The lighthouse at Cape St. Mary’s holds a beautiful view of what was once the richest fishing grounds here in Newfoundland. I can’t even begin to fathom how exciting it was to have this lighthouse built back in the day to aid marine traffic and fishery. Communities along the southwestern shore of the Avalon were able to grow and develop easier and the lighthouse even aided international ships between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. I think it speaks volumes to see this tower standing strong today and operational at that.
The original tower was an octagonal shape built using bricks in 1859-1860 and has had multiple makeovers since it’s first construction. There had to be some alterations made to the exterior of the tower due to harsh weather conditions on the cape, but I think the original bricks are still inside there.
The first face-lift was in 1885 and involved pouring concrete over the tower and encasing it in cast-iron sheets to protect the original brick structure. The second face-lift happened in 1925 where an exterior concrete shell was added. The third face-lift happened sometime during the 1950s and involved pouring another concrete shell over the tower again. The combination of concrete and cast-iron proved sufficient enough to handle the cape’s storms and kept this tower standing strong at 33 feet high over all these years.
The drive along the southern shore of the Avalon to visit this lighthouse was quite enjoyable. You can get to this area from the TCH by taking either Route 100 and traveling along the Placentia Bay side through many small communities, or by taking Route 81, Route 92 and then Route 100 if you’d rather travel along a more barren area with mostly the island’s natural beauty to enjoy. Once you’re on Route 100 you’ll find a road with a sign for Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve. Follow that road roughly 12km and you’ll find the lighthouse at the end with beautiful open fields and a stunning view of Placentia Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
The current tower does have a wee bit of weather damage but nothing too major. It seems the concrete step to the tower needs some attention, but overall, I think this lighthouse has a lot of life left to give.
After admiring the lighthouse and snapping a few photos, I took some time to walk around the area and enjoy the view. The cliffs along the coastline here are roughly 100 meters high and atop them are beautiful grassy fields. When you’re looking out at the ocean here with nothing but the wind and the sound of the waves, time truly slows down, and you can’t help but soak it all in. I feel blessed to be able to explore this island and even more blessed to live here.
An absolutely wonderful and sleek lighthouse to visit with an even better view around it. If you ever find yourself driving along the southern shore here in Newfoundland, be sure to make a stop to visit this lighthouse and enjoy the views. I made my visit here back in April, but I’m so very curious what those grassy fields look like now that summer is in full swing. Are there flowers blooming all over the place? Tall grass blowing in the wind? Berry bushes everywhere? Perhaps I’ll satisfy my curiosity someday by returning to the cape.
Until next time…
Whoa Dana 