Historic Light Station
Information
& Photography
LOUISIANA
BARATARIA BAY LIGHT
Location: BARATARIA BAY, GULF OF MEXICO, NEAR NEW ORLEANS, LA
Station Established: 1857
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1897
Operational? NO
Automated? 1973
Deactivated: 1945
Foundation Materials: UNKNOWN
Construction Materials: WOODEN
Tower Shape: SQUARE PYRAMIDAL SKELETAL TOWER
Markings/Pattern: UNKNOWN
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPARATE
Original Lens: FOURTH ORDER FRESNEL
Historical Information:
- The light station was established in 1857. An octagonal brick tower was built at the site. That light was destroyed in a hurricane in 1893.
- In 1897 a square pyramidal skeletal tower was built. It was 66 feet tall.
- It was deactivated in 1945. The tower was destroyed at an unknown date.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
BAYOU ST. JOHN LIGHT
Location: CANAL DE CARONDOLET, BETWEEN NEW ORLEANS AND LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
Station Established: 1811
Year First Lit: 1811
Operational: No
Automated: N/A
Deactivated: 1878
Tower Shape/Markings/Pattern: Octagonal wooden tower on artificial island, destroyed by storm in 1837; 1838 a new 48-foot tower was constructed; in 1855 a screwpile, cottage-type structure was built, damaged during 1860 hurricane; 1869 a tower was built on the screwpile foundation.
Height: 48'
Original Lens: Sixth Order, Fresnel (1869)
Characteristic:
Fog Signal:
Historical Information:
- 1808 – Congress authorized $2,000 to build the lighthouse. It would be the first lighthouse built in the United States outside of the original 13 colonies.
- 1811 – Lighthouse completed and station established.
- 1813 – Original lamp replaced by street lamp from New Orleans.
- 1837 – Original tower swept away in a storm.
- 1839 – Light installed in new lighthouse.
- 1854 – Sagging tower fortified.
- 1856 – New, pre-fabricated screwpile lighthouse put into place.
- 1860 – Hurricane irreparably damaged lighthouse
- 1869 – Replacement lighthouse erected on original screwpiles.
- 1878 – Lighthouse discontinued at this location.
Keepers:
- A.B. Shelby (1856 – unknown)
Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
BONFOUCA (BAYOU BONFOUCA) LIGHT
Location: NORTH LAKE PONCHARTRAIN, NEAR SLIDELL, LOUISIANA
Station Established: 1848
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1848
Operational? NO
Automated? NO
Deactivated: 1862
Foundation Materials: UNKNOWN
Construction Materials: WOOD
Tower Shape: SQUARE TOWER ON TOP OF DWELLING
Markings/Pattern: UNKNOWN
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens: N/A
Historical Information:
- The lighthouse was built by Joseph M. Howell and Moses Coates of New Orleans.
- The lighthouse was two rooms with a nine foot chamber between the rooms. The chamber was the base of the tower. The tower extended 12 feet above the roof. The house sat on a five foot wall.
- The original optics was four small lamps in a lantern that measured six feet by three feet. The light did not need to be seen more than five miles away which explained its small stature.
- Union forces captured the light in 1862 and it was destroyed. It was replaced by Point Aux Herbes Light across the light. That light was destroyed by fire in the 1950’s.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
CALCASIEU RIVER RANGE LIGHTS
Location: CALCASIEU RIVER , LOUISIANA
Station Established: 1876
Year Current / Last Tower(s) First Lit: 1876
Operational: No
Automated:
Deactivated: c. 1940
Foundation Materials: Piles
Construction Materials:
Tower Shape: Skeletal, pyramidal
Markings/Pattern: Black
Characteristic: fixed white
Relationship to Other Structure: Separate
Original Lens: Fourth Order, 1876, by Henry LePaute
Historical Information:
- 1876 – Tower first lit in December.
- 1877 – Local people took refuge in lighthouse during hurricane
- 1916 – Keeper William Hill commended for saving lighthouse from destruction during a hurricane.
- c. 1940 – Lighthouse torn down to make way for channel from the Calcasieu Pass to the Calcasieu River.
Keepers:
- Charles F. Crossman (1876 – 1913)
- Stephen Hill (1913 – unknown)
- William Hill (c. 1916 - 1929)
- Philip Hill (Asst. Keeper unknown – 1929)
- E.A. Malone (1929 – 1940)
Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
Calcasieu Rear Range Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "CALCASIEU LIGHTHOUSE EIGHTH NAVAL DISTRICT (NEW ORLEANS) [;] File 2048 of 5/13/27 [;] FILED 7/29/27."
CHANDELEUR ISLAND LIGHT
Location: Outer rim of Chandeleur Sound
Station Established: 1848
Year Current / Last Tower(s) First Lit: 1896
Operational: No
Automated: Yes, 1951?
Deactivated: n/a (destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, 2005)
Foundation Materials: Pile
Construction Materials: Iron
Tower Shape: Skeletal with cylinder
Markings/Pattern: Brown with black lantern
Characteristic:
Relationship to Other Structure: Separate
Original Lens: Third Order Fresnel, 1896
Fog Signal:
Historical Information:
- Act of March 3, 1847 authorized a lighthouse "on South Chandeleur island" and appropriated $12,000 for its construction.
- 1847: Probably the largest lighthouse reservation in the U.S. at 5,000 acres was acquired by Executive Order dated 24 September 1847. 3,080 acres reported as surplus and transferred in 1938 to Biological Survey.
- 1848: Lighthouse was reported as complete. Outfitted with nine lamps in 21-inch reflectors, fixed white characteristic; lantern was 55 feet above the base.
- 1852: The light station and tower were completely destroyed (a story in the 31 August 1852 Daily Picayune stated that the "Light-house [was] leveled to the ground") by the hurricane which hit on 25-26 August 1852. The keeper, Alexander Lea and his family survived.
- Act of March 3, 1853 authorized $15,000 for a replacement. A new brick tower was completed and reported as being in operation by 1855.
- 1861: The commanding officer of the USS Massachusetts reported removing the lighthouse's lens and "secure the lighting apparatus. . . .to prevent its falling into the hands of the rebels. . . ." The station was re-established later that year and lit after the island was occupied and fortified by Union forces. It was the first lighthouse in the Gulf of Mexico to be captured and relit by Union forces.
- The 1865 Light List entry noted: "On the northern extremity of Chandeleur Island, to guide vessels into Cat and Ship Island anchorages." It exhibited a fixed fourth-order, was a white tower with a focal plane of 50 feet above base and sea level. The light was also "refitted" in 1864.
