Cole Shoal Lighthouse was constructed in 1856, one of nine nearly identically designed lighthouses on the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence River to aid in the navigation of merchant vessels and mark treacherous points throughout the Canadian Thousand Islands. This wooden, water-based light was the most eastern location of this network of nine lighthouses between Kingston and Prescott. The squat, tapered structure was able to withstand heavy winds due to its low centre of gravity and was the oldest surviving of the original nine, until it was destroyed by lightning in 2018. Over the years, four lighthouse keepers rowed twice daily from the shore to light and extinguish the lamp, until 1927 when it was decommissioned. Known as "Five Mile Light" due to its location five miles west of Brockville, the tower continues to serve as a landmark for boaters and serves as a reminder of the St. Lawrence's heyday as a thriving transportation corridor. A replica built in 2020 now stands on the original site of Cole Shoal.

Location

224 Hudson Point Road, Elizabethtown, on the grounds of G.C. Hudson Supply Limited, near the shore overlooking the water-based Cole Shoal Lighthouse.

Themes

• Buildings and structures
• Transportation systems and communications