Port Burwell Marine Museum and Historic Lighthouse facts for kids
| Location | Port Burwell Ontario Canada |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°38′41″N 80°48′21″W / 42.64472°N 80.80583°W |
| Year first constructed | 1840 |
| Deactivated | 1963 |
| Tower shape | octagonal tower |
| Markings / pattern | white tower, red lantern |
| Height | 13.7 metres (45 ft) |
| Focal height | 29.3 metres (96 ft) |
| Original lens | third order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 19 kilometres (12 mi) |
The Port Burwell Marine Museum and Historic Lighthouse is a cool place to visit in Port Burwell, Ontario, Canada. It sits right where the Big Otter Creek meets Lake Erie. This museum and its old lighthouse tell the story of a time when Port Burwell was famous for building ships!
Port Burwell's Maritime History
The lighthouse was finished in 1840. It was later updated in the 1980s. This lighthouse is special because it's one of Canada's oldest lighthouses built completely from wood.
Inside the museum, you can see amazing things. There's a very detailed model of a rail car ferry called the Ashtabula. This huge ship used to travel regularly between Port Burwell and Ashtabula, Ohio. Its main job was to carry coal. The Ashtabula was a very important part of shipping in Port Burwell until the 1950s. It helped Southern Ontario grow by bringing in coal for energy.
The museum also has a great collection of other items. You can see original Fresnel lenses, which are special lenses used in lighthouses to make the light shine far. There are also finely detailed model ships. Plus, you'll find many old tools, photographs, and other artifacts from the 1800s. These items help us understand what life was like back then.
See also
- List of lighthouses in Ontario
- List of lighthouses in Canada