- 1893: Another hurricane, which came ashore on 1 October 1896, washed away many of the light station's buildings but the tower withstood the storm although it sustained serious damage. The 5 October 1893 issue of the Daily Picayune (page 3) noted the "The old Light has been almost completely wrecked. The foundation has given away on one side and the old brick tower has begun to lean greatly towards the sea. So great is the angle that it is dangerous for a man to enter the Tower. The Light itself is also damaged." The Secretary of the Treasury noted that the lighthouse was too damaged to repair and recommended building a replacement.
- Act of August 18, 1894 authorized $35,000 for the construction of a new lighthouse on a safer site. Contracts were signed in August and September of 1895. The former was for the iron materials and the latter for the actual construction. A small lantern was used in the interim to replace the original lighthouse. It was set 1,850 feet east-southeast of the old lighthouse's location.
- The new third-order lens was lighted on 31 October 1896. The tower was reported as being completed on 25 August 1896. It was an iron skeleton tower, painted mineral brown, and exhibited a fixed white light with a focal plane of 102 feet above sea level.
- The hurricane of 1915 (28-29 September) damaged the station. Keeper William W. Bayly, First Assistant Keeper Maurice Durabb and Second Assistant Keeper Junie C. Welch were commended for their work "under hazardous conditions."
- A hurricane again damaged the light station on 5 July 1916. Repairs were not made for damage caused during this and the previous year's hurricane until 1919.
- The 1916 Light List reported the tower exhibited a flashing red light.
- A tornado swept through the station in 1920, damaging some of the station's structures.
- The 1936 Light List reported that the characteristic was now a flashing white light.
- The 1951 Light List reported that the lens was a 375mm acetylene type light and the station was "unmanned" although other sources indicate it was manned until 1966.
- In 1966 all remaining 1,920 acres was reported as surplus and turned over to Bureau of Land Management while still "maintaining the right to operate light over a specified arc."
- The tower survived hurricanes Camille and George but but in 2005 Hurricane Katrina completely destroyed it.
Photographs:
1856 Chandeleur Island Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "Chandeleur."; no date; Photo No. 328; photographer unknown.
Chandeleur Island Light, aerial view of station from the Gulf side: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "Official Picture: Chandeleur Island Light."; no date; Photo No. 39; photographer unknown.
Chandeleur Island Light, aerial view of station from landward: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "
Chandeleur Island Light, circa 1960, : (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "CHANDELEUR LIGHT STATION, AUGUST 1960."; Photo No. 8CGD-082060-03; photographer unknown.
Chandeleur Island Light, circa 1971, : (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "Chandeleur Light, LA."; photo dated 1 March 1971; Photo No. 030171-11; photographer unknown.
CUBITS GAP
Location: ON THE SOUTHEASTERLY SIDE OF CUBITS GAP, NORTHEASTERLY BANK OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Station Established: 1891
Year First Lit: 1891
Operational: Yes
Automated: 1961
Deactivated: N/A
Tower Shape/Markings/Pattern: Lantern on top of square, white, pyramidal, wooden bell-tower (1891-?); then a white metal skeleton tower
Height: 80'
Original Lens: "lens lantern" (1891-?); 300mm (?-1961); DCB-24 (1961)
Characteristic: Fixed red (1891-1961); Flashing white light every 8 seconds (duration of 0.1 seconds; after 1961).
Fog Signal: Bell struck by machinery every 15 seconds (1891-?); then a DCB-24 beacon; on 5 June 1961 changed to a diaphragm horn, 1 blast every 10 seconds (after 5 June 1961)
Historical Information:
- Rebuilt in 1896.
- Converted to automated operation on 5 June 1961. The prototype was tested at the CG Base, New Orleans, prior to its installation. The original fog lantern became the main light after the conversion.
- On that date in 1961, the light was changed to show flashing white every 8 seconds, flash 0.1 second, of 1,200,000 candlepower, exhibited 80 feet above water. The fog signal was changed to a diaphragm horn sounding 1 blast every 10 seconds, blast 1 second, and operated continuously from 1 November to 30 April every year.
Photographs:
EAST RIGOLETS LIGHT
Location: RIGOLETS WATERWAY, MISSISSIPPI SOUND, GULF OF MEXICO
Station Established: 1833
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1833
Operational? NO
Automated? N/A
Deactivated: 1847
Foundation Materials: UNKNOWN
Construction Materials: MASONRY TOWER
Tower Shape: CONICAL
Markings/Pattern: WHITE
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPARATE
Original Lens: 10 LAMPS AND REFLECTORS
Historical Information:
- Congress first authorized the construction of a lighthouse at the east end of the Rigolets in 1831.
- Marshall Lincoln built a 45-foot tower in 1833. The first lantern held a revolving chandelier of 10 lamps, tended the first seven years of the station's operation by Isaac H. Smith.
- The station's second keeper was fired for drunkenness.
- From 1840 to 1844 five different keepers were appointed, with most lasting less than a year on the job. During this time the tower fell into disrepair.
- The tower survived the Civil War unscathed and was relit on November 21,1862.
- A new, larger lantern was added in 1866, which required the rebuilding of the top 4 feet of the tower.
- The station was discontinued on May 25, 1874, as it was "no longer required for purposes of navigation."
- The lighthouse was sold to a private party in 1923. It was destroyed. The ruins are visible in the water.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
FRANK'S ISLAND LIGHT
Location: FRANKS ISLAND
Station Established: 1818
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1823
Operational? NO
Automated? NO
Deactivated: 1856
Foundation Materials:
Construction Materials: BRICK
Tower Shape:
Markings/Pattern: CONICAL
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens:
Historical Information:
- 1803 – Congress appropriated $25,000 for lighthouse on site; plans for the lighthouse were put on hold during the War of 1812.
- 1816 – Henry Latrobe drew up blueprints for the lighthouse. Winslow Lewis built it. It was the first of 80 lighthouses that Winslow Lewis built for the United States.
- Feb. 1818 – Materials were finally purchased to build the lighthouse.
- January, 1819 – Lighthouse collapsed into the mud.
- March, 1823 – Lighthouse completed with new plans. It was the tallest and most powerful lighthouse on the Gulf of Mexico up until 1858.
- 1856 – Lighthouse replaced by light at Pass A L’Outre.
- C. 2002 – Remains of lighthouse fell over.
Keepers:
- John Gates – (1823 – unknown)
- John Lory (unknown)
- James Newman reports death of keeper (6/1831)
- Henry R. Crask, Keeper 8/1833
- John Lord, Keeper 10/1844
- Henry Edgecomb appointed keeper 9/1849
- James Davidson, 11/1855
- James A. Lee removed (unknown date) because he was a "victim of demon rum".
Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
1816 drawing of Frank's Island Lighthouse by H. S. B. Latrobe
HEAD OF THE PASSES LIGHT
Location: DEER ISLAND, APPROACH TO MISSISSIPPI RIVER, GULF OF MEXICO
Station Established: 1852
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1852
Operational? NO
Automated? NO
Deactivated: 1873
Foundation Materials: N/A
Construction Materials: N/A
Tower Shape: SEE BELOW
Markings/Pattern: N/A
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPARATE
Original Lens: SIXTH ORDER FRESNEL
Historical Information:
- In 1852 the Head of Passes Light consisted of a 67-foot tower. The tower was moved to Pass a l’Outre in 1854.
- The light was placed in a dormer window of a dwelling in 1853.
- In 1863 the light was placed on a wooden tripod.
- Margaret Novell served as head keeper from 1891 to 1896. She went on to keep Port Pontchartrain Light and West End light.
- The light has been destroyed.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
NEW CANAL LIGHT
Location: Lake Pontchartrain Canal Entrance
Station Established: 1838
Year Current / Last Tower(s) First Lit: 1901
Operational: No (damaged by Hurricane Katrina)
Automated: Yes
Deactivated: n/a
Foundation Materials: Pile with platform
Construction Materials: Wood
Tower Shape: Square
Markings/Pattern: White with red roof
Characteristic: Occulting white light, duration 3 seconds every 5 seconds.
Relationship to Other Structure: Integral
Original Lens: Fifth Order
Fog Signal: Mechanical fog bell; one stroke every ten seconds.
Historical Information:
- 1837: Congressional appropriation for "beacons and lighthouses at the entrance of the harbor recently constructed on Lake Pontchartrain, and the canal above New Orleans"; total appropriation was $25,000.
- 1838: Site acquired on 21 May 1838 by "transfer and relinquishment," 3,690 square feet. Property reverted to the New Orleans Canal and Banking Company on 31 July 1900.
- Francis D. Gott was awarded the contract to built a light at New Canal as well as Port Pontchartrain and Pass Manchac. The contract for the New Canal light, for a total of $4,500, was signed on 31 July 1838.
- The light was built on a foundation of sheet piles extending to two feet above the lake surface, filled in with shells. Cypress octagonal tower, extending 30 feet above the water and 28 feet above the base. Twenty-four foot diameter at the base, tapering to 9 feet at top. Eighteen lights with 9x11 glass. Brick dwelling 34x20 feet.
- 26 February 1839: Thomas Beattie was nominated as keeper at a salary of $600 per year with an assistant keeper also authorized.
- 1846: Elizabeth Beattie was nominated as keeper to replace her husband who died. She was appointed keeper in 1847. Numerous women were appointed keeper of the New Canal light over the years, and all were the wives of a keeper who died while serving. These included Jane O'Driscoll, Mary F. Campbell, and Maggie Norvell.
- 1854: Act of August 3, 1854 authorized $6,000 for rebuilding light station. Since the mid-1840s there were complaints about the structure and foundation piles, which rotted and caused the structure to cant. All of the lights on Lake Pontchartrain were described as "wholly worthless." The lights were repaired and stabilized later that year.
- 1855: A new light was built and placed in operation. This light was a square wood dwelling on screw-piles holding an iron lantern and Fifth Order lens atop a hipped roof.
- Confederates kept the light in operation until the fall of New Orleans to Union forces in 1862. The light was relit by the end of September, 1862 and the light's pre-war keeper, William A. Waldo, was reappointed.
- 1890: Light was discontinued on 25 February 1890 and lens lantern was displayed from a pole. The dwelling was sold at auction on 26 February and was removed. A new light was built. It was a square, two-story white frame structure with a slate roof and displayed a Fifth Order lens. The focal plane was heightened from the previous tower to 49 feet above the lake. It was lighted for the first time on 2 June 1890.
- 1899: A fog bell was installed, "struck by machinery."
- 1900-1901: Station was again repaired and rebuilt.
- 1903: After the 1903 "Cheniere Caminada" storm, the New Canal lighthouse was the only building left standing in the area. More than 200 survivors found refuge at the station.
- 1910: Station was moved to its present location across from a yacht club.
- 1915: On 28-29 September 1915 a hurricane hit the area. The keeper, Caroline Biddle, was commended by the Department because she "stuck to her post the night of the great hurricane which passed over New Orleans. She as alone and maintained the light by securing the lens and hanging a lantern in the tower, although the storm did great damage around the station."
- The station was damaged by hurricanes in 1926 and again in 1927. The light was raised on new concrete piers.
- 1936: The breakwater around the station was filled in, placing the light on dry land for the first time.
- By the 1960s a SAR detachment was added to the light station and it was renamed "Coast Guard Station New Canal."
- 1985: The New Canal Lighthouse was placed on the National register of Historic Places on December 30, 1985.
- By 1986 the station was billeted for 21 persons with a BMC as Officer-in-Charge. SAR cases were handled by a 41-foot UTB and an 18-foot Boston Whaler.
- 1987: On October 1, 1987, the Patrol Boats Division of Group New Orleans at the Base on the Industrial Canal and Station New Canal were combined and established as US Coast Guard Station New Orleans at the New Canal site.
- 2001: On 14 November 2001 USCG Station New Orleans moved to a brand new facility in Bucktown.
- 2005: Hurricane Katrina destroyed the lighthouse.
- 2006: Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation signs lease for the New Canal Lighthouse to rebuild the facility.
- 2012: Construction of replica of 1890 lighthouse begins.
- 2013: New Canal Lighthouse rebuilt and opened by Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation to the public with a museum, gift shop, and education center.
Keepers:
- Thomas Beattie (1839-1847)
- Elizabeth Beattie (1847-unknown)
- Mr. O'Driscoll (unknown-1850)
- Jane O'Driscoll (1850-unknown)
- Israel Brull (C. 1855)
- William A. Waldo (C. 1860s)
- Mr. Campbell (unknown-1870)
- Mary F. Campbell (1870-1895)
- Caroline Riddle (1895-1924)
- Margaret Norvell (1924-1932)
Keeper information researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
New Canal Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "NEW CANAL"; no date (probably mid to late-nineteenth century); Photo No. 325; photographer unknown.
New Canal Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); no caption/date; Photo No. 112; photographer unknown.
New Canal Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); no caption/date; Photo No. 112; photographer unknown.
