Lighthouse shining beacon of community effort

Things certainly have brightened up along the Barwick waterfront these days.
Last Wednesday evening, a two-year project culminated in a new landmark when Chapple Heritage Committee member Wayne Nugent threw the switch that changed the way the river looks at night from now on.
A brilliant, pulsing strobe light now points out where Barwick is for more than a mile up and down the Rainy River—thanks to the efforts of the heritage committee and the work of community volunteers.
“It all started in the fall of 2001,” said Chapple Coun. Rilla Race, who chairs the heritage committee.
“Someone asked the heritage committee if we would consider building a lighthouse and as the word spread through the community, we saw there was a lot of interest, so we looked into it,” she added.
Initially, the idea was seen as merely an interesting community project, but as time went on, persistent rumours indicated there once may have been a lighthouse at the waterfront—before the railway came through—when most people arrived in the district via steamboat.
“So we contacted the Coast Guard to see if they knew anything about it,” noted Race. “They said they had no specific information about one at Barwick, but there was a lighthouse-building project in the area at that time.
“They further stated it was quite possible there may have been one here.”
The Coast Guard then provided the committee with plans for the kind of lighthouses that had been built there in the past. The current example is a close replica of one of those early models, with a strobe light replacing the kerosene lantern of yesteryear.
The next step was to clear the way with the Ministry of Natural Resources for the use of Crown land. Then by May of this year, the plans were finalized, the permits issued, and work began in earnest.
Construction began with the demolition of the old Barwick Hotel, from which bricks were secured to form the base of the lighthouse.
At the same time, two-and-a-half feet of blast rock and six inches of crushed rock were brought in to raise the elevation of the concrete base to put the lighthouse safely above high water.
During this time, the committee continued its fundraising efforts. “To date, we have had over 100 donations from people who have purchased a brick [from the hotel] in their names, the name of a friend, or loved one,” Race said.
“Donations have come in from local people as well as others from across Canada and the United States,” she added. “There was even a brick purchased by a lady from the U.K. in memory of a family that lived here years ago but has moved back to England.”
In December, those names will go to an engraver to create a plaque commemorating those who supported the project in this way.
Race said anyone interested in purchasing a brick still can do so by contacting Kathy Nugent at the Barwick Village Restaurant.
Already, the structure has caught the imagination of locals and tourists alike. “People who usually did U-turns after leaving the post office are now taking the road by the river just to see it,” Race said.
There still are some small jobs to be completed and next year, either in the spring or during the 2004 Chapple Day/School Reunion, the committee intends to hold another ceremony to officially dedicate the lighthouse.
But in the meantime, the light will remain on from dusk until dawn. You can’t miss it. Just look for the flashing light.