Founded as a Nova Scotia Joint Stocks non-profit society in September 2022, Port Royal Lighthouse Association (PRLA) acquired ownership of the lighthouse at Schafner Point, in Port Royal, in October 2022. The group immediately launched a fundraising campaign with the hope of repairing and restoring the building the following year.
By summer 2023, the PRLA had raised over $120,000 through grassroots fundraising, grant writing, and from sponsorships by local and regional businesses. Restoration of the lighthouse building began in late July of 2023, and was completed in early November that same year.
The Association is made up of residents of Granville Road in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. It is run by an all-volunteer board of directors whose single goal is to restore and preserve Schafner Point Lighthouse, and set up mechanisms for its ongoing care and maintenance.
Founding PRLA Board: Andrew Welch, Mary Ritchie, Medea Holtz, Becky Benoit, Allan Holtz, Randy Swigart (photo by Starr Cardwell)