The lighthouse is now open from 8 to 8 daily as a tourist attraction. One may enter, sign the guestbook and climb up to the light at the top for a great view of Minas Basin. The old kerosene lamp has been reinstalled in the lantern atop the lighthouse.
In 2010 the Department of Fisheries decided to rid itself of lighthouses in the Maritimes which were then considered surplus as they had been decommissioned years earlier and were becoming an expensive liability to the department. The were offered to the public at nominal cost to be repurposed as residences, museums or whatever use a community could conjure. It there was no interest in repurposing a lighthouse it was slated for demolition.
Such was not the case with the venerable old Walton Lighthouse as, in 1990, the community had taken it upon itself to save their lighthouse and had turned it into a museum. A news article on the lighthouse and the possible fate of others, from the Hants Journal, follows.
Walton Lighthouse shines amid dark days for historic landmarks
Nadine Eagles-Harvie | June 25, 2010, midnight
When the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DOF) declared hundreds of lighthouses around the country surplus property last month one Nova Scotia community responded with a “been there, done that” attitude.
The keepers of the Walton Lighthouse say their landmark has continued to stand tall without federal endorsement.
“They can’t touch this one,” said Ted Burgess, president of the Walton and Area Development Association.
After standing vacant for nearly two decades the Walton lighthouse was slated for demolition by the DFO until Burgess intervened in 1990. “The government was going to burn it down but we couldn’t let that happen, it was the only thing we had left in the village,” he said.
The oldest and last remaining lighthouse in Hants County now serves as a shining example to those communities looking to preserve their own historic landmark.
Under the new Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act announced May 29, federally owned lighthouse properties can be transferred to new owners wishing to take advantage of their heritage designation or tourism potential.
Individuals, municipalities or non-profit groups can apply to Parks Canada for heritage designation of any federally owned lighthouse property. For the surplus lighthouses, a written commitment to acquire ownership and protect the lighthouse must be accepted by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in order for it to be designated under the Act.
“I think people should fight to keep their lighthouses, Burgess said. “It will be a sad day if they start to take them down. Those lighthouses are part of our world; our history.”
Burgess along with fellow committee member, Reg Clark and other community volunteers restored the lighthouse and convinced the Municipality of East Hants acquire the lighthouse as a designated heritage property in 1991.
Build in 1873 by Walton resident, Timothy Parker the lighthouse stood watch over a then very busy port until the shipping industry declined and the lighthouse was closed in 1970.
Since its restoration the lighthouse has become a busy tourist destination attracting visitors from all over North America and offering unparallel views of the Minas Basin and Bay of Fundy.
Volunteers from the community built and continue to maintain the lighthouse park, walking trails and look-off. As well three floors of the lighthouse itself are open to the public for those not afraid of heights.
From the Hants Journal