Cow Head Light

The Cow Head Light is municipally designated because it has historic, environmental, cultural and aesthetic values.

The Cow Head Light is historically valuable because it is the oldest standing structure in the community of Cow Head, having been constructed in 1909. It guided ships and small boats into the harbour from 1909 to 1979 when it was replaced with battery operated harbour buoys. The first lightkeeper was Jesse Payne and he lived in a small three room house next to the light. Every day from spring to late December when navigation was open, he lit the kerosene light at dusk and distinguished it at dawn. Later his son John L (Lighthouse Jack) and grandson Jesse were the lightkeepers.

The Cow Head Light is culturally valuable because the grounds of the lighthouse were a popular social gathering place for the community. On Sundays in the summertime many of them would go there for picnics after attending church services.

The Cow Head Light is environmentally valuable because its very purpose was to help mariners navigate the harbour by its light. The presence of a lighthouse and its location on the peninsula remind us of the importance placed on mariners, safe navigation, and Newfoundland’s rich maritime history.

Furthermore, as Cow Head is the most northernly settlement within Gros Morne, it is also environmentally valuable because it affords a spectacular view of the Long Range Mountains, the Town of Cow Head, Western Brook fjord and as far south as the Tablelands.

The Cow Head Light is aesthetically valuable because it has unique construction for a lighttower. It has a cast iron cylindrical tower with a second storey balcony, a witches hat roof and an arched doorway. This structure is basically unadorned, suggesting its functional nature. Up until 1931 the light, a kerosene lamp, required constant tending. Propane later replaced the kerosene lamp and the lighthouse remained in operation until 1979. This light is among many along the Northern Peninsula, where most lighttowers are architecturally different and unique. They do not follow a standard architectural style.