 Shipwrecks were common along the shoreline and it was recommended by Colonel Robert Morse in 1874 that a chain of lighthouses should be built along the shores of Nova Scotia hence the construction of the Cape Forchu Lighthouse in 1840.This light station was replaced in 1962 with the "apple core" - a concrete tower.Since 2000, the original fresnel lens used at the lighthouse is located at the Yarmouth County Museum.