OYSTER BAY (BAYOU) LIGHT
Location: OYSTER BAYOU, EASTERNMOST ENTRANCE ATCHAFALAYA BAY, GULF OF MEXICO, NEAR BERWICK, LOUISIANA
Station Established: 1904
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1904
Operational? NO
Automated? 1947
Deactivated: 1975
Foundation Materials: IRON PILINGS
Construction Materials: WOOD
Tower Shape: SQUARE TOWER ON ROOF OF KEEPER’S QUARTERS
Markings/Pattern: WHITE W/DARK ROOF AND LANTERN
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens: FIFTH ORDER FRESNEL
Historical Information:
- The light has been destroyed.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
PASS A L'OUTRE LIGHT
Location: Head of Passes, Mississippi River Delta
Station Established: 1855
Year Current / Last Tower(s) First Lit: 1855
Operational: No
Automated: No
Deactivated: 1930
Foundation Materials: Stone; timber pile
Construction Materials: Cast iron with brick lining
Tower Shape: Conical
Markings/Pattern: Black / white spirals with dark lantern
Characteristic: Fixed red (1902)
Relationship to Other Structure: Separate
Original Lens: Third Order, Fresnel, 1855
Fog Signal: Steam-powered signal, 1872
Historical Information:
- 1852: Originally built to replace the lighthouse at Franks Island, which was discontinued when the Northeast Pass shoaled up. As a cost-saving measure the iron Head of Passes light tower was dismantled and rebuilt at Pass A L'Outre.
- 1855: The lighthouse was reported to be ready for lighting on 16 December 1855. The first keeper was John Lory, the former keeper of the Frank's Island light.
- During the Civil War, the Union Navy took the lens and other lighthouse materials where they eventually reached New Orleans after the fall of that city. The Confederates burned the keeper's quarters.
- The light was relit on 20 April 1863 after conversion to a characteristic of "fixed varied by flashes". The machinery was mounted on the gallery, since the interior lantern deck would not hold the weight. A new keeper's quarters was also constructed at the station. Coal tar was applied to the tower's exterior to prevent rust. In 1866 the Annual Report to the Lighthouse Board noted: "Coast tar applied in winter of 1862 is still glossy and brilliant. Recommend this treatment for other iron lighthouses."
- 1868: Reports noted that the lighthouse was slowly sinking into the Mississippi mud. "The settling is uniform, so no structural damage is expected." The Light List noted that it was "on north side of entrance of pass, on middle ground island." The characteristic was "fixed varied by flashes" but no interval was given.
- 1872: A steam-powered fog signal was constructed in 1871 and installed in 1872.
- 1902: The characteristic was changed to fixed red on 1 February 1902.
- 1917: The station sustained considerable damage in the hurricane of 28 September 1917. Assistant Keeper Steven Coludrovich maintained the light in the absence of the keeper during the storm.
- 1919: Black and white spiral bands were added.
- 1920: Used by the Navy as a radio station.
- During Prohibition the tower was used by the Coast Guard as a lookout station.
- 1930: The station was discontinued "as vessels no longer used this pass."
- 1951: The Light List has the tower listed as a daymark.
- The land is now owned by the State of Louisiana and is now part of the Pass A L'Outre Wildlife Management Area. The rusty tower survives but continues to sink into the mud.
Keepers:
- John Lory – (1856 - unknown)
- C. Woltze – (1863 - unknown)
- James Broe – (1876 – unknown)
Keeper information researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
Pass A L'Outre Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "PASS A L'OUTRE."; no date/photo number; photographer unknown; 19th century photo.
Pass A L'Outre Light, circa 1896: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); No caption; photo dated "circa 1896."; no photo number; photographer unknown.
Pass A L'Outre Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "Cam. Sta. - 100 ft. Southerly."; photo dated 27 October 1917; no photo number; photo by "SUPERINTENDENT."
Pass A L'Outre Light Station: (75 dpi); Original caption: "Pass-a-Loutre L.S."; no date; Photo No. 22 #1; photographer unknown.
PASS MANCHAC LIGHT
Location: West shore of Lake Pontchartrain
Station Established: 1837
Year Current / Last Tower(s) First Lit: 1857
Operational: No
Automated: Yes, 1941
Deactivated: 1987
Foundation Materials: Stone
Construction Materials: Brick
Tower Shape: Cylindrical
Markings/Pattern: White
Characteristic: Fixed red (pre-Civil War); Fixed white
Relationship to Other Structure: Attached
Original Lens: 10 lamps with 14-inch reflectors, 1838; Fourth Order, Fresnel, 1859
Fog Signal: Fog bell (1,200 pounds); mechanically struck, 1898
Historical Information:
- 1837: Site of 2.24 acres acquired by Executive Order May 24, 1837 for the establishment of a light station.
- Francis D. Gott received contracts to build three lighthouses on Lake Pontchartrain. On 3 August 1838 he received the Port Pontchartrain and Pass Manchac contracts, four days after he received the New Canal contract. Contract price was $4,800. The Pass Manchac tower was made of brick instead of the usual lime and sand on the same plan as the Tchefuncte River light and carried 10 lamps for illumination.
- 1839: First keeper, Isaac Zachary, was appointed on 16 January 1839 and the light was officially lit around this time.
- By 1840 the tower was said to be falling apart. The brick was not set in lime mortar but rather mud mortar.
- 1842: Contract let to demolish old tower and built new one. No specifications are in the file so it is assumed it was rebuilt to the plans of the original tower.
- Isaac Zachary was removed as keeper after it was discovered that he did not reside at the station and had the assistant keeper run the light.
- 1844: Light was again repaired due to encroaching water.
- 1846: A new light was constructed next to the foundations of the older towers. This was a frame building, two-stories high with an attic. It was built on a cypress foundation. Cupola of eight feet diameter rising five feet above the roof.
- 1857-1859: Continued problems with erosion led to the construction of an entirely new light station 200 feet northwest of the three old towers. The "new" lighthouse consisted of a brick dwelling attached to a brick cylindrical tower, the only such tower on the Gulf. It was completed in 1857 and used the old lamps and reflectors until these were replaced by a Fourth-Order Fresnel lens in February, 1859.
- The Confederates confiscated the lens in 1861 and stored it at the New Canal station where it was recaptured by Union forces. The tower itself was severely damaged during the war but was repaired and returned to service by mid-January 1867 with a Fifth-Order lens.
- Levi Wells took over as keeper in 1867. Anthony Succow took over as keeper in 1868. His wife, Mary, took over in 1873 and their son, Hugo, relieved her in 1909.
- 1888: Station was heavily damaged by storm of 19-20 August 1888.
