From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:
Assisting boats to navigate the Great Lakes in the 1900s was no easy feat, but Esther Glanville Harvey rose to the challenge when her lighthouse keeper husband, James Harvey, passed away in 1915. Referred to as the ‘Brave Little Lady of the Light’ by sailors and captains of Lake Huron, Esther ran the lighthouse that once stood at Thessalon Point for over 40 years.
Esther was born in 1860 to Mr. and Mrs. John Glanville in Cornwall, England. The Glanville family moved to Blind River when Esther was a young girl, where her father and brother secured employment in the mining industry. She attended school there and married the first teacher in Blind River’s son, James Harvey. They had five children and moved to Thessalon in 1897, at the beginning of the lighthouse’s establishment.
The Thessalon lighthouse was an essential marker of the mile-long rocky point jutting out from the mainland into Lake Huron. It was originally the site of a smaller, 8-foot private light installed by the Dyment Lumber Company to aid with vessels in the 1800s lumber trade. The need for a larger lighthouse near the rocky shoals of Lake Huron became apparent, though, and Harvey was appointed as its keeper.
James and Esther Harvey built over a decade of memories on the shores of Lake Huron, maintaining the light together until James died in 1915. She continued on alone with help from her son Jim in the later years, until the day came for her retirement as one of the oldest lighthouse keepers in service.
Many stories have circulated about the Brave Little Lady of the Light’s coastal adventures, including dramatic rescues through cracked ice, pulling a capsized gentleman out of the water with a clothes line and pike pole, and, of course, preventing many a crash on the rocks using a fog handhorn and flashing light.
Beyond lighthouse duties, Esther was a friendly ambassador in what was one of Thessalon’s major tourist attractions. She welcomed many visitors over the years and was affectionately called ‘Grandma Harvey’ by the local children. After her son took over lighthouse duties, the role changed hands a few times until its final day of service on September 28, 1961.
While the era of Great Lakes lighthouses may be over, the lore remains alive and well. For a deeper dive into the history of Ontario lighthouses, visit the James L. McIntyre Centennial Library downtown location and check out a copy of the title ‘Alone in the Night: Lighthouses of Georgian Bay, Manitoulin Island and the North Channel.’
Each week, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library and its Archives provide SooToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.
Find out more about what the Public Library has to offer at www.ssmpl.ca and look for more "Remember This?" columns here.