Louisiana Lighthouses

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans and all of the eastern half of the Louisiana coast. On September 24, Hurricane Rita swept through Cameron Parish at the western end of the state, leveling most of what Katrina had missed. These twin disasters have left Louisiana reeling.

The New Canal Light in New Orleans was badly damaged and later collapsed. The historic Chandeleur lighthouse and the old West Rigolets lighthouse vanished completely. And this in a state where lighthouses have been gravely endangered and failing for a long time. In addition to New Canal, Chandeleur, and West Rigolets Lights, the Point au Fer Reef, Timbalier Bay, Oyster Bay, and Frank's Island Lights have all been lost in the last 30 years, and there remain four more Louisiana lighthouses on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List.

The good news is that before the hurricanes preservation efforts had begun for at least four historic towers, at Madisonville, Pass Manchac, Port Pontchartrain, and Sabine Pass. Unfortunately, progress had been very slow, and now it has nearly stopped. Help from outside the state can help get some of these efforts going again.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. USCG numbers are from Volume IV of the U.S. Coast Guard Light List.

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Port Pontchartrain Light, New Orleans, November 2006
photo copyright Michael Rowlett and Linda Pereksta; used by permission
General Sources
Louisiana Lighthouses
Reports and excellent photos posted by Kraig Anderson.
Gulf Coast Lighthouses (coastlights.com)
Posted by Lowell Thomas, this site has good color photos and brief accounts of several Louisiana lighthouses.
The Lighthouse People - Louisiana
Photos by Bob and Sandra Shanklin, with brief descriptions of their visits.
Lake Pontchartrain Area Lighthouses
#West Rigolets
1855 (Pierre G. T. Beauregard). Inactive since 1945; destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 30 ft (9 m) square frame keeper's quarters on wood pilings, surmounted by a small lantern. Brick oil house. Abandoned and deteriorating rapidly, the lighthouse was on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday list. Research by Digest staff determined that the light was sold into private ownership as surplus property. Owner Anton Zanki, once located, indicated a willingness to work toward restoration of the structure, but nothing had been done before Hurricane Katrina made the problem moot. Michael Caswell has posted a large portfolio of photos. Located on the Rigolets, the passage into Lake Pontchartrain from the sea. The lighthouse could be seen from US 90 where it crosses the Rigolets near the Fort Pike State Historic Site about 15 miles (25 km) east of New Orleans. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS USA-881.
[Point aux Herbes]
1875. Inactive since about 1945. Former screwpile lighthouse burned by vandals during the 1950s. Pile foundation still visible. Located on the east side of I-10 near the south end of the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain; visible from the freeway. Site closed. Site manager: none. ARLHS USA-642.
* Port Pontchartrain (Milneburg, Pontchartrain Beach) (2)
1855 (Danville Leadbetter) (station established 1839). Inactive since 1929. 42 ft (13 m) "dumbbell" style brick tower (flared top added in 1880). Keeper's house destroyed. A photo appears above, the Coast Guard has a historic photo of the 1855 tower, and Randy Randazzo has contributed a historic photo taken after the 1880 extension. Formerly located offshore in Lake Pontchartrain, the lighthouse is now on dry land since a large area of the lake has been filled over the years. After being used as an amusement park from 1939 to 1983, the surrounding area is now the University of New Orleans's Research and Technology Park. A Hilton hotel was planned nearby, and Hilton had agreed to restore the lighthouse as part of its development, but these plans fell apart in the economic slowdown of 2001-02. Currently there is no restoration plan, but the university's engineers say the structure is sound. Jeremy D'Entremont wrote an April 2004 Lighthouse Digest article on the lighthouse. The area around the lighthouse suffered heavy flooding during Hurricane Katrina, but the lighthouse was not seriously damaged. Located at Pontchartrain Beach on the north side of Lakeshore Drive at Elysian Fields, across from the University of New Orleans; Google has a satellite view. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: University of New Orleans. ARLHS USA-650.
* New Canal (3)
1890 (station established 1838). Active; focal plane 52 ft (16 m); white flash every 10 s. 32 ft (10 m) square 2-story frame keeper's quarters on pilings, surmounted by square cylindrical tower; 190 mm lens; fog bell (stroke every 10 s). Building painted white with a red roof. The light station originally marked the entrance to the New Basin Canal, which was filled in around 1950. The present building was built offshore in the lake but fill had brught its location onshore by 1910. The building was an active Coast Guard station until 2002, and thereafter the lighthouse was to be made available through NHLPA. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation intended to apply for ownership. However, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September 2005 severely damaged the building, and on November 28 it collapsed to the ground. After many delays, the Foundation secured a lease of the lighthouse from the Coast Guard on September 20, 2006. Work to stabilize and preserve the remains of the structure began in November. In 2007 the Foundation decided to disassemble the lighthouse and reconstruct it, using as much of the original material as possible. The Foundation has a web page for the lighthouse, and the American Lighthouse Foundation has an article on the restoration efforts. Located on Lake Pontchartrain at West End Boulevard and Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans. As of July 2007, Google's satellite view was a pre-Katrina image. Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. ARLHS USA-556; USCG 4-9990.

