River Bourgeois Lighthouse Number 732 was built overlooking the inlet to that Richmond County community in 1903. In 1989 the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) replaced it with a skeleton tower after a fire and the structure’s generally deteriorated state became a concern. In the years since then residents of River Bourgeois have yearned to see their beloved lighthouse rebuilt. This past summer they got their wish. 

After the original lighthouse was removed, local residents wrote numerous letters to DFO asking that it be rebuilt. However, it was not until the River Bourgeois Community Services Society’s Economic Development Committee undertook the project that people in the community began to realize that the goal was within reach. The Society, founded in 1978 to provide recreational and social activities in the community, currently operates a community centre, a playground, ball field, tennis courts, funeral home, and a community access point where people can access the internet. 

The Society’s Economic Development Committee, consisting of Chairman Carl Grimes along with members Glenda Sampson, Jude Burke, Sharon Chilvers, Anne Sampson,

Donna Landry, and Joseph MacPhee took ownership of the lighthouse project and persisted in bringing the restoration forward. It was helped with valuable advice from Alfred Touesnard and Garvie Samson. 

When DFO undertook its policy of divesting itself of lighthouse properties the Economic Development Committee expressed interest in acquiring the land where the original had stood in order to erect a replica. On March 21, 2003 a Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the River Bourgeois Community Services Society and DFO to transfer the former lighthouse site at River Bourgeois. 

With reasonable assurance that the project would proceed, fundraising efforts began on April 12, 2003 at the Tara Lynne Community Centre. This was followed by “Pub Nights” and a fundraiser in Dartmouth organized by Garvie Samson. By virtue of these fundraisers, along with a large anonymous donation, the sale of tickets on a painting by Sue Pottie, and matching dollars by the Nova Scotia Power Corporation, within a three-month period enough was raised to fund the entire project. 

An “Instrument of Grant” was signed on June 17, 2003 on behalf of the federal Minister of Justice and the DFO Minister. It placed the lighthouse site in the possession of the River Bourgeois Community Services Society. The project was underway. 

The Society awarded the construction contract for the replica lighthouse to Gerald LeBlanc, son of the last lighthouse keeper, Fred LeBlanc of South River Bourgeois. Gerald worked with pride and skill in reconstructing the lighthouse as closely as possible to the original. The lighthouse base was constructed on June 28, and the entire lighthouse was standing and functional by mid-August. 

While many individuals have been involved in the project, our special thanks must go to Anne and Alfred Touesnard, who graciously allowed vehicles and workmen to freely cross their property to get to the site. Accolades also go out to Gerald LeBlanc and his assistants Sydney Short, Alcantra Landry, Eddie Pettipas, Michael Landry, Peter Baccardax, Raymond Doary, and Blair Boudreau. 

The lighthouse project is a tribute to our ancestors and former lighthouse keepers Martin Burke, Daniel Sampson, William P. Bouchie, and Fred A. LeBlanc. They diligently manned the original structure until automation of the light in December of 1966. 

One lifetime resident of River Bourgeois has recently remarked, “We just got back part of our community.” This is a fitting response to what a community can do when it considers something worth preserving or restoring.

To all those individuals and companies who provided assistance and financial support to make this project a reality the River Bourgeois Community Services Society and its Economic Development Committee extend their sincere thanks and appreciation.

To learn more about the lighthouse restoration project at River Bourgeois, contact Joseph MacPhee at 535-2677, or e-mail him at <jvmacphee@ns.sympatico.ca>.