Cape Bear Lighthouse and Marconi Station in Prince Edward Island, Canada, is hoping to win the $50,000 grand prize in the Next Great Save contest, organized by the National Trust for Canada. The group plans to use the money to fund the first phase of a five-year restoration plan for the lighthouse, which has a unique connection to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. “This could really do a lot to jump-start some of our plans,” said Valerie MacPherson, president of the board. “But the first step is to win the prize, get things rolling.” The Marconi Station at Cape Bear was the first land base in Canada to receive the Titanic’s distress call, and the group hopes to capitalize on this connection to generate interest in the restoration project. “They get pretty excited, and right now we don’t have enough space to share it properly and that’s part of what expanding and adding the building will do,” said MacPherson. “It’s a unique story for us. So we want to sort of capitalize on that and do what we can to share it as much as possible.” The restoration plan includes moving a small building closer to the lighthouse to create a new exhibit space called Marconi Hall, which will house artifacts related to the Titanic and the Marconi Station. The group is also planning to insulate the building for year-round use. The total cost of the five-year project is estimated to be over $1.2 million. The Next Great Save competition is open for public voting until May 6th. The winners will be selected by votes from the public, with the top prize of $50,000 going to the project with the most votes. The group is hoping to garner support from across Prince Edward Island and from Titanic enthusiasts around the world. “Facebook groups across the Island have been picking up the story [and] the Titanic Society of Canada has actually been re-blogging the story as well. We’re getting a lot of just real good interest and we should see a bump this summer,” said Shay Darrach, vice president of operations on the lighthouse board. “Even though you think it’s such a small story, he heard the message and relayed it, Thomas Bartlett did. But everybody’s excited about it, and it’s just something about the story that has lasted this long, and it’s got its own mystique about it.” The Cape Bear Lighthouse is a beloved landmark in Prince Edward Island, and the group is hopeful that the Next Great Save competition will help them raise the funds needed to restore it to its former glory. “Historic places across Canada are sustained by incredibly passionate volunteer groups, community groups who care deeply about these places but who struggle to give them a future,” said Patricia Kell, executive director of the National Trust for Canada. “In many cases, these places — and it’s certainly the case with the lighthouse in P.E.I. — have been important places in the history of the community and could continue to play a vital role there, perhaps a different role as a museum or as a community centre. But it’s not easy to make that happen.” The group is grateful for the support they have received from the community and from Titanic enthusiasts around the world. They are hopeful that the Next Great Save competition will help them raise the funds needed to restore Cape Bear Lighthouse and Marconi Station to their former glory.
Cape Bear Lighthouse Hopes Titanic Connection Will Boost Restoration Efforts
