In 1959 two new keeper's dwellings were built, and a few years later the station was automated. The station was decommissioned in 1970, and a year later was declared surplus to needs. At some point, but most likely around this time, the forty-acre island was sold to the Anglican Church of Canada with the Coast Guard retaining only two acres on the western end where the lighthouse stands. In 1972, the two keepers dwellings were sold with the understanding that they would be moved within ninety days. The move did not take place until the following year, and when the new owner realized the logistics of his plan, the houses were abandoned on church property just a short distance from their original location. They are still there today, obscured by the surrounding vegetation and deteriorated beyond any use except shelter for the local wildlife.

In 1984 the lantern was removed from the Grindstone Island Lighthouse, and the following year it was set atop the just constructed faux lighthouse at the Saint John Coast Guard base.

In 1986 under pressure from local fisherman led by former keeper Wainwright “Pappy” Weston (1950-1970), the Grindstone Island Lighthouse was reactivated as an automatic beacon sans lantern. In 1992 the current lantern, from Peases Island in Nova Scotia, was placed atop the tower. The reactivaton of the light, however, was short lived, as in 2001 the lighthouse was decommissioned for a final time.

Grindstone Island is under protection of the Canadian Wildlife Service, and access to the island is restricted as it is a protected area for a number of nesting birds. The island is still owned by the Church of England, however in 2007 there were talks underway of turning it over to the Nature Trust of New Brunswick.

Kelly Anne Loughery was fortunate enough to visit Grindstone Island via helicopter with the Coast Guard in 2002. Despite her shrieks, the pilot skillfully landed without a single casualty to bird or egg. At that time, the exterior of the concrete tower was in decent shape with the exception of needing a coat of paint. The inside, however, was a different story. Mold was evident and part of the metal ladder leading to the lantern had rusted and collapsed. An investigation of the abandoned keeper’s dwellings revealed much the same and worse.

Pappy Weston passed away in 2004, but not before he was inducted into the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. He published a short biography entitled ‘Stories About Me and People I Have Known’ that includes several chapters about his life on Grindstone Island where he and his wife raised five children.

1. Information provided by Kelly Anne Loughery.