Mariners Park Museum is located near South Bay in Prince Edward County. It's one of those interesting places where you can walk around and feel like you're the only person in the world, a bit like Euro Disneyland, except without the rides. This is the appeal of Prince Edward County though, there's rarely a rush here.
The museum is basically an outdoor collection of some of the more interesting artifacts from the County's maritime history. More than two thirds of all shipwrecks in Lake Ontario have occured in the waters just off of Prince Edward County. Over 50 wrecks have been located to date, and the area has been dubbed as the Graveyard of Lake Ontario. Scuba diving is a popular activity around here.
There is a lighthouse in the museum, and the latern room and parapet were built in 1829 and belonged to a lighthouse on False Duck Island. In 1965 the lighthouse on False Duck Island was replaced with an automated tower, and in 1967 the latern room and parapet were relocated to this place.
Every second Sunday in August there's an annual service at Mariners Park Museum, dedicated to the mariners of Prince Edward County. There are also many activities throughout the year that take place here. These activities are always an interesting opportunity to learn things about the County's rich history.
Another interesting thing to see at the museum is an accurate reconstruction of Fort Kente. The name "Quinte" is derived from the word "Kente" which was the name of an early French Catholic mission, the first European settlement in the area which had been established in 1668. It's difficult to believe that a number of grown men would all have to squeeze into a structure of this size, but I guess people were a little shorter in those days. The original Fort Kente was near Carrying Place and guarded the very valuable portage between Lake Ontario and the Bay of Quinte.
Mariners Park Museum wouldn't be an all-day destination, but it would definitely be a worthwhile addition to a roster of destinations on a drive through Prince Edward County, it's close to Sandbanks Provincial Park, Lake on the Mountain, Birdhouse City, Little Bluff Conservation Area, and lots of other nearby places of interest.
Morning Malcolm...yippee, I am number one on your post :-) Another great local feature, love it, well done!
Another great localism post Malcolm. We will have to visit some of the many interesting places you have featured.
Thanks Kristin, you're also number one in Waukesha County Wisconsin sales from what I've been hearing.
Chris, yes, some of these places are very low key, but make an excellent family outing. Next time you're in the area, you could make a day out of driving around the county stopping at these places.
Having a lighthouse as part of the museum is really super! There are so few of them these days and even fewer that are functioning. Great localism post!
I would be all over this. I love lighthouses, too. Thanks, Malcolm for showing us around False Duck Island.