Flowerpot Island Celebration June 8th
Submitted by Jane Greenhouse
The Friends are celebrating their 40-year anniversary. Forty years ago, they were known as the Friends of Fathom Five. As this group, they were responsible for the building of the boardwalk and dive platform along the harbour across from the Grandview Motel. When Cyprus Lake Provincial Park converted to a National Park they became The Friends of Bruce District Parks Association. This is a volunteer organization supporting the two National Parks. One of the most active areas of support is the upkeep and maintenance of the light station at Flowerpot Island.
In the 1860s many light stations were built on the Great Lakes. To keep these lights shining as a beacon for navigation, there was a need for light keepers. A two-story home was built on Flowerpot Island for the light keeper and his family. Later, it was evident that there was a need for an assistant, so a bungalow was built on the property. The light keeper moved to this new dwelling and the assistant resided in the original house.
In the early 1960s the Canadian Coast Guard was given the job of automating the light stations on the Great Lakes. At the end of the 1987 shipping season, the last light keeper on Flowerpot Island, John Freethy, left the station. The houses sat empty and neglected till 1995. The Friends were concerned over the deterioration of the abandoned light station and houses and, after contacting the Canadian Coast Guard and Fathom Five National Marine Park, they received permission to refurbish the site.
Since then, thanks to the generous support and efforts of volunteers and partners, many major projects have been undertaken at the station. The original house is now a museum. It is decorated much as it might have been in the 1950s. The gardens have been brought back to life with a vegetable patch adjacent to the house and many flower beds on the property.
To keep the museum clean, and the gardens weeded and watered, there was need for additional help, so in 1998 The volunteer Light Keeper Host Program was developed. This allows members of the Friends to live in the bungalow for 2 or 3 days. During the day they greet visitors, guide them around the museum, answer questions and sell snacks. The evenings and early mornings they have the island to themselves.
The light station has also gone ‘off the grid’; all power to the site is now solar! The bungalow has new windows, and both houses have received new steel roofs along with many coats of paint over the years. Museum displays have been developed, and a small shop offering cold drinks, small snacks, and unique gift items for the visitors has been opened. There are many rocking chairs, benches, and picnic table for visitors to rest and enjoy the views.
The spring cleanup has already started. Volunteers from the Friends were on the island on Saturday, May 4th. and began getting the light station ready for the summer visitors. Last year upwards of 30,000 visitors crossed the island to visit the light station.
Be sure to plan on a trip to Flowerpot Island on June 8th (rain date June 9th)to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Friends. Details of the events on the island will be published in the next paper.
