearby. Accessible in good weather by walking the breakwater. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-623; Notmar 592.

* Rondeau West Breakwater Range Rear

Date uncertain. Active; focal plane 18 m (60 ft); continuous green light. 16 m (53 ft) square pyramidal steel tower, painted white; no lantern. The tower also carries a triangular daymark, painted orange with a black vertical stripe. Anderson has a photo (third photo on the page). This light is located directly across the entrance channel from the east pier light. Parking available nearby. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. Notmar 593.

Southeast Shoal

1927 (lightship station established 1901). Active; focal plane 21 m (70 ft); red flash every 10 s. 18 m (60 ft) square 3-story concrete building mounted on a square pyramidal base; lantern replaced by a helicopter landing pad. Lighthouse painted white with red trim; each of the four faces of the base has two vertical red stripes. Lighthouse Explorer has an aerial photo. This lighthouse was gutted by a disastrous explosion and fire on July 7, 1950. Located at the south end of a dangerous shoal extending south from Pélee Point into the Pélee Passage. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-468; USCG 7-6795; Notmar 597.

Pelée Passage (3)

1975 (station established 1861). Active; focal plane 28 m (91 ft); white flash every 4 s. 12 m (40 ft) round cylindrical steel (?) tower with lantern and gallery, rising from one corner of a 1-story keeper's quarters with a helipad on its roof, all mounted on a cylindrical steel caisson. Tower and building painted white, lantern and caisson green. The second (1902) lighthouse has been relocated to Lakeview Park in Windsor (see listing below). The lighthouse marks the north end of the Middle Ground Shoal about 8 km (5 mi) northwest of Southeast Shoal. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-371; USCG 7-6835; Notmar 602.

Pelée Island

1833. Inactive since 1909. Approx. 18 m (60 ft) round rubblestone tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted stone; lantern painted black. A photo appears at the top of this page, and a closeup photo and a good view from the water are available. This historic but long-abandoned lighthouse fell into picturesque ruins before it was rescued by the Relight the Lighthouse Committee in a restoration in 1999-2000. However, the tower is still shored up by timbers and the lighthouse is threatened by wave action; riprap has been piled around the tower to protect it. Located on Lighthouse Point at the northern tip of Pelée Island. Accessible by a walk of at least 1.5 km (1 mi) from the end of East Shore Road. Pelée Island is accessible by ferries from Kingsville and Leamington, Ontario, and from Sandusky, Ohio. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Ontario Parks (Lighthouse Point Nature Reserve). Site manager: Relight the Lighthouse Committee. ARLHS CAN-370.

[Middle Island] 1872. Inactive since 1918. The lighthouse, a 15 m (49 ft) square pyramidal wood tower attached to a keeper's house, burned sometime after deactivation, but the stone foundation can be seen. No current photo available, but a good description of the island and its history is available. Middle Island, located 11 km (7 mi) east of Middle Bass Island, Ohio, is the southernmost point of Canada. Formerly private, the island was bought by the Nature Conservancy in 1999 as an addition to Point Pelée National Park. Accessible only by boat. Site open. Owner/site manager: Point Pelée National Park. ARLHS CAN-1076. * Leamington 1880s. Inactive since the 1920s. Approx. 9 m (30 ft) square pyramidal wood tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern painted red. Bash's photo is at right, Anderson has closeup photos, and Google has a satellite view. Owned by an association of small summer cottage owners, the lighthouse has been converted to provide restrooms for club members. Located just west of Erie Street South and just north of the Pelée Island ferry terminal in Leamington. Site and tower closed, but the lighthouse can be seen easily from the park. Owner/site manager: Leamington Lighthouse Club. ARLHS CAN-758. * Kingsville 1889. Inactive for many years. Approx. 7.5 m (25 ft) square pyramidal wood tower, painted white; lantern painted gray. Anderson has good photos, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse was sold into private ownership and had been relocated on private property when the Carters visited in 1995. By 1999 it had been relocated a second time to the Kingsville Historical Park. A restoration of the lighthouse was completed in 2003. Located on Harrington Street near Queen Street, south of ON 18 in Kingsville. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Kingsville Historical Park. ARLHS CAN-756. Colchester Reef (2) 1954 (station established 1885; lightship station established 1870s). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); red flash every 4 s. 12 m (39 ft) square steel skeletal tower and helicopter landing pad mounted atop the cylindrical stone pier of the 1885 lighthouse. Entire structure painted white. To make room for the landing pad, the light tower is cantilevered off one side of the pier. The Carters also have a photo. Located at the south end of the reef about 6 km (4 mi) south of Colchester. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-143; USCG 7-6870; Notmar 620.

Leamington Light, January 2004 Creative Commons photo by C. W. Bash

Detroit River Lighthouses
Bar Point Pier

1962. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); green flash every 10 s. 6 m (20 ft) round cylindrical tower mounted on a 1-story concrete workroom. Entire structure painted white. Located on a pier on the west side of the entrance channel to the river from Lake Erie, off Bar Point southeast of Willow Beach. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1008; USCG 7-6995; Notmar 642.

