were family operated, it
strengthened family ties and
taught a wide variety of
skills to all family members.
There were few real divisions
of labour in a Newfoundland
lightkeeping family.
   The Cape Bonavista
Lighthouse, which began
operation in 1843, worked

tirelessly until 1962,
capping nearly 120 years of
service. It is also no
ordinary lighthouse: from its
unique shape to its amazing
tower, it constantly delights
young and old alike with its
very unusual tower friezes.
The lighthouse is now a
provincial museum, with

guided tours by knowledgeable
interpreters in period
costumes. All artifacts in
the house are from the 1870
era, and have been recruited
from the local area, some
from the home itself. They
thus provide a very real
image of what life was like
for a working lighthouse

family of the mid 1800s in
Newfoundland.