Story #3 Elinor explains that the lighthouse is made of brick

Story #3 Elinor explains that the lighthouse is made of brick

Story #3 in our heritage interview series. David Weale interviewed Elinor Murchison Gillis at her son Gilbert Gillis’s home in Point Prim PEI on Dec 14, 2019.

David Weale: What year were you born?

Elinor Murchison Gillis: Twenty-eight.

David: Twenty-eight, so that makes you older than me (laughs), not too much but! You’re ninety-one,
yes. Well well.

Elinor: But I still paint some, a little.

David: Do you?

Elinor: Yep, but I’m at the Lodge.

David: The Gillis Lodge.

Elinor: But that’s alright, I can paint there. I have a table.

David: How did you get interested in painting?

Elinor: It’s just in me.

David: It was just in you, you just took it up. Never had any lessons

Elinor: Self taught, I’m self taught.

David: No lessons,

Elinor: Not many, just at the community school one time, gave me a little start. And then went on myself.

David: So I mean, the lighthouse was part of your childhood, it was also part of your artistic life. So it’s been a very strong presence in your life, I can tell that.

Elinor: Yeah, and the family. They all like that lighthouse.

David: I bet, it’s a beautiful structure.

Elinor: It is, it’s a colonial style.

David: Is that what it’s called? Colonial style? Because there’s no other lighthouse like it on Prince Edward Island.

Elinor: No, no, round with brick inside.

David: It’s brick inside is it?

Elinor: Yeah. The story was about the brick, it wouldn’t, it was made on this Island, the brick. And it wasn’t very strong.

David: Not very good brick.

Elinor: No, not very good so they had to put, they had to shingle it. To keep it.

David: So you could see the brick at one time?

Elinor: Oh yeah, they could.

David: That would be, in the early eighteen —,

Elinor: 1845

David: They probably shingled it before there were cameras so there may be no picture of the brick structure. Have you ever seen a picture of the bricks?

Elinor: No, no, no.