The town of New Richmond is situated near the mouth of the Grand Cascapeida River and was settled by British Loyalists who left the United States after the Revolutionary War. Later, Irish and Scottish immigrants joined them.

Named after the first settlers in the area, George and John Duthie and their families who arrived in 1755, Pointe Duthie marks the eastern side of the entrance to the Grand Cascapeida River.

Pointe Duthie Lighthouse stands on the southwest extreme of the point, fifty feet back from the top of the one-hundred-foot bank. A square pyramidal tower surmounted by a square wooden lantern trimmed in red, the lighthouse was constructed in 1903 under the supervision of P. A. Perron, an engineer for the Department of Public Works, at a cost of $1,798.65. Henry Carswell, a local farmer, ceded the land for the lighthouse in exchange for a Crown debt.

The lighthouse stands thirty-three feet high from its base to the top of the ventilator on the lantern. When it was operational, it exhibited a fixed white light, using a seventh-order dioptric lens at a focal plane of fifty feet, and was visible for twelve miles.

The lighthouse was only in operation for ten years, from 1904 to 1914. Its first keeper, B.V. Willett, lived four miles away. Being a political appointment, Willett was replaced by James R. Doddridge in 1911, when the government majority changed from liberal to conservative.

When the Department of Marine and Fisheries planned to move the lighthouse to the neighboring parish, John Duthie petitioned the government to let the structure stay and only the light be moved. In 1918, the lighthouse, which was left in place, was dismantled. The upper and middle sections were moved to the Carswell farm where the upper section was destroyed by fire and the middle section was used as a shed. The lower section was moved to Jim Dimock’s land in Dimock Creek.

In 1989, the Gaspesian British Heritage Centre was established on the old shipping yard next to Pointe Duthie to preserve the history of the area. The Centre obtained the surviving sections and reconstructed the lighthouse near its original site. The British Heritage Centre showcases twenty-four historic buildings, which have been moved to the site. Pointe Duthie Lighthouse is located within the forty acres controlled by the Centre.

The British Heritage Centre appears to have closed in 2017, but you can still access the lighthouse.

Keepers: B.V. Willett (1903 - 1911), James R. Doddridge (1911 - ), Len V. Willett ( - 1914).

References

1. Annual Report of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, various years.
2. Informational sign at Gaspesian British Heritage Centre.

From QC 132, turn onto Boulevard Perron and follow it to the west side of New Richmond, where you will find the former site of Gaspésian British Heritage Village (Britville) at 351 Perron Blvd West. The village apparently closed in 2017, but you can still access the lighthouse.

The lighthouse is owned by Gaspésian British Heritage Village. Grounds open, tower closed.

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