- 1890: Station was again heavily damaged by the storm of 21-22 April 1890.
- 1898: A 1,200 pound fog bell with mechanical striker was installed.
- 1915: Hurricane of 28-29 September 1915 hit. With 130-mph winds pushing high tides into the lake, and much of Lake Pontchartrain into Pass Manchac, Keeper Hugo A. Succow and assistant Joseph W. Sharp kept the light "alive" in the tower. Station sustained some damage.
- 1926: Station was damaged yet again during the hurricane of 24-25 August 1926.
- 1931: Another storm damaged the station on 14-15 July 1931.
- The station was automated in 1941.
- The keeper's quarters were razed in 1953. At the time the light was standing on an island.
- The light was extinguished in 1987.
- The tower has been abandoned but restoration plans are underway. The tower developed a list due to erosion of the foundation and pilings have been placed near the structure. The tower now stands in several feet of water.
- The lighthouse is not operational and is accessible only by boat.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
Pass Manchac Light, 19th century: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "PASS MANCHAC"; no date; Photo No. 327; photographer unknown.
Pass Manchac Light, 1914: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "Pass Manchac L.S. Louisiana."; photo dated 5 August 1914; photographer unknown. Panoramic view of station.
Pass Manchac Light, 1918: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "Pass Manchac May 21. 1918 Station of Camera South from Light Station Dist. 500 Feet."; Photo No. #45; photographer unknown.
Pass Manchac Light, no date: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); No caption/date/photo number; photographer unknown. Close-up of the tower.
POINT AU FER REEF LIGHT
Location: On the east side of Eugene Island at Point au Fer Shoal Reef -- Atchafalaya Bay
Station Established: 1827
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1916
Operational: NO
Automated: ?
Deactivated: 1975
Foundation Materials: Pile with platform pile
Construction Materials: Wood
Tower Shape: Square with octagonal lantern room
Markings/Pattern: White with black tower
Characteristic: White flashes, 6 second intervals (circa 1965)
Height: 54 feet above water level
Relationship to Other Structure: Integral
Original Lens: 4th Order
Fog Signal: Diaphragm-type fog horn
Historical Information:
- Work began in September, 1915 and was "practically completed in May 1916."
- A 1,000 pound fog bell was installed
- Cost was $39, 320.40 total out of an appropriation of $50,000
- First keeper was E. L. Rollingson; drowned on 8 August 1916; replaced by Acting Keeper Louis Baras, appointed on 1 October 1916.
- Light first lit on 10 May 1916.
- Keeper James M. Waits was appointed in January, 1918 and transferred on 23 October 1926.
- Keeper Waits was relieved by Peter Duay who was appointed on 3 November 1926 and remained at that post until October, 1942 when he was relieved by Godfrey C. Kiff on 21 October 1942. Keeper Kiff remained on duty through World War II.
- The lighthouse was deactivated in 1975. The structure was first offered to the South Lafourche Cultural and Historical Society, Inc., who turned it down. The Coast Guard then found "it most economical to effect demolition by burning." The structure was then purposely burnt down in September, 1976.
Photographs:
Point Au Fer Reef Light, 1945: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "Lights: POINT AU FER REEF LIGHT HOUSE [;] Camera Sta. Approx. East of light."; photo dated August, 1945; Photo No. 756; photo by "KOHN".
Point Au Fer Reef Light, 1963: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "PT AU FER REEF LT. STATION."; photo dated June, 1963; Photo No. 8CGD 060463-6; Photo by R. F. Gliniecki.
Point Au Fer Reef Light, 1974: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "ANT Pt. Au Fer."; photo dated 1974; Photo No. CCGD8 100874143"; photographer unknown.
POINTE AUX HERBES LIGHT
Location: SOUTH SHORE OF LAKE PONCHARTRAIN, NEAR POINT AUX HERBES, LOUISIANA
Station Established: 1875
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1875
Operational? NO
Automated? N/A
Deactivated: 1945
Foundation Materials: UNKNOWN
Construction Materials: UNKNOWN
Tower Shape: LANTERN ON SQUARE DWELLING
Markings/Pattern: BLACK LANTERN ON WHITE SQUARE DWELLING ON FIVE PIERS
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens: FIFTH ORDER FRESNEL
Historical Information:
- The Point Aux Herbes Light was built to replace the Bayou Bonfouca Light which was destroyed during the Civil War.
- The light was deactivated after World War II.
- Vandals burned down the light in 1950’s.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
PORT PONTCHARTRAIN LIGHT
Location: LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
Station Established: 1832
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1855
Operational? NO
Automated? NO
Deactivated: 1929
Foundation Materials: CONCRETE PAD ON PILINGS
Construction Materials: BRICK
Tower Shape: HOURGLASS W/OCTAGONAL LANTERN
Markings/Pattern: WHITE W/RED LANTERN
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPARATE
Original Lens: FIFTH ORDER FRESNEL 1857
Historical Information:
- 1832 – Local railroad company erected a private lighthouse. The structure was a square lantern hoisted between two channels at a height of 50’.
- 1834 – Congress appropriated $5,000 for a new 20’ high light. The railroad preferred the 50’ and suggested that the government buy their light rather than building another. Nothing happened for several years.
- 1837 – Congress approved $25,000 for a lighthouse and other aids to navigation at Port Pontchartrain.
- 1839 – Octagonal wooden tower completed at a cost of $4400.
- 1854 – Congress once again approved monies for a new lighthouse. This time, $6,000 was allocated.
- 1855 – Current lighthouse constructed atop a concrete pad on pilings.
- 1857 – 5th order Fresnel lens installed.
- 1864 – Old wooden tower torn down.
- 1880 – Lighthouse raised 7’ and new lantern installed. As a result, the focal plane was raised to 42’ above the lake.
- 1920’s – 5th order lens replaced by 300 mm lens lantern.
- 1929 – Lighthouse discontinued and turned over to the New Orleans Levee Board.
- 1939 – 1983 – Area around lighthouse used as local amusement park.
- Currently – Lighthouse owned by University of New Orleans.
Keepers:
- Benjamin J. Shane (1839-unknown)
- Charles Fagot (c. 1860s)
- David Power (unknown - 1882)
- Ellen Wilson (1882-1896)
- Margaret R. Norvell (1896-1924)
- Minnie E. Coteron (1924-1929)
Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
SABINE PASS LIGHT
Location: LOUISIANA SIDE OF SABINE PASS/NE TEXAS BORDER
Station Established: 1856
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1856
Operational? NO
Automated? UNK
Deactivated: 1952
Foundation Materials: SIX BRICK BUTTRESSES
Construction Materials: BRICK
Tower Shape: OCTAGONAL
Markings/Pattern: WHITE/BLACK STRIPES "ROCKET SHIP"
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPARATE
Original Lens: THIRD ORDER, FRESNEL
Historical Information:
- Designed and built by Captain Leadbetter. Considered to be a “sister” lighthouse to Aransas Pass, Timbalier & Barataria towers.
