THE LIGHT HOUSE

The date of construction of the light house at the entrance to New London Bay could not be confirmed, however, we do know that Dougald Henry was one of the workmen employed on the first light house built in 1846 and constructed at Point Prim PEI. It is also reasonable to conjecture that the original light houses located at Malpeque, New London and Rustico would have been constructed shortly after the devastating storm of October 1851 which was subse— quently known as the “Yankee Gale.”

The main building which housed the ‘range light’ was also designed to accommodate the ‘light keepers’ family. In addition to the range light building a small square building, located a short distance away, housed what was described by Dougald Henry as the ‘spar light’. The ‘spar’ light was raised each evening by means of a rope and pulley device and lowered each morning by the same convenient arrangement. The “range light" was serviced from inside and the per- son in charge had to walk up three or four flights of steps to reach the “big light’,

The Customs Officers and the Wharfingers are recalled in the memories of Seniors resident in the community however the Light Keeper, probably because of the remoteness of his location, is not as readily recalled. The Light Keeper was employed by the Government and the light house supplies such as lanterns, fuel, lantern flues, wicks, etc., were all provided by the Government and delivered to the Light Keeper by ship. This ship was known locally as a ‘car— rack’ or merchant supply ship which was also owned by the Government.

Because of its unprotected exposure the cape overlooking the entrance to New London Bay could be a very dangerous place in which to raise a family. When gale force winds blew out of the north quadrant conditions on that exposed cape became extremely dangerous with moun- tainous surf crashing against the sand banks and under extreme conditions, actually flooding the headlands on which the lighthouse was founded. During these storms the lighthouse keeper’s family were not only isolated from their neighbours but actually surrounded by the raging sea.

One such person who served as New London lighthouse keeper for twenty—seven years, thus becoming the longest serving lighthouse keeper, was John MacRae who served from 1912 to 1939. This was the era when oil—burning devices had to be serviced each day.

John MacRae married Marion Harding and they had a family of ten children. All but one was brought up in the “light house”. There was one bedroom downstairs, and in the large area upstairs there were two bedrooms. One story recalled by a family member tells of a night of fear. One must remember that this building actually sits on the sand, and is in a precarious area, at the best of times. One night, along with a severe autumn tide forced higher by the brutal North winds, that tide threatened to sweep away the lighthouse and the family within.

A warning about impending danger was given by the dog when he started to bark as the water began lifting the‘cellar’ hatch. The children were placed on the second floor for safety. Wilfred MacRae, John’s brother, always kept his boat [this one was named Sea Biscuit] tied up close to the light house for use when he came for a visit. The family thought it could be used if needed to save the family. However, that was not to be, because the boat soon broke from its mooring, and went adrift. Shortly after this, a log came through the kitchen window. This was followed by mounds of sand. Water levels in the kitchen reached to the top of the wainscotting. Their valuable pump organ had previously been placed on top of the downstairs bed to try and keep it from the water. Our informant states that it was played for many years after that.

As in every household, the supply of needed eggs came from the ‘henhouse’ which was usually located close to the house. The MacRae henhouse ‘went sailing’ with its unsuspecting family and ended up, as Mr. MacRae’s daughter states, on “MacEwen’s Island. The building was taken home again, however, the luckless family inside were not as fortunate.

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