For Want of A Lighthouse: Guiding Ships Through the Graveyard of Lake Ontario 1828-1914

No safe harbours for steamboats or sailing vessels could be found along an isolated 70-mile stretch of eastern Lake Ontario, dominated by the irregular-shaped Prince Edward County peninsula. Frequent storms, rocky reefs and sandy shoals were among the many dangers facing 19th Century mariners. So many shipwrecks mark one narrow and shallow underwater ridge in the region that it became known as "the graveyard of Lake Ontario."

It was on these shores, from Presqu'ile Bay to Kingston harbour and along the Bay of Quinte, that a remarkable network of forty-five lighthouses and light towers was built between 1828 and 1914.

For Want of a Lighthouse guides the reader from a broad overview of the social and technological changes which marked the era, to a close examination of the people and politics involved in the construction of these essential aids to navigation. Through the use of extensive archival material and more than 100 maps and photographs, Marc Seguin documents the vital role these lighthouses played in the building of a nation.

There is now a race against time to save the few original towers that are still standing. All profits from the sale of this book will be used to help preserve these remaining lighthouses.

Author: Marc P. Seguin
Publisher: Ontario History Press
Published: 04/23/2019
Pages: 550
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.60lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.11d
ISBN: 9780994010605

About the Author
Seguin, Marc P.: - Marc Seguin brings his lifelong interest in history together with a passion for Canada's built heritage in this comprehensive account of the building of the early lighthouses of eastern Lake Ontario. His degree in History form the University of Western Ontario and his years working at historic sites have been assets in Marc's involvement with local heritage groups and the founding of the lighthouse preservation organization "Save Our Lighthouses." Marc lives on the shores of Wellers Bay in Prince Edward County, Ontario, with his wife and two sons.