New Canal Light, New Orleans, December 21, 2005
photo copyright Linda Pereksta and Michael Rowlett; used by permission
[Hibernia Bank]
1921. Inactive. 350 ft (107 m) building topped by an ornamental tower originally including a navigational light. Today the tower is spotlighted with multicolored lights at night; a photo is available. Lighthouse Digest has a February 2006 feature on the building. In 2006 the bank was acquired by Capital One Bank. Located at 313 Carondelet Street in downtown New Orleans. Owner/site manager: Capital One Bank.
Tchefuncte River Range Rear (Madisonville) (2)
1868 (station established 1838). Active; focal plane 49 ft (15 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off (higher intensity on range line). 53 ft (16 m) round brick tower, painted white with a single vertical black stripe along the range line; 250 mm lens. In late 1999, Congress passed legislation transferring the lighthouse to the Town of Madisonville. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum Foundation is working to restore the lighthouse. The museum exhibits include a 1/3-scale model of this lighthouse and the 3º clamshell Fresnel lens from Chandeleur Light. In 2003, the museum announced a perservation plan calling for a 230-foot pier to protect and provide access to the lighthouse. The 1-story wood keeper's house (1887), which had been relocated to Madisonville as a private residence, was donated to the museum in 2003 and relocated to the museum grounds in April 2004. Lighthouse Digest featured the lighthouse in the January 2005 issue. Located in the marsh on the north bank of Lake Pontchartrain southwest of Madisonville; Google has a satellite view. Accessible only by boat, but visible from the extreme south end of Main Street at the mouth of the river. Site and tower closed; museum open daily except Mondays. Owner: Town of Madisonville. Site manager: Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum. ARLHS USA-838; USCG 4-10145.
Pass Manchac (4)
1857 (station established 1839). Inactive since 1987. 40 ft (12 m) ruined round cylindrical brick tower, formerly attached to a keeper's house (the house was demolished in 1952). Lighthouse Digest Doomsday list. The abandoned tower began to lean alarmingly in the early 1990s; a closeup photo of its appearance in the mid 1990s is available on the Louisiana State University web site. Title to the lighthouse was transferred to the state and a $250,000 state appropriation in 2001 helped launch a restoration effort. Lighthouse Digest had a January 2001 feature story on the lighthouse. In 2002 the lantern broke in two while being removed for restoration. Pilings were placed around the lighthouse, but this failed to stop the continuing lean. Fortunately, the pilings did help save the tower during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 (photo at right). Pass Manchac is the channel which connects Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain. Built on the north side of the entrance to Pass Manchac from Lake Pontchartrain, the lighthouse is now located about 300 m (0.2 mi) offshore in the lake. Google has a satellite view. Site and tower closed. Owner: State of Louisiana. Site manager: Lake Maurepas Society. ARLHS USA-582.

