![]() Luckily an active Ferryland Historical Society lobbied to have the lighthouse turned over to their group. With the light automated and no need for a lighthouse keeper, it was originally planned that the house would be taken down. Many family stories have been shared about life at the lighthouse. My family connection to this special place is that my Grandmother Esther Costello (daughter of John Will Costello – Lighthouse keeper from 1905-1927) was born at the lighthouse. The first lightkeeper was the famous Newfoundland ship builder Michael Kearney and the first assistant keeper was William Costello. Over the next 100 years the Costello family would be the primary keepers of the light at Ferryland Head right up until 1970, when Billy and Kathleen Costello were the last family of lighthouse keepers. The lighthouse is still operational however it has been automated since 1970. For the 100 years previous, the lighthouse was staffed by families who lived in the two-family dwelling. Our lighthouse has had three very diverse phases of life since opening in 1870.įirstly the Lighthouse at Ferryland Head has stood as a beacon to passing ships. At times a stark warning of the dangerous jagged shores, at times a comforting reminder to sailors that they were not alone in the pitch-black night. Our commitment to making everything at the lighthouse each day, does limit the number of people we can serve daily. Part of your Lighthouse Picnic is the walk to the lighthouse. As you walk along a natural isthmus you are surrounded by the sea on both sides of the path. Smelling the sea, hearing the seabirds and enjoying the view that goes on forever just sets the scene for your day at the lighthouse.Īfter your visit you can also brag to have eaten at the most easterly restaurant in all of North America. Reservations have become a must, as we prepare all the food onsite at the lighthouse, basically cooking in Nan’s kitchen – not much bigger than the original 1870 kitchen. …be the most relaxed you have been in years!.…be quiet and still with the sound of the ocean and wind.…be in the company of your friends and family.…be in a magical place enjoying breathtaking scenery.It is a feeling that best describes a Lighthouse Picnics experience. Lighthouse Picnics based at Ferryland Lighthouse (built in 1870) offers unique picnic food using the freshest ingredients.Ī picnic to be enjoyed while relaxing and enjoying amazing scenery – waves, whales, and seabirds are all part of the vista. But what we offer is so much more than food and it is hard to describe in words. Public interest in Split Rock continued to grow.The perfect recipe for what will be one of your most treasured memories. In 1935 a new access road to the station was built, and in 1942 a gift shop opened. To handle the growing demand, visiting hours were established and a safety fence was erected along the cliff's edge. The Lighthouse Service required the keepers to escort any visitor to the lighthouse. This gave Split Rock Lighthouse five times as many visitors as any other station in the service. By 1938, Keeper Franklin Covell estimated nearly 100,000 visitors to the site. By the early 1930s about 5,000 people visited the lighthouse each year. The keepers and their families weren’t the only ones to take advantage of the new roadway. By the 1930s, the keepers and their families lived at the station year-round, the children boarding buses for school in Beaver Bay and Two Harbors and supplies arriving more steadily by road. The Lake Superior International Highway was built near the lighthouse in 1924, finally making the lighthouse accessible by land. An extended spur of the rail system allowed the keepers to push the carload of supplies right to the oil house and storage barns where the supplies were stored until used. The elevated railway, completed in 1916, hauled supplies on a flat car up the hill from the dock where the tenders were moored. In 1915, the Lighthouse Service began construction on a tramway at the southern end of the station. They needed a new method that didn't require calm weather, a rarity on stormy Lake Superior. However, delays due to wind and waves made it hard for the tenders to use the hoist and derrick system without causing further delay to their schedules. Lighthouse Service had a long history of supplying remote stations.Īt Split Rock, they adapted the steam-powered hoist and derrick used for raising construction supplies and instead used it to hoist freight from the tenders, or supply boats. Although the station was one of the most isolated on the Great Lakes when it was commissioned in 1910, the U.S. ![]()
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