A historic Prince Edward Island lighthouse in danger of slipping into the sea is getting a new address -- and a new lease on life.
The 133-year-old Cape Bear Lighthouse at the southeastern tip of P.E.I. is being moved about 100 feet from the edge of an eroded cliff. When all the necessary permits are in place, it will be moved another 400 feet in the spring to its final location.
The original lighthouse was built in 1881 and moved once before in the late 1940s. For years, community members have been working to preserve it and move it away from the water.
Contractor Yogi Vanwiechen said moving a lighthouse presents a unique set of challenges.
“This building is 40 feet high so you have to make sure that you don’t off-level it very much in case it tips or something like that,” he told CTV Atlantic.
Wallace Jorden, the organizer of the group dedicated to preserving the lighthouse, said the $175,000 moving cost has been offset by some funding from the federal government.
Once the lighthouse is in its new location, the goal is to create a larger attraction and education centre around it.
“Lighthouses are becoming more and more extinct and we need to be educated (about them)," said local resident Debbie Shea-Carew.
Jorden is hoping to organize a fundraiser for the lighthouse in April.
