False Duck Island Lighthouse

Home/
Lake Ontario/
Central Lake Ontario/
False Duck Island

Home
Regions
Site Index
Links
About The Site

False Duck Island sketch

The oldest lighthouse in Prince Edward County, Ontario was built in 1829 on False Duck Island. The 63-foot concrete and stone tower marked an island often confused by mariners for Main Duck Island.

In 1905, the station was struck by lightning, which destroyed the lantern room, keeper's house, and oil house. Keeper Dorland Dulmage and his family survived the storm in the fog signal building - the only structure not damaged by the storm.

On November 3, 1965, the light was extinguished by keeper James McConnell, and replaced by an automated tower. The old tower was torn down - only the lantern room and parapet was saved. On September 17, 1967, the lantern room and parapet were rededicated on top of a 30-foot memorial lighthouse along South Bay in the Mariner's Memorial Park and Museum, during Canada's Centennial Year. The park houses a museum, numerous nautical artifacts on the grounds, and a picnic area.

References (see links)

Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses - Ontario, Erie, and Huron, Roberts, Jones p. 66

Select an image to enlarge

Museum and Tower

False Duck and South Bay

Mariner's Museum Grounds

Directions: From Highway 401, take exit 525 (Trenton) to Highway 33 (Loyalist Parkway). Follow Highway 33 south to Picton. From Picton, travel southeast along Highway 8. Travel south on Highway 13 to the junction of Highway 10 and Highway 13. (Note - older maps label part of the route as Highway 9 - this led us to some difficulty as there were no signs for Highway 9. We noted on our visit that many of the roads had been redesignated, and after our return, found a more recent map which renumbered parts of Highway 9 as 10 and 13. The above directions reflect this change.) The Mariner's Memorial Park and Museum, where the lighthouse now stands, is at this junction. The grounds of the park are open year-round. The museum itself is open 9AM-5PM weekends from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving, and daily (except Fridays) July and August. (Note - the roads in Prince Edward County are all small winding country roads - a good map is strongly suggested, as we took a few wrong turns while exploring the area.) (September 2006)