Lake Memphremagog is a fifty-five-kilometre-long fresh water glacial lake that straddles the international border between Vermont and Quebec. Seventy-three percent of its surface area is in Quebec, but the majority of the lake’s watershed is in Vermont. The lake has twenty-one islands and drains into Magog River in Quebec.

Lake Memphremagog lies within the territory that was inhabited by the Abenaki tribe, and its name is derived from the Algonkian word Mamlawbagak, which means “a long and large sheet of water.”

In 1878, the Department of Marine had five small lighthouses built to improve navigation on Lake Memphremagog. The following information on these towers is from the Annual Report of the Department of Marine for 1878:

An appropriation was made by Parliament at its last session of $1,000 for the erection of five small beacon light towers on Lake Memphremagog, and tenders were invited and the contract for the construction of these lights was awarded to Mr. Nathan A. Beach, of Georgeville, for $975. The towers have been built to the satisfaction of the Department, and the lights were shown for the first time in September last. Temporary keepers were employed to attend to them during the balance of the season, and were allowed remuneration for their services at the rate of one dollar per week during the time the lights were in operation.

Black Point is located on the west side of the lake, about three miles southwest of Witch Island. The original, square, wooden tower was painted white and stood twenty-two feet tall. Its fixed white light had a focal plane of twenty-four feet above the lake. Black Point was also known in the records of the Department of Marine as Green Point.

In 1914, W.H. Davis and J.D. Cowan of Mansonville received $371 to construct a fifteen-foot-tall wooden lighthouse at Black Point and install a fifth-order dioptric lens in its lantern room. The men also rebuilt Lead Mines Lighthouse , Molson Island Lighthouse, and Wadleigh Point Lighthouse on Lake Memphremagog the same year.

C.J. Williams appears to have been the first keeper of Black Point Lighthouse. J.H. Peters took charge of the light in 1884 and served until 1915, when H. Shuttleworth was placed in charge of the lighthouse.

Light Lists indicate that a lighted buoy replaced the wooden lighthouse at Black Point in 1944. There is no navigational aid at the point today.

Keepers: C.J. Williams (at least 1879 – 1884), J.H. Peters (1884 – 1915), H. Shuttleworth (1915 – at least 1923).

References

1. Annual Report of the Department of Marine, various years.

No light is found at this location today.

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