Lighthouse Legacies: Stories of Nova Scotia's Lightkeeping Families

by Chris Mills

Imagine living your life perched on a tiny island, without electricity, exposed to the fury of the sea, and always at the service of the mariner. This is how lightkeepers and their families spent their lives, even up until the 1960s. We are very close to losing the last of the people who lived this isolated life and experienced the heyday of lightkeeping in Canada. Lighthouse Legacies lets us share in the memories of those who kept the lights. These stories are presented largely in the words of the people, with context and history by author Chris Mills. Each chapter deals with an element of lighthouse life and is complemented by photos from lighthouse family collections, the Coast Guard and Mills' own collection.

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2006

Reviews

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, based on extensive interviews, is an effort to preserve some of the history of those who manned the lighthouses along the ocean shores of Nova Scotia. The lighthouse life was one that was full of challenges both because of the terrible storms and because of the isolation. But there were also advantages to this way of life. During the depression, it was a chance for a regular paycheck and to be your own boss, as well as the opportunity to experience the beauty of living a solitary life by the ocean. However, these jobs were not easy to get. You not only needed carpentry and mechanical skills, but also have a tolerance for routine, and an approach to life that helped you live cooperatively in tight quarters. If you were married and you leaned towards a particular political party, that often helped your application. A family provided the government with the opportunity for free labour in that they did not need to hire an assistant. It was a difficult place to bring up children and women worked hard to make meals, do laundry, and care for sick children without electricity or medical help nearby. An interesting book that shows how individuals and families got through the experience, either loving it or hating it. Many of these people have now died, and so there has been an effort made, not only to preserve some of the lighthouses but also to record their vanishing way of life.