Port Weller marks the northern entrance of the Welland Canal, which links Lake Ontario with Lake Erie. The canal allowed vessels to bypass the Niagara River and Niagara Falls, and opened all of the Great Lakes to outside shipping. The canal's original 1829 northern terminus was Port Dalhousie.

Modifications to the canal over time have moved the entrance three times. The current northern terminus was completed in 1932 at Port Weller. The first lighthouse was completed in 1931. The white concrete Art Deco style light, built during development of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, is still active.

The main light at Port Weller was further inland from the pierhead. The light was a skeleton frame with a lantern room and catwalk at the top. The life of keeper Cyril Williamson and his family is chronicled in Ethel Williamson's A Light on the Seaway. The Williamsons lived at the station for 25 years from 1946 until the main light was extinguished. The main light was demolished in 1971.

References (see links)

A Light on the Seaway, Williamson p. 98
A Traveler's Guide to 100 Eastern Great Lakes Lighthouses, Penrose p. 90