About St. Paul Island

The NE Light is located on a small 2 acre rock seperated from the bigger island by a strip of water known as "The Tittle".

This rugged island is located in the Cabot strait, about 15 miles from the Northern tip of Nova Scotia, and 44 miles from Newfoundland. It is about 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, and peaks at a height of about 147 meters {485 ft.} on Croggan Mountain. It was named St. Paul Island in 1497 by the explorer Cabot. The island is surrounded by a rockface cliff. It is covered with stunted Spruce-Fir trees. There are no animals on the island, but it is home to many birds and rare plants not normally found in Nova Scotia.

SW Keeper's House © William Budge 2000 Oil Shack at Atlantic Cove Wireless House at Atlantic Cove © Rick Harris 2000 NE Keeper's House

The old wireless operator's house located at Atlantic Cove is included on "The Doomsday List" compiled by The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society. This is a list of lighthouses or lighthouse station buildings in danger of being lost forever. Most of the buildings on the island are in danger of collapse and disintegration. The old lighthouse keepers home on the SW tip of the island has been abandoned for around 40 years, and is without windows or doors. It likely doesn't have many years left. The old oil shack at Atlantic Cove is now gone, along with the boom setup used to haul supplies up the cliff in times past. The large duplex wireless house is also missing windows, doors, and some of the roof. It doesn't seem in imminent danger of collapse, but is getting worse each year. All but two buildings {and of course the lighthouse}, have been burned down on the small NE island. In 1998 the remaining keeper's house was in fairly good shape with the windows boarded up and the doors able to be closed. This house was used into the 1980's. The other building houses the Coast Guard weather equipment. The permit I received for an amateur radio expedition in July 2000 stated that The Coast Guard will no longer allow any occupation of any structure on the island, and no one is allowed to approach within 30 meters of any structure. They seem concerned with possible liability and contamination of the sites.

© Duane Traver 2000-2005