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Backgrounder

Heritage Lighthouse Designations in Prince Edward Island

The Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act allows for the identification and protection of federally-owned lighthouses with heritage value and is the most significant piece of federal legislation to protect historic places of the last decade. It will help to ensure that important heritage lighthouses on Canada’s coastal and inland waters remain protected for future generations.

Name: Brighton Beach Front Range Lighthouse (built 1889)
Location: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

The Brighton Beach Front Range Lighthouse is a 12.2-metre (40 ft) square, tapered, wooden tower painted in the traditional red and white of the Canadian Coast Guard. It is a highly valued symbol of Charlottetown’s Brighton Ward and for the city as a whole. Built in 1889 at the confluence of the North (Yorke) River with Charlottetown Harbour, the lighthouse supported the maritime economy of Charlottetown through the late nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth. Together with its companion Brighton Beach Rear Range Lighthouse, it is a very good example of the system of marine aids to navigation developed for Prince Edward Island. The lighthouse is being acquired by the City of Charlottetown, which will ensure the protection of its heritage character for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.

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News Release associated with this Backgrounder.