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The False Ducks Islands, a pair of islands located just off the southeast tip of Prince Edward County, are not to be confused with the Real Ducks, known now as the Main Duck Islands, located seven miles to the east. The easternmost island of the False Ducks was originally called False Duck Island but is now more commonly referred to as Swetman Island, the surname of the first two lighthouse keepers to serve there.
The False Duck Lighthouse is an automated purpose-built “apple core” lighthouse that consists of a tall and slim hexagonal shaft widening at its apex and featuring alternating horizontal bands of red and white. The tower is notable for its simple elevations punctuated by rectangular window openings and a narrow band of windows below the roof of the upper room on which rests a beacon. It is connected to an adjacent fog alarm building.
The False Duck Lighthouse is a good illustration of the theme of aids to navigation on the Great Lakes. The lighthouse was built in 1965-66 to replace the original stone tower (1829) that had suffered structural damage after being struck by lightning on November 26, 1905. The lighthouse is part of a network of lights marking the approach to Kingston. It was built as a fully automated lighthouse, and as such, represents a significant moment in the evolution of lighthouses, as the concept of unmanned lighthouses in the context of modernism brought innovations that were breaking with tradition.
The tower, which was dedicated on September 17, 1967 as a memorial to over one hundred sailors from Prince Edward County who had lost their lives at sea, is now part of Mariners Park Museum. Light keeping came to an end on Swetman Island in 1965 with the establishment of the hexagonal tower. (www.lighthousefriends.com)