- 1861 – Extinguished by the Confederates.
- January, 1862 - The lamps, lens and clockwork were dismantled and crated for storage.
- April, 1863 – Union forces attacked twice, and damaged the lens.
- June, 1886 – Storm created an 8-foot tide which surrounded the tower with 5-feet of water. All the buildings on the site, except the lighthouse itself, were washed away.
- 1915 – A powerful hurricane caused the tower to vibrate, thus putting the clockworks out of order. The keepers had to turn the revolving lens by hand.
- 1952 – The lighthouse was discontinued and sometime during the next two years was transferred to the State of Louisiana.
- 1986 – The property was transferred into private hands.
Keepers:
- Benjamin Granger (Head Keeper 05/28/1857 - 09/14/1859)
- Benjamin Gibson (Asst. Keeper 05/28/1857 - 08/17/1860)
- Gowen Wilson Plummer (Head Keeper 09/04/1859 - 1862)
- William Plummer (Asst. Keeper 08/17/1860 - 1862)
- Charles Crossman (Head Keeper 12/27/1865 - 5/2/1881)
- Daniel Gillespie (Asst. Keeper 06/05/1866 – quit after just one day)
- Joseph Horton (Asst. Keeper 06/05/1866 – 12/18/1866)
- Hector R. Duncan (Asst. Keeper 12/18/1866 – 03/02/1867)
- Louisa Crossman (Daughter of Charles Crossman - Asst. Keeper 03/02/1867 - 02/08/1868)
- Charles F. Crossman (Son of Charles Crossman - Asst. Keeper 02/08/1868 - 01/12/1872)
- William F. Crossman (Son of Charles Crossman - Asst. Keeper 01/12/1872 - 07/15/1874)
- Fredericka Crossman (Wife of Charles Crossman - Asst. Keeper 07/15/1874 - 06/21/1881)
- John Anderson (Head Keeper 05/13/1881 - 04/13/1882)
- Emelius Gerhardt (Asst. Keeper 06/21/1881 – 07/22/1881)
- John Gleason (Asst. Keeper 11/04/1881 – 11/21/1881)
- Henry G. Epps (Asst. Keeper 11/21/1881 - 04/22/1882)
- Andrew Brynn(sp?) (Head Keeper 04/13/1882 - 06/02/1886)
- Gustav Hummeland(sp?) (Asst. Keeper 04/22/1882 - 06/09/1886)
- Gustav Hummeland(sp?) (Head Keeper 06/09/1886 - 01/11/1898)
- William H. Plummer (Asst. Keeper 06/24/1886 - 12/13/1886)
- John Ericson (Asst. Keeper 01/06/1887 - 12/03/1890)
- Alfred Hoyer (Asst. Keeper 12/03/1890 - 11/18/1896)
- Thomas N. Clarisse (Asst. Keeper 12/1896- 02/01/1898)
- Thomas N. Clarisse (Head Keeper 02/1898 - 09/30/1904)
- Robert G. Miller (Asst. Keeper 03/09/1898 - 06/08/1898)
- Patrick Foley (Asst. Keeper 01/01/1901 - 08/01/1903)
- Charles W. Heartt (Asst. Keeper 08/01/1903 - 10/05/1903)
- William J. O'Brien (Asst. Keeper 10/01/1903 - 10/20/1903)
- Forrest C. Hawes (Asst. Keeper 10/20/1903 - 01/04/1904)
- Edward A. Bourgeois (Asst. Keeper 04/01/1904 - 07/15/1904)
- Charles W. Heartt (Head Keeper 10/01/1904 - 06/16/1905)
- Frederick Rooman (sp?) (Asst. Keeper 07/15/1904 - 09/13/1904)
- Christopher W. Sterry (Asst. Keeper 09/13/1904 - 06/16/1905)
- Christopher W. Sterry (Head Keeper 06/16/1905 - 05/16/1906)
- William Bell (Asst. Keeper 07/1905 - 09/1905)
- Jeremiah Rightmyer (Asst. Keeper Unknown - 1907)
- Hugh Kelly (Asst. Keeper 04/1908 - 07/1908)
- Stephen D. Hill (Head Keeper 05/16/1906 - 12/1911)
- J. L. Deutsch (Asst. Keeper 07/1908 - 08/1908)
- Charles W. Heartt (Asst. Keeper 08/1909 - 03/1910)
- William Hill (Brother of Stephen D. Hill - Asst. Keeper 03/1910 – unknown)
- William Thompson (Head Keeper 12/1911 - unknown)
- James T. Goodson (Head Keeper 1938 - 1946)
- James T. Wilson (c. 1952)
- Steve Purgley (c. 1952)
Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Light House Society.
Photographs:
SABINE PASS EAST JETTY LIGHT
Location: ON THE SOUTH END OF JETTY, 29° 38.7' N x 93° 49.4' W
Station Established: 1908
Year First Lit: 1924
Operational: Yes
Automated: N/A (never manned; once maintained by the keeper of the Sabine Pass Lighthouse).
Deactivated:
Tower Shape/Markings/Pattern: Red, square, skeleton structure on piles on concrete block.
Height: 50'
Original Lens: 500mm
Characteristic:
Fog Signal: Bell; 1 stroke every 20 seconds
Photographs:
SHIP SHOAL LIGHT
Location: 10 MILES SOUTH OF GRAND ISLE
Station Established: 1859
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1859
Operational? NO
Automated? YES 1950
Deactivated: 1972
Foundation Materials: SCREW PILE W/PLATFORM
Construction Materials: CAST IRON
Tower Shape: SKELETAL W/CYLINDER
Markings/Pattern: BROWN
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens: SECOND ORDER
Historical Information:
- 1848 – Lightship Pleasonton stationed at Ship Shoal.
- 1852 – The provisional Lighthouse Board asked Congress for $20,000 for a first-class iron skeleton tower.
- 1856 – Congress appropriated an additional $39,000 for the lighthouse. In all, a total of $103,000 would eventually be spent to erect this lighthouse.
- 1858 – The lighthouse was assembled at a foundry in Philadelphia. It took an additional 2 years to assemble the structure on site at Ship Shoal.
