Sambro Lighthouse

Sambro Lighthouse is the oldest standing and operating lighthouse in the Americas. Legislation to establish the lighthouse was passed at the first session of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia in 1758.

Sambro Light tower is built of stone sheathed with wood shingles to protect the mortar from deterioration in the salt atmosphere. Originally the tower was white. It was given the three red stripes in 1908, so it would be more visible in snow. The interior granite tower, which rises to a height of 44 feet is the original build of 1758. There is no older working light in The Americas. In Canada, the only light established prior to Sambro Light was that at Louisbourg, which was destroyed when the fortress was taken.

The lighthouse has stood guard off Halifax for 250 years. It has seen vessels of both the Royal and the Canadian Navy pass in peace and war; it has greeted immigrants, war brides, and refugees to a new land; it has watched the passing of the fishing boats, great and small, and the spreading sails of the yachting fleets. For sailors, it is the last sight or sound of Halifax, or the first on a safe return.