The puzzle is a reproduction by Danita Delimont of a Pixel Perfect Puzzle, by Amazon Digital Services. This 47.2 x 31.5cm, 400 piece puzzle is custom made in the UK and hand-finished on 100% recycled 1.5 mm millboard.
While Nova Scotia is home to over 160 historic lighthouses, it's this little lighthouse in the quaint little fishing village of Peggy's Cove which garners the most camera clicks. It is almost certainly the most photographed lighthouse in all of Canada. Just a leisurely hour's drive south of Halifax, Peggy's Cove and the lighthouse may be reached via Highway 333 or Highway 103. The village itself has only approximately 30 permanent residents.
Built in 1914, replacing the old original wooden structure from 1868, its light still shines out to sea to protect seafarers who may venture too near this rocky shore. The lighthouse's original Fog horn can be seen in The Peggy of the Cove Museum. Standard Construction Company of Halifax built the current thirty-foot-tall, concrete Peggy’s Point Lighthouse in 1914-15 at a cost of$2,456. A fourth-order lens and an eight-foot-lantern atop the new lighthouse ran another $1,945.92. The new lighthouse was constructed fifteen metres west of the original lighthouse and came into operation on August 1, 1915. The old lighthouse, minus its lantern room, was retained as the keeper’s residence.
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From 1975 to 2009, Peggy’s Point Lighthouse also held a post office. Through the summer, Canada Post had a small post office in the tower in which tourists could mail letters and postcards that would receive a special cancellation stamp featuring a silhouette of the lighthouse. When the lighthouse lost its post office in late 2009, it made news Canada wide.
A Classified federal heritage building, Peggy's Point Lighthouse, better known to most as Peggy's Cove Lighthouse, was entered in the Canadian Heritage Register on April 27, 2005. |
Peggy’s Point Lighthouse
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Lighthouse at Peggy’s Point is a tapered, octagonal, reinforced concrete structure with a plinth-like base, a tapered shaft, a flared cornice, and a lantern platform. The Lighthouse also features long, narrow windows each of which is capped with a simple concrete pediment, and a small vestibule with a sloped roof at the ground floor entrance. The Lighthouse is located on a barren rock outcrop at the entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay, and is visible from many vantage points. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Lighthouse is designated a Classified federal heritage building due to its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.
Historical value:
The Lighthouse is associated with the important national historical theme of the federal government’s provision of navigational aids, which saw the construction of lighthouses along the country’s coast. The Lighthouse replaced an earlier lighthouse at the same location with a stronger more prominent light, continuing the primary function of supporting the fishing industry of the local communities. Being open to public visitation very early in its history, the Peggy’s Point Lighthouse also became the focus of the community’s tourism industry, a significant contributor to the local economy.
Architectural value:
The Lighthouse is a very good example of a modern interpretation of the classic lighthouse form, and is characterized by balanced proportions, an elegant profile and stylised detailing. The Lighthouse is a relatively early example of the use of reinforced concrete for the construction of a lighthouse, and its present condition testifies to the high level of craftsmanship employed in its execution.
Environmental value:
By virtue of its elevated profile and siting at the entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay, Lighthouse is highly visible and reinforces the dramatic character of its maritime setting. Located on a barren rock outcrop with no visible paths or access roads leading to its door, the lighthouse is a prime tourist destination and a regional and provincial symbol, and is widely recognized beyond its provincial borders.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
The character-defining elements of the Lighthouse should be respected.
Its role as an illustration of the federal provision of navigational aids and the establishment of the regional tourist trade is reflected in:
-its strategic location on Peggy’s Point at the mouth of St. Margaret’s Bay; and,
-its proximity to the city of Halifax and other coastal tourist destinations.
The building’s modern interpretation of the traditional lighthouse form, its successful functional design, high quality craftsmanship and materials, are manifested in:
-the well-balanced proportions of the structure’s base, tapered shaft and lantern, which are accentuated by the vertical alignment of the three tall narrow window openings on two of the elevations;
-the octagonal shape, elegantly curved cornice and stylized window caps which reflect a modern aesthetic;
-the construction of the small attached entry vestibule with sloped roof which offsets the monolithic character of the light tower;
-its relatively early, but significant use of reinforced concrete technology for and octagonal lighthouse; and,
-the high quality materials and craftsmanship exhibited by the exterior concrete.