- 1861 – Confederates removed the lens, apparatus and lantern glass. The materials were taken inland to Berwick City. Sometime later they were moved further inland to St. Martinsville.
- 1864 – The Union forces ordered a news lens from France so that the lighthouse could be operational once again.
- 1865 – Union forces seized the city of St. Martinsville and liberated the original lens and other lighthouse property.
- 1866 – Lighthouse Board noticed that keepers were becoming seriously ill at this location. The illness was determined to be lead poisoning. The cause was attributed to the lead paint on the roof washing into the cisterns. The lead paint was removed from the lighthouse and coal tar applied instead to protect the structure from rust.
- 1867 – A severe hurricane eroded the sea floor under the lighthouse causing it to lean several degrees to the north-east.
- 1873 – Rip-rap which had been placed around the lighthouse foundation for protection was carried away by wave action.
- 1896 – Granite blocks were placed around the lighthouse.
- 1929 – The lighthouse was automated. The lighthouse was now 20 degrees off perpendicular.
- 1965 – The lighthouse was discontinued.
Keepers:
- Charles J. Lottman (circa 1864).
Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
SOUTH PASS RANGE FRONT LIGHT
Location: MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Station Established: 1919
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1947
Operational? NO
Automated? UNK
Deactivated:
Foundation Materials:
Construction Materials:
Tower Shape: SKELETAL
Markings/Pattern:
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPARATE
Original Lens:
Historical Information:
- 1947 – Skeletal tower built to act as front range to existing South Pass Lighthouse.
- Also known as South Pass West Jetty Light.
Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
SOUTH PASS EAST JETTY LIGHT WITH FOG SIGNAL BUILDING
SOUTH PASS RANGE LIGHTS
Location: ENTRANCE TO MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Station Established: 1831
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1881; Second Tower: 1947
Operational? YES
Automated? YES 1971
Deactivated: n/a
Foundation Materials: PILINGS
Construction Materials: IRON
Tower Shape: SKELETAL
Markings/Pattern: WHITE BELOW GALLERY, BLACK ABOVE
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPARATE
Original Lens: FIRST ORDER, FRESNEL
Historical Information:
- Also known as South Point, Gordon’s Island or Port Eads Light.
- 1829 - $40,000 appropriated for lighthouse here and at Southwest Pass.
- 1832 – Lighthouse lit for the first time.
- 1839 – Keeper’s dwelling knocked off foundation by logs swept downriver.
- 1841 – Entire station destroyed by storm.
- 1842 – Replacement tower built across river from original location.
- 1847 – Wooden tower decayed beyond repair.
- 1848 – New wooden tower completed.
- 1861 – Confederates removed the lens from the lighthouse.
- 1862 – New 3rd order revolving lens installed.
- Circa 1863 – 1867 – 3rd order lens replaced by a 4th order lens.
- 1867 – The Lighthouse Board asked Congress to approve building a new tall iron tower.
- Late 1870’s – Congress approved $50,000 for a new tower.
- 1881 – New Iron tower constructed.
- 1894 – Lightship anchored at station.
- 1947 – Front tower built.
- 1951 – 1st order lens removed and replaced by DCB-224 optic.
- 1971 – Lighthouse was automated.
Keepers:
- Henry Heistand (1832-unknown)
- James Fisher (c. 1860s)
- James W. Salazar (Coast Guard, 1951-c. 1954)
Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
SOUTHWEST PASS ENTRANCE LIGHT
Location: SOUTHWEST PASS ENTRANCE
Station Established: 1831
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1962
Operational? YES
Automated? YES 1985
Deactivated: n/a
Foundation Materials: PILE/TIMBER
Construction Materials: CONCRETE/STEEL
Tower Shape: TEXAS TOWER
Markings/Pattern: TOWER ON WHITE DWELLING ON PILES
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens: FIRST ORDER
Historical Information:
- 1832 – Winslow Homer built 1st lighthouse on this site.
- 1837 – Lighthouse fell into the Mississippi River.
- 1838 – Congress approved a new tower at this location.
- 1839 – brick conical tower built.
- 1849 – Lighthouse stood in 10’ of water.
- 1855 – Lighthouse Board received $45,000 for an iron tower to replace the crumbling brick tower. The Board ordered the basic metalwork, but another $70,000 was needed to complete the tower.
- 1861 – Congress supplied full funding for the lighthouse, but construction was not continued due to the Civil War. Union forces stole the lens from the old lighthouse.
- 1863 – 4th order lens was placed back in the old tower. The Lighthouse Board asked Congress for a re-appropriation of the necessary funds to finish the screwpile lighthouse. Congress approved $108,000.
- 1870 – Construction finally began on the iron screwpile structure.
- 1873 – New tower, with 1st order lens, lit on July 1.
- 1894 – Fire gutted the dwelling, melted the iron stairs, destroyed the lantern and the whole central cylinder had to be replaced.
- Circa 1953 – Skeletal lighthouse deactivated.
- 1962 – Present structure constructed.
- 1985 – Lighthouse automated.
Keepers:
- Captain Thomas S. Easton (1832 – unknown)
- Manuel Moreno (circa 1861)
Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
1840 SOUTHWEST PASS ENTRANCE LIGHT TOWER
SOUTHWEST REEF LIGHT
Location: ATCHAFALAYA BAY, NEAR BERWICK, LOUISIANA
Station Established: 1858
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1858
Operational? NO
Automated? N/A
Deactivated: 1916
Foundation Materials: PILE WITH TWO PLATFORMS
Construction Materials: IRON PLATE
Tower Shape: SQUARE PYRAMIDAL SKELETAL
Markings/Pattern: RED, PLATFORM WITH BUNGALOW
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens: FOURTH ORDER FRESNEL LENS
Historical Information:
- In 1858 the Southwest Reef Light was built. The square pyramid lighthouse is fully enclosed in iron boiler plate. It may be one of two that were built with this design.
- In 1916 a new channel was dredged in the Atchafalaya Bay. This channel made the light obsolete. Point Au Fer Reef replaced the Southwest Reef Light.
- Southwest Reef was decommissioned and sat idle. In 1987, the town of Berwick, Louisiana relocated the light to their park. It now sits in the Everett S. Barry Lighthouse Park. It is open to the public.