Pass Manchac Light, October 12, 2005
photo copyright Matthew Barkley; used by permission

Gulf Coast Lighthouses
#Chandeleur (3)
1896 (station established 1848). Inactive since about 2001; destroyed 2005. 100 ft (30.5 m) "Sanibel class" square pyramidal skeletal tower with central cylinder, 300 mm lens. Original 3º clamshell Fresnel lens on display at Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville. Keeper's house destroyed. The active light (focal plane 65 ft (20 m); white flash every 6 s) is on a nearby pyramidal skeletal tower. The Coast Guard has a photo of the light station as it appeared with all its buildings, and the Shanklins have a photo of the light as it appeared in the mid 1990's. Earlier towers were destroyed by hurricanes in 1854 and 1893. Hurricane Georges (1998) left the lighthouse standing in the water 1/4 mile from the nearest land. The lighthouse was destroyed by a direct hit by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. It is reported that the lighthouse site is now covered by water 17 ft (5 m) deep, and the Coast Guard found no trace of the structure. Site located off the north end of the Chandeleur Islands in a federally-protected wilderness area. Site manager: Breton National Wildlife Refuge. ARLHS USA-151; Admiralty J3648; USCG 4-0350.
#Franks Island
1823 (Winslow Lewis). Inactive since 1855; destroyed 2002. The lighthouse was an old-style brick tower, originally 65 ft (20 m) high. For many years the tower could be seen projecting about 40 ft (12 m) above the water, but sometime in 2002 it collapsed. Located in one of the northeastern mouths of the Mississippi. Site inaccessible. Owner: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Site manager: Delta National Wildlife Refuge. ARLHS USA-310.
Pass a l'Outre
1852 (relocated here in 1855) (Danville Leadbetter). Inactive since 1930. 85 ft (26 m) round cast iron tower, now sunk in the mud, its height reduced to about 40 ft (12 m). Abandoned and gravely endangered. Lighthouse Digest Doomsday list. This was the nation's tallest cast iron lighthouse when it was built in 1852 at Head of Passes. When it became clear that a tall light was unnecessary at that location, it was moved to its present location in 1855. For 75 years the abandoned lighthouse sank slowly in the mud. Hurricane Katrina did not blow it over, but it loosened the lantern. By 2007 the lantern had fallen into the water, leaving only the stump of the tower standing. Located on (or in) one of the northeastern mouths of the Mississippi. Site inaccessible, tower closed. Owner: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Site manager: Delta National Wildlife Refuge. ARLHS USA-580.
South Pass (Range Rear) (4)
1881 (station established 1832). Active; focal plane 108 ft (33 m); five white flashes every 60 s. 116 ft (35 m) octagonal pyramidal skeletal tower with 2-story cast iron keeper's quarters and central cylinder; doublet lens. Lighthouse painted white, lantern and gallery black. The original 1º Fresnel lens is on display at the Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge. The 1-story wood keeper's house and other light station buildings were apparently destroyed by Hurricane Katrina; they are absent from a recent Google satellite view. Sibling of Southwest Pass (3). The Shanklins have an aerial photo. This design is somewhat similar to the offshore lights of the Florida Keys. The former front range light (focal plane 40 ft (12 m); continuous green light; fog horn) is a skeletal tower (1947) located on the jetty on the west side of the South Pass entrance. However, the two lights are no longer operated as a range. The lighthouse was still standing after Katrina. Located on the south side of the South Pass entrance to the Mississippi, about 3 km (2 mi) northwest of the open Gulf of Mexico. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-774; Admiralty J3688.1; USCG 4-0430.
Southwest Pass (2)
1839 (station established 1832). Inactive since 1871. Ruined round old-style brick tower, originally 65 ft (20 m) tall. The lantern was removed long ago. The Coast Guard has a historic photo. Due to poor foundation work, the tower has had a lean since soon after it was built. The lighthouse stands in the marsh upstream from the 1871 light, and it was still standing after Hurricane Katrina. Site status and site manager unknown. ARLHS USA-1100.
