A historic Prince Edward Island lighthouse is a step closer to its new home.

The Cape Bear lighthouse holds a place in history for many in the small community at the southeastern tip of the province.

“It received the first distress signal of the sinking of the Titanic back on the fateful night,” says Wallace Jorden.

Jorden joined the group The Cape Bear Lighthouse and Marconi Station Incorporated about three years ago, when the safety of the 130 year old structure became a concern. The group has been overseeing the restoration of the lighthouse and has purchased 50 hectares of land, about 400 metres east of the location.

The original lighthouse was built in 1881 and was moved a few hundred feet around 1946-1947, however, the group feels this is no longer a safe location.

“From off of the eroded cliff, which endangers it, we didn’t want to go through the winter, we might not have it in the spring,” says Jorden.

The lighthouse was moved 100 feet Monday, a temporary solution until permits can be acquired to move it another 400 feet to its final location this spring.

The contractor says moving a lighthouse brings with it a unique set of challenges.

“This building is 40 feet high, so you have to make sure that you don’t off-level it very much, in case it tips or something like that,” says contractor Yogi VanWiechen

Resident Debbie Shea-Carew says it’s important to preserve pieces, of our history.

“Lighthouses are becoming more and more extinct and we need to be educated about the lighthouses,” says Shea-Carew.

Jorden says the $175,000 moving cost has been offset by some federal government funding, and the goal is to have the new location as part of a larger attraction and education centre to honour the beacon of the past.

“They are symbols of light and stability,” says Jorden.

Jorden says he hopes a fundraiser scheduled for April will help turn the group’s plans into reality.

With files from CTV Atlantic's David Bell.