Cove Island Lighthouse - Ontario Canada
The lighthouse is owned by the Canadian Coast Guard
Initial Establishment (1858): Built between 1855 and 1859, the lighthouse began lighting up on October 30, 1858.   It was the first of six stone Imperial Towers to be completed; all were illuminated by 1859.  Most other lighthouses of the era were built of brick, wood, iron or concrete.
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Lighthouse Keepers

Location

Cove Island Lighthouse stands as a testament to mid‑19th century Canadian maritime engineering. As the first Imperial Tower lit in Georgian Bay, and last lighthouse station staffed in Ontario, it captures a fascinating era of lighthouse‑keeping tradition. Despite being closed to visitors, its presence enriches the shoreline vista as you approach Tobermory.
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​​Google Maps HERE

History

Key Historical Highlights:​

1. Construction, under the direction of contractor John Brown, began in the summer of 1855.  The white limestone used to construct the tower was extracted from the island. Budgets ran over, construction was delayed at times, and by November 1855, only the dwelling and first story of the tower were completed.

2.  A year later, in October 1856, the tower had reached its full height of eighty feet. The stonework was completed in 1857, but it wasn’t until 1858, when a crew of  assembled the twelve-sided prefabricated lantern room and the second-order Fresnel lens mechanism, that the lighthouse went into service.  Lit for the first time on October 30, 1858.

Cove Island Lighthouse may seem stoic and untouched, but locals & lighthouse‑keepers share some intriguing ghostly tales tied to its maritime history:

  • In September 1881, the schooner Regina wrecked off Cove Island, and her captain, Amos Tripp, drowned during the storm. Lighthouse keeper George Currie recovered his body and buried him on the island wrapped in a sail 
  • Over time, keeps have reported strange happenings: tools left in odd places, faint whispers while tending the light, and lights operating as though guided by unseen hands 
  • Local folklore insists Tripp’s restless spirit sometimes appears as a shadowy figure on beachwalks—and on particularly dark nights, a phantom hand inviting keepers to a card game at the keeper’s cottage

Photography
Best views are from:
  • A private boat
  • The Chi‑Cheemaun ferry en route between Tobermory and Manitoulin Island
  • Organized boat tours out of Tobermory