The building’s unchanged site, reinforcement of its setting’s dramatic maritime character and important landmark status, is evidenced in:
-its relationship with the site, which consists of a barren rock outcrop and natural vegetation without visible paths leading to the building or any other structures in the immediate vicinity;
-the prominent and highly visible position of the light at the entry to St. Margaret’s Bay which emphasizes the contrast of the structure’s profile and white colour with the setting’s rugged landscape and ocean view; and,
-its value as the centerpiece of a tourist destination in the St. Margaret’s Bay area.
From Historic Places Canada
Who was Peggy?
There are two versions of the Peggy’s Cove name story in existence.
The first is perhaps rather obvious, the cove known as Margaret’s Cove is because of its location at the entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay. When abbreviated, it becomes Peggy’s Cove, an area known the world-over for its scenic beauty, enticing tourists and visitors from near and far.
But is there more behind the name other than because of its location? Is there more of a romantic story that has been widely accepted but forgotten, such as a legend that has never been brought to life?
The simple answer is yes!
The second account of how Peggy’s Cove was named comes from a book ‘This is Peggy’s Cove,’ by local artist and sculptor William deGarthe who writes about a Schooner that was shipwrecked on Halibut Rock, off the Lighthouse Point in a terrible storm of sleet and fog on a very dark October night in the 1800’s. He tells that the ship ran hard aground and with high waves washing her decks everyone on board was lost except for a young woman, who managed to survive the turbulent seas, swam ashore and was finally rescued by the people on shore.
Her name was Margaret. After the tragedy she stayed in the area and went on to marry one of the men of the local area. People from near-by places used to say, “Let’s go see Peggy of the Cove,” and before long they began to call the place Peggy’s Cove.
A new twist to the Peggy story
Then in 1996 a startling new twist to the Peggy story came to light in the form of a lady arriving in Nova Scotia from North Dakota, claiming to be the great-granddaughter of ‘Peggy of the Cove’.
A local author Bruce Nunn interviewed Maxine Roeper who’s full name was Margaret Maxine Roeper and he wrote about the interview in his book ‘Nova Scotia History with a Twist.’ Bruce describes how Maxine shares with him the story of Peggy and Peggy’s Cove, a story that has been passed down through her family for two generations.
Peggy was her great-grandmother, at the time she was only a little girl and she was on her way from England with her family, when suddenly one cold, foggy and stormy October night in the 1800’s she was shipwrecked, everyone on board apart from little Peggy died that night. She was found on the shores by a family named the Weavers. Too young, too traumatized and without anyone knowing her identity they took her in and called her Peggy. Peggy lived with them at Peggy’s Cove until she became of age and got married to one of the Weaver boys before moving to North Dakota.
Maxine shared with Bruce what she called her proof of Peggy and who she was, it was a high school essay that she had written back in the late 1930’s. The opening description matches the Nova Scotia folk legend and oral history published by William deGarthe in his book in 1954. It referred to the ship-wreck, her survival and subsequent marriage in Nova Scotia.
When writing her essay Maxine wanted to check that all her details were correct, so she called her aunt in North Dakota and she told her the story of Peggy. Maxine knew her aunt was telling the truth because she had first-hand access to the Peggy in question, as Peggy eventually settled in North Dakota. Maxine read Bruce the opening paragraph of her testimonial and it amounts to a quick sketch of the original Peggy’s family tree.
Intrigued by the story but being skeptical about its authenticity, Bruce decided to see if he could do a bit more digging to find out if the story was true, or if it was simply a lovely family legend that this lady now in her 80’s had always been told was true. So Bruce decided to call Maxine’s older sister in California who confirmed all the details he had just been told by Maxine.
Now, given that both these ladies are well into their 80’s, with almost no difference in their stories, the fact that Maxine wrote about Peggy in 1930 well before William deGarthe wrote and published his book, and the fact that neither Maxine or her sister are seeking anything other than wanting to find out more about one of their ancestors, it’s hard not to believe that their story is really true.
What do you think? Is the story true or is it simply a legend? Come and visit the museum, take a trip to the Cove and decide for yourself!
From Peggy of the Cove