History con't...
It survived peacefully until 1969 when the Canadian Coast Guard dismantled
the attractive structure and left a nondescript metal post with a flashing
red signal light in its place.
The void left by the lighthouse led a group of five high school
students, under the guidance of their Project Design teacher,
to build a replica of the dismantled lighthouse. After cutting
through a lot of government red tape and raising approximately
$4500 to fund the project, the students' project of a 30' white
clapboard lighthouse sat proudly on the shoreline in the spring
of 1983. Harold Forbes and the Rotary Club were instrumental
in getting the lighthouse rebuild. The design for the lighthouse
came from the original plans for the original lighthouse.
Unfortunately, it was not a functional lighthouse and did not
replace the flashing red signal light which was still used as
the official navigational aid.
Then, in the spring of 2000, a severe storm so badly bent the
metal pole holding the red light, the electrical wiring broke.
The wiring could be expensively repaired or the lighthouse could
be replaced. The Canadian Coast Guard returned to remove the
flashing red light and replaced it with the student-built replica,
installing it in the place where the original lighthouse had
once so proudly stood.
The Lion's Head Lighthouse was back in business, guiding boats
safely into the harbour.
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