Photographs:
TCHEFUNCTE RIVER RANGE LIGHTS
Location: North side of Lake Ponchartrain
Station Established: 1838
First Lit: 1868
Operational: Yes
Automated: Yes- 1952
Deactivated: No
Foundation Material: Stone
Construction Material: Brick
Tower Shape: Conical
Markings: White with vertical black stripe
Relationship to Other Structures: Separate
Original Lens: 1868
Tower Height: 43 feet
Range: –
Original Optic: Fifth Order Fresnel lens
Present Optic: 250 mm
Characteristic: White light 3 seconds on and 3 seconds off
First Keeper: Benjamin Thurston
Current Use: Active aid to navigation – Plans to part of the Museum
Fog Signal: None but had a bell tower
National Register Status
Historical Information:
- The first tower was badly damaged in The Civil War. It was dismantled. A new tower was constructed on the original foundation- using some of the original brick.
- The second tower was 10 feet taller than the first. A bell tower and square keepers tower was built next to the lighthouse. The lantern was from Cat Island Light.
- The single black stripe that was on the tower functioned as a range indicator to help captain’s line up their approach to the river.
- The keepers dwelling was moved uptown to the town of Madisonville. Today the house sits behind The Lake Pontrchartrain Basin Museum.
- The town plans on moving the keeper’s house back to the original position next to the lighthouse after being restored. They must first build a protective wall near the lighthouse. They also are planning to build a pier for the access to the lighthouse.
Researched and written by Linda Herman, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.
Photographs:
1838 Tchefuncte River Range Rear Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); no caption, date, Photo No. 326; photographer unknown.
1857 Tchefuncte River Range Rear Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "Chefunctie May 19.1918 N&E from camera Dist. 200 ft. [;] Station of Camera W. W. From Light Station Dist. 200 Feet."; Photo dated 19 May 1918; Photo No. "#10"; photographer unknown.
1857 Tchefuncte River Range Rear Light: (75 dpi); Original caption: "Chefuncte Rear Rg Lt Sta. . . Taken from wharf at 50 ft."; photo dated 29 December 1937; photo by "C.R. Mauteer [sp?]."
TIMBALIER BAY (LITTLE PASS) LIGHT
Location: TIMBALIER BAY
Station Established: 1857
Year Current Tower First Lit: 1917
Operational: No
Automated: 1939
Deactivated: 1950s
Tower Shape/Markings/Pattern: Square cylindrical tower on roof of dwelling
Height: 30' (1903)
Original Lens: Lens lantern (1903)
Characteristic: Flashing white
Fog Signal:
Historical Information:
On August 3, 1854, Congress appropriated $15,000 "for a light station to mark the entrance to Timbalier Bay and for coast purposes." The lighthouse was reported completed in 1857.
During the Civil War the light was discontinued. Upon the occupation of the southern portion of Texas by Union forces in 1864, application was made by the military authorities for the reestablishment of the Timbalier light. Measures were promptly inaugurated to ascertain the condition and necessities of the station and suitable illuminating apparatus was sent to be put in position when requisite repairs had been completed.
The tower was described in 1867 as built upon a low sand beach near the point of Timbalier Island which, by that year, had been encroached upon by the sea until it was entirely surrounded by water.
By February 1867 the tower was in danger of falling and workmen were sent to take down the lens and establish a beacon on top of the dwelling. On the 29th and 30th of March 1867, during a hurricane, the dwelling, together with the tower, and everything about the station was leveled to the ground and covered with 3 to 6 feet of water. The keepers barely escaped with their lives and lived for some days in an iron can buoy.
Congress appropriated $50,000 for a new lighthouse on March 3, 1869, followed by two similar amounts in 1871 and 1873. A final appropriation of $15,000 was made in 1874. With $120,000 of these appropriations a new iron screw-pile lighthouse, with focal plane 125 feet above sea level, was completed by January 1875. The new lighthouse was placed in the water inside the island, which acted as an effective breakwater. The design was a skeleton frame work with a spiral stairway, enclosed by sheet iron, giving access to the lantern and provided with a keeper’s dwelling in the lower part of the tower. The lens was a second-order, showing a fixed white light varied by red flashes.
In 1894 the light tower was undermined by the scouring of the channel and on the morning of January 23, 1894, it canted over. The illuminating apparatus was saved but was in damaged condition. An attempt was made to take the dismantled tower to pieces and save it, but owing to the inability of the lighthouse tender to approach near enough to the wreck, the work was discontinued and the lighthouse was abandoned. The Lighthouse Board decided that requirements of navigation were not such as to justify the rebuilding of the tower, but decided to use instead a lens-lantern light.
The present structure was rebuilt in 1917. It is a white square tower on a wooden dwelling built on piles and stands in 6 feet of water off the north side of the east end of the island. The light was changed to unwatched operation in 1939 and consisted of an 850-candlepower light which was 56 feet above the water and could be seen 13 miles, flashing white every 4 seconds. The building was later used as a daybeacon but was destroyed by hurricane Juan in 1985.
Photographs:
WEST RIGOLETS LIGHT
Location: Rigolets Channel, Lake Pontchartrain
Station Established: 1855
Year Current / Last Tower(s) First Lit: 1855
Operational: No
Automated: n/a
Deactivated: 1939
Foundation Materials: Pilings
Construction Materials: Wood
Tower Shape: Round lantern on square house
Markings/Pattern: White house, black lantern
Characteristic: Fixed white
Relationship to Other Structure: Integral
Original Lens: Fifth Order
Fog Signal: None
Historical Information:
- 1855: Station completed.
- 1859: Sustained considerable damage during the storm of 15 August 1859.
- 1861: The light was extinguished on 6 July 1861. A temporary ship's lantern showed from the lighthouse in late November, 1862, in support of the Union Navy's activities on the lake.
- 1862: Keeper Thomas Harrison, on the second night of his job, was shot and killed by unknown assailants. He was the first (and only) keeper to die his post during the Civil War.
- 1863: The station was "fully renovated" and a Fifth Order lens was operational. The keeper at this time was John M. Read, who served for 36 years. After his death his widow, Anna Read, took over as keeper.
- 1939: Discontinued as a manned light station on 1 December 1939. "Replaced by a light on piles." Other sources list this change as occurring in 1946.
- 1946: Station was assigned to the Farm Credit Administration on 14 May 1946.
- Station was sold to a private owner at some point.
- Rigolets Light #5 is considered to be the "ancestor" of the West Rigolets Light. It rested in six feet of water off the point on the south side of the west end of the Rigolets.
- 2005: The original station was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Photographs:
West Rigolites Light, 19th century: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi); Original caption: "RIGOLETS."; no date/photo number; photographer unknown, 19th century photo.
West Rigolites Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi): No caption/date/photo number; photographer unknown. Station is flooded after a storm; cisterns and other out buildings are visible.
West Rigolites Light: (75 dpi) ; (300 dpi): No caption/date/photo number; photographer unknown. Station is flooded after a storm.
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