Description of Historic Place

The Covehead Harbour Lighthouse is a square tapered tower, with wood clapboard siding, with a simple deck and lantern, located within the dunes in the Prince Edward Island National Park overlooking Covehead Harbour in the north shore community of Stanhope.

Heritage Value

The Covehead Harbour Lighthouse is valued for its association with the marine and navigational history of the area, for its contribution to the landscape of Prince Edward Island National Park, and its importance as an iconic visual landmark.

The lighthouse was constructed in 1975, replacing a 1967 structure. The square tapered tower, with simple deck with metal railing supported by brackets is similar in design to other lighthouses found in the province. Range lights have been in use at Covehead Harbour since 1879, these early lights being lanterns on masts that were easily moved according to the shifting sands and provided guidance for safe passage for fishermen. In time, a permanent structure was built. The current lighthouse lantern houses a revolving bull's eye Fresnel lens reported to be over 100 years old. The Covehead Harbour Lighthouse is an iconic building, contributing greatly to the landscape of the area and is prominently located in the PEI National Park. The Covehead Harbour Lighthouse was recognized nationally under the federal Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act in 2015.

The Covehead Harbour Lighthouse continues to be an important visual and cultural landmark in its community.

Source: Heritage Places files, Department of Education, Early Learning & Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/C16

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the lighthouse is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the square tapered tower, in simple unadorned design
- the wood clapboard cladding, painted white with red trim
- the placement of the door with shingle pedimented roof, painted red
- the wooden lantern platform with iron railing
- the bracketing under the lantern platform
- the square lantern housing
- the size and placement of the multi-paned windows with shingled pediments, painted red
- the size and placement of the windows in the lantern gallery
- the setting of the lighthouse within the Prince Edward Island National Park overlooking Covehead Harbour and the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Other character-defining elements:

- the memorial plaque mounted on the lighthouse in commemoration of the October 3, 1851 Yankee Gale which claimed 74 ships and 150 lives