1903 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT DIARY AND OBSERVATIONS JOURNAL HANDWRITTEN BY THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER OF ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS ICONS OF CANADA AND THE MARITIME PROVINCES

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On offer is a superb Peggy's Cove Lighthouse manuscript ledger book issued to and kept by Lighthouse Keeper Sidney H. Garrison from January to December, 1903. The pre-printed journ al was published by the Canadian Dept. of Marine and Fisheries specifically for use by the Lighthouse Service. A page for each month consists of a form where the lighthouse keeper noted the date, weather, time of lighting, extinguishing, total burning time, and the amount of oil, chimneys and wicks used, along with general remarks. This diary pertains to the original lighthouse which eventually succumbed to the elements in 1914, causing it to be rebuilt. The lighthouse at Peggy's Cove remains one of the most iconic coastal landmarks in North America since 1766. The folio sized book is filled with one year's worth of lighthouse data and/or observations for all twelve months of 1903 have been completed in this diary, revealing lighthouse keeper Garrison's various observations and insights over the course of a full year. Entries range from day-today remarks to critiques of his predecessor and concerns regarding the condition of the lighthouse. Day-to-day entries include: "Heavy Sea", "Very Heavy Sea", "Birds Flying", "Very Smooth", "Stormy Night", "Ship Passed Out", "Steamer Passed Out", "[Winds] Blowing Heavy", "First Birds", "Mackerel Schooling", "Heavy Storm", "Heavy Gale", "Bad Weather", "Coldest Night", etc. Lighthouse keeper Garrison's more elaborate "Report" notes include: "On the 17th inst. I put the spare lamp which was standing idle in the light room in the lantern and timed it Leeward and I presume it will improve the light." (Jan. 31st, 1903). "I am receiving many congratulations for keeping a good light since I have taken charge of the station. The Light keepers on Green island Lunenburg Co. which is nine miles distant says my light has double the power it had under the late keeper" (March 30th, 1903). "I am in need of a new Book of rules and regulations for the guidance of Light House Keepers; the one left by the late Keeper is torn and dirty" (April 30th, 1903). "I have repaired up the old fence as well as possible until I get a new one which is badly needed. I have also cut and scraped lots of the old putty from around the Lantern glass which was cracked and shrunken thus causing it to leak, and replaced it with new putty and paint and it is now thoroughly tight" (June 30th, 1903). HISTORICAL NOTES: One online source provides: "Peggy's Cove is one of the best known, most popular lighthouses of Canada. The original Peggy's Cove Lighthouse was built in 1868. The present concrete tower, built in 1914, is located just a few feet above the site of the old wooden structure which deteriorated and was destroyed." [See: Julie S. Taff's "Lighthouses: A Photographic Tour", p. 29]. Peggy's Cove is a small rural community located on the eastern shore of St. Margaret's Bay, about 43 kilometres (26 miles) southwest of downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It comprises one of the numerous small fishing communities located around the perimeter of the Chebucto Peninsula. The community is named after the cove of the same name, a name also shared with Peggy's Point, immediately to the east of the cove. The village marks the eastern point of St. Margaret's Bay. The first recorded name of the cove was Eastern Point Harbour or Peggs Harbour in 1766. The village is likely named after Saint Margaret's Bay [Peggy being the nickname for Margaret], which Samuel de Champlain named after his mother Margarite. There has been much folklore created to explain the name. One story suggests the village may have been named after the wife of an early settler. The popular legend claims that the name came from the sole survivor of a shipwreck at Halibut Rock near the cove. Artist and resident William deGarthe said she was a young woman while others claim she was a little girl too young to remember her name and the family who adopted her called her Peggy. The young shipwreck survivor married a resident of the cove and became known as "Peggy of the Cove" attracting visitors from around the bay who eventually named the village, Peggy's Cove, after her nickname. The village was formally founded in 1811 when the Province of Nova Scotia issued a land grant of more than 800 acres (3.2 km²) to six families of German descent. The settlers relied on fishing as the mainstay of their economy but also farmed where the soil was fertile. They used surrounding lands to pasture cattle. In the early 1900s the population peaked at about 300. The community supported a schoolhouse, church, general store, lobster cannery and boats of all sizes that were nestled in the Cove. Many artists and photographers flocked to Peggy's Cove. As roads improved, the number of tourists increased. Today the population is smaller but Peggy's Cove remains an active fishing village and a favourite tourist destination. Peggy's Cove is one of the busiest tourist attractions in Nova Scotia and is a prime attraction on the Lighthouse Trail scenic drive. The community's famous lighthouse marks the eastern entrance of St. Margaret's Bay and is officially known as the Peggy's Point Lighthouse. Peggy's Cove has a classic red-and-white lighthouse still operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. The light station is situated on an extensive granite outcrop at Peggy's Point, immediately south of the village and its cove. This lighthouse is one of the most-photographed structures in Atlantic Canada and one of the most recognizable lighthouses in the world. Visitors may explore the granite outcrop on Peggy's Point around the lighthouse; despite numerous signs warning of unpredictable surf [including one on a bronze plaque on the lighthouse itself], several incautious visitors each year are swept off the rocks by waves, sometimes drowning. The first lighthouse at Peggy's Cove was built in 1868 and was a wooden house with a beacon on the roof. At sundown the keeper lit a kerosene oil lamp magnified by a catoptric reflector [a silver-plated mirror] creating the red beacon light marking the eastern entrance to St. Margaret's Bay. That lighthouse was replaced by the current structure, an octagonal lighthouse which was built in 1914. It is made of reinforced concrete but retains the eight-sided shape of earlier generations of wooden light towers and stands almost 15 metres (50 ft) high. The old wooden lighthouse became the keeper's dwelling and remained near to the current lighthouse until it was damaged by Hurricane Edna in 1954 and was removed. The lighthouse was automated in 1958. Since then, the red light was changed to white light, then to a green light in the late 1970s. Finally to conform to world standards the light was changed to red in 2007. The lighthouse used to contain a small Canada Post office in the lower level during the summer months serving as the village post office where visitors could send postcards and letters. Each piece of mail received a special cancellation mark in the shape of the lighthouse. However, Canada Post closed the lighthouse post office in November 2009 citing mould growth as a safety hazard. The book is in original stiff marbled wraps with label pasted to front cover; moderate cover wear with tear to lower corner of back cover, end pages toned, generally clean internally with ink bold and legible throughout. Volume is complete save for some loss at the rear lower corner, containing 26 pages of manuscript entries comprising all 12 months of 1903. Folio measures approx 13" tall x 8.25" wide. Overall G.; Manuscript; Folio - over 12" - 15" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER, SIDNEY H. GARRISON, PEGGY'S POINT, PEGGY'S COVE, MARITIME, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA, CANADIANA, SIDNEY H. GARRISON, CANADIAN DEPT. OF MARINE AND FISHERIES, LIGHTHOUSE SERVICE, ST. 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