Boblo Island

1837. Inactive since the late 1950s. 12 m (40 ft) round limestone tower, painted white; lantern destroyed. A view from the river is available, Anderson has distant photos, and Google has a satellite view. Vandals set a fire in 1954 that gutted the tower and destroyed the lantern. The lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. The lighthouse provides an early example of what later became the "Imperial Tower" style of Canadian lighthouses. Parks Canada, which has owned the lighthouse since 1961, has a page on its history. The park service has stabilized the building, and the tower appeared to have been recently painted in a 2005 photo. However, there are no plans to provide any public access. Most of the island is occupied by an upscale residential community accessed from Amherstburg by a private ferry. Located near the southern tip of the island. Site and tower closed; the lighthouse can be seen from Front Street South, Amherstburg. Owner: Parks Canada. Site manager: Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse National Historic Site. ARLHS CAN-049.

* Hackett Reach Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 24 m (79 ft); continuous red light. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) square pyramidal steel skeletal tower, painted white. The tower also carries an inverted triangular slatted daymark, painted orange. Noah Greenia has a closeup photo. Located on the waterfront in Amherstburg. Site open, tower closed. USCG 7-7025; Notmar 657.

Livingstone Channel Upper Entrance (3)

About 1980 (station established 1915). Active; focal plane 12 m (40 ft); white flash every 10 s. Round cylindrical steel tower without lantern, rising from the center of a 1-story workroom, mounted on a square crib. Entire structure painted white with red trim. Noah Greenia has posted a closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located in the river north of Amherstburg. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1038; USCG 7-7195; Notmar 677.

Ballard Reef (Livingstone Channel Light 77D)

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green flash every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) square cylindrical tower centered on a square 1-story workroom, mounted on a round concrete pier. Lighthouse painted white with green vertical stripes at the corners of the tower. Noah Greenia has a closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located about 600 m (0.4 mi) north northwest of the Livingstone Channel Upper Entrance Light. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. USCG 7-7200; Notmar 678.

* Pelee Passage (2)

1902. Inactive since 1975. Approx. 18 m (60 ft) round steel tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white with red trim; lantern is red. Martin Crest has a closeup photo, a 2008 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was relocated in 1980 to a site on the Detroit River in Windsor. Located on Riverside Drive East at Riverdale Avenue, opposite Peche Island, about 10 km (6 mi) east of the downtown tunnel. Site open, tower closed. Owner: City of Windsor. Site manager: Lakeview Park Marina.

Lake St. Clair and St. Clair River Lighthouses

* Thames River Range Rear (2) 1818 (reconstructed 1973-75; station established 1810). Reactivated (inactive 1966-75). Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); continuous red light. 16.5 m (54 ft) round limestone tower, painted white with red trim; lantern painted red. A photo is at right, Anderson has a page for the lighthouse with several photos, and Marinas.com has aerial photos. A photo showing both range lights is also available; the front light is on a cylindrical Claymar tower. Ontario's second oldest lighthouse, after Gibraltar Point. Its height was raised from about 11 m (35 ft) around 1870. The lighthouse was in very poor condition, leaning and cracked, before being restored in 1973-75 by the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority. The lighthouse was taken down, stone by stone, and rebuilt on a restored foundation. The site is leased to the Coast Guard for a search and rescue station. Located on the south side of the mouth of the river, just off Lake St. Clair; the lighthouse is off Harbour Drive in Lighthouse Cove. Site open, tower closed. Owner: Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority (Lighthouse Conservation Area). Site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-594; Notmar 713. Maybury Highway 1928. Active; focal plane 7 m (24 ft); red flash every 4 s. 5.5 m (18 ft) square pyramidal concrete tower built on a small square crib. No lantern. Located on the south side of the St. Clair Flats Channel, which is also the international border, at the south entrance to the St. Clair River. Accessible only by boat; should be visible from a residential area on the U.S. side. Site and tower closed. Site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1015; USCG 7-9605; Notmar 734. Southeast Bend 1913. Active; focal plane 7 m (23 ft); red flash every 4 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) square pyramidal concrete tower built on a small square crib. No lantern. Google has a satellite view. Located on the south side of the St. Clair Flats Channel, which is also the international border, at the south entrance to the river. Accessible only by boat; should be visible from a residential area on the U.S. side. Site and tower closed. Site manager: Canadian Coast Guard. ARLHS CAN-1023; USCG 7-9645; Notmar 736. * Corunna Range Rear 1892. Inactive 1941-1951 and since 1982. 13 m (42 ft) square pyramidal wood tower, painted white. No lantern, but the tower is surmounted by a diamond-shaped slatted daymark. Lighthouse Explorer has a Moore Museum photo, and Google has a satellite view. Originally located on the St. Clair River at the end of Cameron Street in Corunna, the lighthouse has been relocated to the grounds of the Moore Museum, located at 94 Moore Line, off ON 40 in Mooretown. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Moore Museum. ARLHS CAN-1029.

Thames River Range Rear Light, February 2007 anonymous Creative Commons photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Limekiln Crossing Range Rear (1886-late 1930s), Detroit River. ARLHS CAN-1132.
• Pointe aux Pins Main (1873-about 1970), Saint Mary's River. ARLHS CAN-888.
• Port Colborne Main (1852-1903), Lake Erie. ARLHS CAN-764.
• Port Colborne Range Rear (1878-1920s), Lake Erie
• Rondeau Harbour (1876-1947), Rondeau Harbour, Lake Erie. ARLHS CAN-768. Huelse has a closer postcard view.

Notable faux lighthouses:

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted December 16, 2003. Checked and revised October 30, 2009. Lighthouses: 30. Site copyright 2009 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.