The Goderich Lighthouse

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The lighthouse was constructed on land aquired on March 26, 1849, by 'Queen Victoria' from the first commissioner of the Canada, Thomas Mercer Jones, who lived on this property when he first arrived in Goderich. It was cited as the 'one of the best on the lakes' by the Huron Signal in 1852. The structure was pre-dated by a pair of range towers, one located here on the bluff, and a second, shown in early drawings of the harbour area, adjacent to the Bank of Upper Canada building, currently the Bruce Sully residence at 5 Cobourg Street. These light stations were the first and second ever built on the Canadian side of Lake Huron. A light keeper's house and some ancillary buildings (removed in 1914 to become the adjacent 'Craigie cottages' next door) were part of the original structure. A tall yardarm, stood at the edge of the bluff. It supported a flag but was also used as a storm signal tower. Electricity was not installed until 1914 - just after the fateful 'Great Storm' of 1913.