Christine Whelan FEO, June 20, 2024, VOL. 5 ISSUE 21
Rick Doan, President of Point Abino Lighthouse Preservation Society (PALPS), says the group is very proud of the lighthouse. It’s not your average lighthouse.
The 87-foot tower was built in 1917-1918 and remained in operation until 1995 when it was decommissioned. In 1998, it was designated as a ‘Classified’ Heritage Building.
“We call it the Taj Mahal of the Great Lakes as there is no other like it in Canada and one of the best looking. It’s more elaborate than most Canadian lighthouses.”
Doan commented, “William Anderson designed it, not to be confused with Lewis Anderson, who was the last keeper.”
Designed in the late Classical Revival style, it was intended to complement the American summer homes nearby.
“Point Abino Road is a dead-end road. It’s privately owned.” The lighthouse is on the other side of the gated community consisting of Canadian and American residents.
“When the Town of Fort Erie bought the lighthouse from Public Works Canada in 2003, they went into an evergreen contract with the residents of the Point Abino Association (PAA) that specified the public could go to the lighthouse at certain times.”
An evergreen contract automatically renews after its initial term expires until further action is taken.
Visits to the lighthouse by foot, bicycle or motorized handicap scooters with permission at the gate begin June 21 and continue Monday to Friday, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, as well as Saturday and Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, with exception of tour dates, until Labour Day.
Rick spoke in gratitude for the guard who was present at the gates. “I’ve gone to other lighthouses throughout the United States and have seen all the vandalism. But the Point Abino lighthouse has not been damaged because there is a guard.” The guard’s purpose is to keep the residents of Point Abino safe, but the lighthouse definitely benefits.
To the Lighthouse by Boat
“In the last three or four years, I’ve noticed many more pictures on social media of people landing there with their kayaks and just walking around the outside of the lighthouse. They can’t, of course, get inside. But they love taking pictures of the outside.”
Rick warns, “People who go to the lighthouse by motorboat must be careful. It’s extremely shallow around there.”
Another caution, “It’s good on a calm day but you don’t want to go out there on a rough day because once you get to a point, you’re into huge swells.”
Always Learning Something New
“We continue to get information about the lighthouse. The other day, I discovered two things I didn’t know about the lighthouse.”
Doan was with a resident who has lived in the Crystal Beach area for many years and he told Rick a story that is an extension to a known and told story.
“One of the stories we tell out in the lighthouse is, in 1929, a ship called the Briton crashed and was stuck out there. The US Coast Guard came and tried to pull it off the rocks. The ship split open and all the wheat it was carrying poured out, ending up along the shore. Because it was during the Depression, everybody in town went down there with bushel baskets and scooped up this wheat.”
Rick continued, amusement in his voice, “But now, further to that, and I just learned this the other day, the year after, Point Abino was covered in wheat fields.” Obviously, not all the wheat had been scooped up and it spread out, along the land.
Doan recently found something else out. “The roof on the lighthouse, on the lantern room, is made of twelve sections called a dodecagon. I had to look that up because I didn’t believe it.”
And, so did I.
A dodecagon is one of the types of polygons that has 12 sides, 12 vertices and 12 angles.
He continued, “I found a picture someone had taken with a drone, overlooking the lighthouse. Sure enough, there are 12 sections on the top.”
Rick posted this new information on his Facebook page, Ridgeway, Ontario History, with the drone shot.
“It’s little things like this that I am continually finding out about. I then add to what I share with others. So, we’re always trying to evolve and not keep it to the old details and basic stats.
“The lighthouse wasn’t built for tourist attractions,” he informs people on the tours. “It was a working lighthouse. It was a hard job, a 24/7 operation. The keeper had to keep running up to the top every four hours to crank the weights up so the light could turn at the top until 1952 when the power was finally installed.”
Unfortunate Restrictions
Many lighthouses are open to the public, going up to the top. This is not true for Point Abino. “This is something that we can’t control. People think that I’m in charge of the lighthouse. The Town of Fort Erie owns the lighthouse. Their insurance company deemed the stairs too dangerous to go up.” They are too steep.
Rick added that he is also not able to go up the stairs.
Restoration Project
“We’ve got a fund of $12,000 that we want to put towards redoing the tanks on the inside because the paint is peeling off. We’ve been trying to work with the Town for five years to paint these tanks.”
This is where any donations go these days. Anytime souvenirs are sold, proceeds go towards this project.
To meet Rick Doan, you’ll need to take a morning tour.
Rick has cut down to doing morning tours only for the last couple of years. “It gets to be too much doing four tours a day. I just finished one, then I turn around and go right into the next tour.”
Tour Schedule
Dates:
- June 22
- July 13 and 27
- August 10 and 24
- September 14 and 28
Times:
- 10:00 am – 11:15 am
- 11:15 am – 12:30 pm
- 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm
- 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm
Tickets cost $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for youth (12-16) and children under 12 are free. Reservations are recommended.
To learn more about the Point Abino Lighthouse, visit palps.ca
