Light Across the Water

Light Across the Water. The Burlington Canal Lighthouse. The Burlington Canal was completed in 1832. In 1837, the canal's first lighthouse shone its beacon across the lake. The wooden structure guided many ships into the canal., George Thompson was the lighthouse's first keeper. His journal captured daily life on the canal until he retired in 1875., Thompson lived in a wooden house beside the lighthouse. On July 18, 1856, the Ranger, a supply ship, was bringing whale oil for the lighthouse. Sparks from the ship's furnace set fire to the wooden piers, the lighthouse keeper's house, and the lighthouse. They were completely destroyed., In 1857, the second lighthouse keeper's house was built. It still stands today. The pier was rebuilt, and a small lighthouse was constructed. In 1909, a concrete tower replaced that lighthouse. And, in 1939, a pier light replaced the tower. It still shines across the canal today., In 1858, a stone lighthouse was built on the ruins of the first lighthouse. It was made of white dolomite limestone, from quarries near Queenston, Ontario., By the 1930s, the use of radar, and better pier lights, meant that the old lighthouse's beacon was no longer needed. Today, the limestone lighthouse is one of the oldest structures on the beach strip., [Captions (counterclockwise from top left)] , . November 6, 1875 , . Circa 1954 , . Circa 18[unreadable] , . Circa 1899