Detail of schooner approaching the lighthouse mural, Westport Island, ca. 1858
Item 101575 info
Westport Island History Committee
This is a detail of the image of the three-masted ship pictured on a marine mural in the front hallway of the Cornelius Tarbox House. In it, one can see that the mizzenmast carries an identifying flag with the letters “WFT”, which likely refers to the name of the son of Cornelius Tarbox Jr. (1785-1858), William F. Tarbox (1832-1865).
William Tarbox died in Nova Scotia at age 33 in 1865 and is buried next to his parents in the Tarbox Cemetery on Westport Island, not far from the house.
When William Tarbox died, he was living in Nova Scotia, where he had moved to stake a claim when gold was discovered in 1860. It was speculated that he may have invested in the William F. Tarbox schooner that was lost with all hands in 1857. The financial loss may have prompted the move to Nova Scotia.
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