Provincial Registry of Heritage Property · Nova Scotia
Cape Forchu Lightstation
Cape Forchu, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
The record
- Designation
- Provincially registered heritage property
- Type
- lighthouse
- Year built
- 1912, 1962
- Decade built
- 1910-1919, 1960-1969
- Notice of registration date
- 25 June 2003
- Civic address
- 1856 Highway 304
- Community
- Cape Forchu
- County
- Yarmouth
- Province
- Nova Scotia
- Country
- Canada
- Coordinates
- 43.79417, -66.15540
- File number
- Prov_file_256
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesRoe Brothers, Atlas of the Maritime Provinces (1879) / Internet ArchiveBarry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
3 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1859 map "Colton's Maine (1859)" (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1859 · Colton's Maine (1859) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1878 · Yarmouth, Shelburne counties, N.S. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1879 · County of Digby, Nova Scotia (Roe Brothers Atlas of the Maritime Provinces) (Roe Brothers, Atlas of the Maritime Provinces (1879) / Internet Archive)
The Province of Nova Scotia's Registered Heritage Properties dataset ↗
The Province's registration record
Reason for registration
because of its heritage significance reflecting and acknowledging the historic role of this site as a lightstation since 1839-1840 and to further recognize the present lighthouse as a prototype for other lighthouses.
Character-defining elements
Character-defining elements of the Cape Forchu Lightstation include:
- all structural and technical elements relating to the task of lightkeeping;
- location on the extreme southern tip of Cape Forchu;
- two-family dwelling;
- "apple core" style light tower;
- concrete fog alarm building.
The character defining elements of the Vernacular style of the dwelling house of the Cape Forchu Lightstation include:
- one-and-a-half storey duplex;
- one storey shed at basement level of north end;
- enclosed double entry porch on back (west) side;
- full width divided front veranda with centred enclosed entry porches on front;
- medium pitched hipped gable roof;
- centred, shed roofed wall dormer on west side;
- two symmetrically placed, shed roofed wall dormers on east side;
- symmetrical four bay façade;
- double hung sash windows with 1/1 glazing;
- paired windows in dormers;
- wood construction and shingle cladding;
- concrete foundation.
Nearby in the register
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.