If you find yourself driving through Trepassey and craving a wee adventure, perhaps the scenic drive to visit the Powles Head lighthouse might interest you. Make your way to Harbour Drive in Trepassey, onwards to Battery Road, and then enjoy the drive along Trepassey Harbour to the Powles Head lighthouse.
I managed to find some old photos of the lighthouse and surrounding buildings. The original lighthouse was established in 1902 and was a white, four-sided, wooden tower with a pyramidal shape. It featured a couple windows, a crow’s nest, a weathervane, and a lantern room which housed a fifth-order lens. The first lightkeeper was John Devereaux and there was a lightkeeper’s dwelling attached directly to the lighthouse.
Since the original lighthouse was made of wood, it was only a matter of time before Newfoundland’s harsh climate took it’s toll. In 1925, the original wooden lighthouse was replaced with what appears to be a circular iron tower. This updated tower was painted white with the crow’s nest and lantern room painted red. Unfortunately, this tower also took some damages from Newfoundland’s storms and rust became a problem.
The next update to the lighthouse was in 1960, which I believe is the current tower we see standing today. I’m not sure if they built wooden protections around the rusted iron tower, or if the iron tower was demolished and they built an entirely new wooden one, but I’d like to figure it out. If you have any information about this lighthouse, please feel free to share in a comment below.
The fog was starting to roll in and it was my sign to get moving again. It was fun checking out the lighthouse and exploring the coastline along Trepassey Harbour. I truly love being by the ocean and breathing in the crisp air, but there was no time to waste! I had planned to visit 6 or 7 lighthouses during this adventure along the southern parts of the Avalon Peninsula so it was time to get going to the next location.
Until next time…
Whoa Dana 
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