Knapp's Point Lighthouse
Statistics
Copyright 2004 by Pat McAvoy-Costin. All rights reserved.
Wolfe Island is one of the only islands in the Thousand Islands to have two light houses. Maybe it is because Wolfe Island is about 54 square miles and it is the largest island in the area. The light at Quebec’s Head was already erected and in service before the current lighthouse at Knapp’s Point was erected. Knapp’s Point was also in an area of dangerous shoals and was relatively close to Kingston (2 ½ miles)—so perhaps that is the reason an additional lighthouse was added on the island.
Knapp’s Point light had various names during its history. Originally, the point was a place where early Indians temporarily gathered on the island for various ceremonies, fishing, hunting and trading. The Indians continued to hunt and fish there even after the Island became more heavily populated. Archeologists have found artifacts of various migrating tribes.
One early name was BROWN’s Point—probably because Brown’s Bay is just to the west of the point and a large family by the name of BROWN lived in the vicinity.
Another name for the point was BROPHY’s Point—the name of the owner of the property about the time of the 1878 Meacham map—one of the earliest maps of the area. All the property as of about 5yrs. ago was still owned by the descendants of the BROPHY family.
The name that seemed to stick, however, is KNAPP’s POINT—after the Knapp family that lived in the area for many years. John KNAPP and his family emigrated from the United States and were first recorded as living on Wolfe Island at the time of the 1851 census. One son, Peter Knapp, was a census enumerator for the 1871 census. At one time, the light was even called “Governor Knapp’s Point”. I don’t know if that means the first Knapp was an official of some sort—but that was the name at one time.
Some unverified records say there may have been an earlier lighthouse structure at Knapp’s Point established around 1847. On the 1851 census, John Knapp and his family were listed as farmers, not lighthouse keepers. This doesn’t mean that they didn’t do both jobs, however.
According to Cindy Watson, a current-day KNAPP relative, John KNAPP and with his wife, Jane, lived in the area with their two sons—Frederick and James. John Knapp's home was directly next to the current light house. The younger KNAPP’s left Wolfe Island in the mid 1870’s (possibly around the time the new lighthouse was being constructed?) and the family ended up in Watertown, NY as so many of the other Island families did.
We do know that the current light house was established in 1874 it is located on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The current light was a fixed white light and was visible at a distance of 10 miles. It was first lighted on July 15th 1874.
The lighthouse was built on the same design as the other area lighthouses that preceded it. It was built with a wooden frame that appears to be a sort of square pyramid in design—wider at the base and narrowing towards the top. The sides of the structure were covered with weatherboarding that was painted white. At the top of the structure was a red light tower. The entire tower was 20 feet high. The tower was based on the catoptric principle.
The original cost of constructing the tower was listed was $1,261.20 according to Ottawa records. An official house for the keeper wasn’t established until six years later in 1880 at an additional cost of $765. Could they have used the old KNAPP residence until that time?
This current light has been watched from the time it was erected in 1874 until sometime in 1930—a period of 56 years. The light was deactivated in 2000. The lantern has been removed and replaced with an automated light. Currently, the tower is accessible only by boat. The nearest major city is Kingston.
Unlike the long service record of the GILLESPIE keepers at the Quebec Head light, the keeper’s job at Knapp’s Point changed hands many times. There were eleven different keepers. The two families that had the longest service records at Knapp’s Point light were the McAVOYS and the McLARENs families. I have provided additional information about those families.
The Islands: Lighthouses: Wolfe Island: Knapp's Point: Statistics
|