Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.
December 2019
A must-see tourist attraction for visitors to the Canadian province of Nova Scotia is the Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse. Also known by its official name, Peggy’s Point Lighthouse, this iconic and still active lighthouse in Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia, marks the eastern entrance to St. Margarets Bay, the still active lighthouse has become one of busiest tourist attractions in the province.
The classic red-and-white lighthouse, operated by the Canadian Coast Guard, sits on atop a granite outcrop, surrounded by a rolling granite landscape.
The current octagonal, reinforced concrete and steel lighthouse was built in 1914, replacing the original 1868 wooden house with a beacon on the roof.
The house then became the light-keeper’s residence until it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Edna in 1954 and had to be demolished.
The current lighthouse was automated in 1958 and remained an active lighthouse until it was decommissioned in June 2010, along with most other lighthouses in Canada.
For many years, a small Canada Post Office operated out of the lower level during the summer, where visitors could send postcards and letters, each stamped with a cancellation mark with an image of the lighthouse. The post office closed in November 2009 when mold issues became a health hazard.
None of this however, has diminished the popularity of the Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse with visitors to Nova Scotia.
Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse. Photo: Bruce Forsyth. 
Postcard with the Peggy’s Cove postal stamp. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.
