PARRSBORO, N.S. – For as long as she can remember, Jessica Wheaton has been fascinated by lighthouses.
So, when she heard the Cape Sharp lighthouse, near Parrsboro, could be in jeopardy, she felt she had to do something.
She said she did not even know about the place until she was taken there for a visit 11 years ago.
“It’s magical, it’s beautiful, and it’s a piece of our history I do not want to see demolished,” said Wheaton. “This place is where people lived and raised families and made their lives. This lighthouse is important, not only for people who love them like myself, but for the fisherman and anyone that travels the waters.”
She soon learned that much of the talk was just rumour, and that Fisheries and Oceans Canada has no intention of tearing down the lighthouse. The federal department confirmed this in a recent phone call.
As a similar community effort continues to save the Parrsboro lighthouse, Wheaton would like to see the Cape Sharp lighthouse continue to stand proud for years to come. She found through a simple social media post that many others in the community felt the same way.
“I know it could be replaced with a metal stand, but why, when the building is viable and can be saved by a group of like-minded individuals that want to save it?” she said. “It has not been decommissioned and my hope is it never will be. I would just like to see people come together and preserve the lighthouse as it has served us for many years.