A Harbour in Need of a Lighthouse
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Un phare pour le port de Collingwood
Collingwood’s harbour was hazardous for navigation in the 1800s. When Collingwood became the northern terminus of the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway in 1855, marine traffic increased. Ship owners and captains requested a lighthouse to guide vessels east of the ledges and reefs that ran from Thombury to Collingwood.
The Imperial Tower four kilometers offshore on Nottawasaga Island was built in 1858. The light, visible from all lake approach points, flashed every thirty seconds so that it could not be mistaken for the lights of Collingwood. Over the years, illuminants included whale oil, kerosene and acetylene. Until 2003 when it was decommissioned, the lighthouse shone an electric light powered by solar panels.
Time and the elements took their toll on the Nottawasaga lighthouse. In 2004, part of its external wall collapsed. Fisheries and Oceans Canada stabilized the structure. Workers removed loose limestone blocks and wrapped bands or “girdles” of plywood and stainless steel cables around the lighthouse. They parged the rubblestone core with lime mortar and improved lightning
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Au XIXe siècle, la navigation au port de Collingwood était périlleuse. Quand cette localité est devenue le terminus nord de la ligne ferroviaire Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway en 1855, la circulation maritime s'y est intensifiée. Les capitaines et les propriétaires de navire ont réclamé un phare pour guider leurs vaisseaux parmi les hauts-fonds et les écueils qui parsèment les eaux entre Thornbury et Collingwood.
En 1858, la Tour impériale a été construite sur rite Nottawasaga, à quatre kilomètres des côtes. Visible de tous les alentours, son feu clignote toutes les 30 secondes afin de ne pas se confondre avec les lumières de Collingwood. Au fil des ans, la lanterne a été alimentée à l'huile de baleine, au kérosène puis à l'acétylène. Depuis 2003, date à laquelle le phare a été déclassé, la lumière fonctionne à l'électricité produite par des panneaux solaires.
Le phare de Nottawasaga a subi les ravages du temps et des éléments. En 2004, une partie de son mur externe s'est effondrée. Pêches et Océans Canada a stabilisé la structure. Des ouvriers ont retiré les moellons de
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Communications • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1858.
Location. 44° 30.744′ N, 80° 13.427′ W. Marker is in Collingwood, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It can be reached from Heritage Drive 1.2 kilometers north of Huron Street (Provincial Highway 26). The marker is at the north end of Heritage Drive in Millennium Overlook Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 45 Heritage Drive, Collingwood ON L9Y 0E8, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Ontario Cottage Country and specifically in Georgian Bay Country. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: North-West Mounted Police Departure Point (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Steam Hammer (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Enclosed Steam Winch (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); Steam Engine (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); Collingwood - An Overview / Collingwood Elevators (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); Water Transportation via Collingwood 1854-1900 (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); The Northern Railway Company of Canada (approx. 1.3 kilometers away); The Associated Country Women of the World / L'union mondiale des femmes rurales (approx. 1.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Collingwood.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Collingwood Lighthouses
Also see . . .
1. The Early Years (Nottawasaga Lighthouse Preservation Society).
Excerpt: Constructed between 1855 -1858, the Nottawasga Lighthouse was one of six Imperial Towers constructed by Scottish stonemason, John Brown. Brown's first government project was the construction of the Gull Island Lighthouse in Lake Erie between 1846 and 1848. Subsequently, he was retained to build seven additional light stations in Ontario, including one in Burlington, Ontario.(Submitted on June 30, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Brown however is best remembered for building the Imperial Towers, six nearly identical light stations around Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. These include the Nottawasaga light at Collingwood, Cove Island off Tobermory, marking the entrance from Lake Huron to Georgian Bay, Griffith Island near Wiarton, Christian Island, as well as, the Lake Huron lights at Chantry Island off Southampton and at Point Clark. Initially, eleven Imperial Towers were planned but only six were completed.
Made from locally quarried cut stone, the towers measured approximately 85 feet in height and had wall thicknesses from 7 feet at the base tapering to 2 feet at the top. The ornate and intricate lantern rooms were imported from France as were the Fresnel lens, a unique design made much thinner than a comparable conventional lens allowing it to capture more oblique light from a light source, thus allowing the light from a lighthouse equipped with one to be visible over greater distances.
The Nottawasaga Lighthouse was first lit in 1858 which ironically was the same year in which the Town of Collingwood became incorporated. The light remained operational for 124 years during which time 13 full time lightkeepers and their families occupied the Island.
2. Nottawasaga Island Lighthouse (Lighthouse Friends).
Excerpt: During 1856, the one-and-a-half-storey dwelling and tower on Nottawasaga Island were finished, save for the installation of the lantern and lighting apparatus, which were provided by the Parisian manufacturer Louis Sautter. A temporary light was established atop Nottawasaga Island Lighthouse during 1857, and its second-order Fresnel lens, which revolved to produce a flashing light that made it distinguishable from the lights of Collingwood, was placed in operation on November 30, 1858. The era of resident keepers on Nottawasaga Island ended in 1958 after a fire severely damaged the keeper’s dwelling. The light was automated at this point, but a keeper with other responsibilities still kept an eye on it.(Submitted on June 30, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)An engineering study of the tower commissioned in 2002 estimated that the lighthouse’s outer wall, which had visible cracks likely caused by lightning strikes and years of freeze-defrost cycles, would fail in about five years if needed repairs were not carried out. This estimate proved to be optimistic as in late 2004 a large section of the outer wall on the northeast side of the tower collapsed. The Coast Guard had officially decommissioned the light in 2003 due to the unsafe condition of the lighthouse, but the automated solar-powered light continued to operate on its own for several more months.
In 2005, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced that $230,000 in federal funds would be spent to stabilize the tower and install improved lightning protection. That fall, Roof Tile Management, Inc. chipped away loose rock, coated the exposed inner surface, and wrapped the tower with seven reinforcing bands. After the collapse, the estimated cost of restoring the tower rose from roughly $600,000 to several million dollars, but the Nottawasaga Lighthouse Preservation Society is working diligently to secure the necessary funding. In 2014, volunteer engineers were granted access to Nottawasaga Island and found that the stability of the structure is still good.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 28, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 29, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