Southwest Pass (3)
1871. Inactive since 1962(?). 130 ft (40 m) octagonal pyramidal skeletal tower with a 2-story cast iron keeper's quarters and central cylinder. The Coast Guard has a historic photo, and the Shanklins have an aerial photo. Abandoned and gravely endangered. Lighthouse Digest Doomsday list. The lighthouse was still standing after Hurricane Katrina. Marshy site, inaccessible. Site manager: unknown. ARLHS USA-779.
Southwest Pass Entrance
1962. Active; focal plane 85 ft (26 m); white flash every 10 s. 85 ft (26 m) hexagonal cylindrical steel tower centered on a 2-story hexagonal reinforced concrete keeper's quarters mounted on pilings; DCB-224 aerobeacon. Tower and lantern painted red with white trim, keeper's house painted white. Fog horn (2 blasts every 20 s). The Coast Guard also has a photo. The station also has an array of weather instruments as a NOAA C-MAN station. Located in the Gulf of Mexico about 2 m (1.2 mi) southwest of the last land. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-1101; Admiralty J3714; USCG 4-0455.
* Southwest Reef
1858. Inactive since 1916. 40 ft (12 m) square cast iron tower on four iron pilings. Entire structure painted bright red. This lighthouse has an unusual design, although the North Pierhead Light at Erie PA, built about the same time, is somewhat similar. The lighthouse was relocated in 1987 from Atchafalaya Bay to the Everett S. Berry Lighthouse Park on the western bank of the Atchafalaya River in Berwick, across the river from Morgan City. In 2002 the city repainted and restored the tower and made improvements to the surrounding park. A Fresnel lens and fog bell of uncertain origin are displayed nearby at the town hall. Site open daily, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Town of Berwick. ARLHS USA-780.
Ship Shoal
1859. Inactive since 1972. 125 ft (38 m) octagonal pyramidal screwpile tower with 2-story cast iron keeper's quarters and central cylinder. This historic lighthouse, an engineering marvel when it was built, is abandoned, rusting, leaning, and endangered. Lighthouse Digest Doomsday list. The town of Berwick hopes to move this lighthouse to its Lighthouse Park. Site accessible only by boat. Tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-759.
Sabine Pass
1856 (Danville Leadbetter). Inactive since 1952. 75 ft (23 m) brick tower with eight brick "buttresses" giving the tower the appearance of an old-fashioned rocket. Keeper's quarters burned in 1976. Endangered by neglect; Lighthouse Digest Doomsday list. The Digest featured the lighthouse in a 1997 article. In May 2001 the light station's owners, two businessmen in Houston, donated the property to the Cameron Parish Alliance, which began fundraising to restore the light station as a historical museum. In 1999 the state wildlife agency built an unpaved road from LA 82 to a point close to the lighthouse, which was previously inaccessible except by boat, and in 2000 a federal grant and private donations were secured to build turnouts along highway 82 from which the lighthouse can be seen. In 2002, engineers advised that cracks and eroded mortar threaten the tower with collapse and recommended that metal bands be used to hold it together until it can be restored. The Louisiana Preservation Alliance has identified the building as one of the state's ten most endangered historic sites. In 2006, Cheniere Energy pledged to extend an all-weather road from its liquified natural gas terminal upsteam to the lighthouse. Rusty Key's web site has good information and photos. Located on the east side of the Sabine River entrance off LA 82. The access road, four miles (6.5 km) long, may not be passable in wet weather; it ends at a bayou that blocks public access to the lighthouse itself. Google has a satellite view. Site and tower closed. The lighthouse is distantly visible from the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Park in Sabine Pass, Texas, across the river. Owner: Cameron Parish. Site manager: Cameron Preservation Alliance. ARLHS USA-714.

Information on lost lighthouses:

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index

Checked and revised July 26, 2007. Lighthouses: 12. Site copyright 2007 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.