Lighthouses of Haiti

Haiti occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, with the Dominican Republic occupying the rest of the island. A former French colony, Haiti revolted against French rule and won its independence in 1804. Sadly, it is one of the world's poorest nations, and for many years it has been torn by insurrection and unrest. Its historic lighthouses were built in the late 1800s or during the U.S. military occupation between 1915 and 1934. Those that survive are generally abandoned and deteriorating, like the Point Picolet lighthouse shown at right.

It is difficult to obtain accurate reports from Haiti, and tourism there is practically nonexistent. As a result, little is known about some of these lighthouses, their condition, whether they are in operation, or even whether they still exist. Any information would be welcome. (Thanks to Michel Forand, who contributed much of the historical information on this page from older light lists.)

On 12 January 2010, Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince was essentially destroyed by a devastating earthquake. We still do not know the extent to which Haiti's lighthouses were damaged in this disaster.

Aids to navigation in Haiti are presumably the responsibility of the port authority (Autorité Portuaire Nationale, or APN). The only active ports are Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 110.

General sources
Leuchttürme Mittelamerikas und der Karibik auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard views posted by Klaus Huelse.

Phare de Pointe Picolet
Pointe Picolet Light, Cap-Haïtien, January 2008
photo copyright Bob Roswell; used by permission

South Coast Lighthouses
Île Vache (Île-à-Vaches)
Date unknown (station established 1922). Active(?); focal plane unknown; six quick white flashes followed by one long white flash every 15 s. Described by NGA only as a "square white tower." No photo available, but Google has a satellite view suggesting a tower perhaps 15 m (49 ft) tall. This might be the original lighthouse, which had a focal plane height of 10 m (33 ft). Île Vache is an island about 13 km (8 mi) long lying off Haiti's southwestern peninsula. The island has several resorts, among the few in Haiti. Located at the eastern tip of the island. Site status unknown. Admiralty J5370; NGA 14158.
Pointe Gravois (2)
1960s(?) (station established 1925). Inactive. White steel tower with a red lantern. No photo available, but Google's satellite view suggests that a tower survives at this station. Located at the southwestern tip of the Gravois peninsula in far southwestern Haiti. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS-007.

Gulf of Gonâve Lighthouses
Grande Cayemite (Grande Île des Cayemites) (2?)
Date unknown (station established 1925). Active(?); focal plane 16.5 m (54 ft); very quick-flashing white light. 13 m (43 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery and a small lantern. Lighthouse painted white, lantern red. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view of the station. The original lighthouse was described similarly but had a focal plane height of only 13 m (43 ft). Grand Cayemite is an elliptical island, about 13 by 5 km (8 by 3 mi) in dimensions, lying in the Gulf of Gonâve off the north coast of Haiti's southwestern peninsula. Located at the northernt tip of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty J5380; NGA 14164.
Pointe Ouest (2)
Date unknown (station established 1925). Active(?); focal plane 85 m (279 ft); four white flashes every 15 s. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery and a small lantern. Entire lighthouse painted white. A view from the sea is available, and an indistinct Google satellite view shows the station. An earlier lighthouse had a focal plane of 16 m (52 ft). This lighthouse warns ships approaching the Île de la Gonâve, a large island in the Gulf of Gonâve west of Port-au-Prince. The island is 60 km (37 mi) long and 15 km (9 mi) wide. Located on the western point of Île de la Gonâve. Site status unknown; there are no roads in this area. Admiralty J5382; NGA 14168.
* Pointe du Lamentin
Date unknown (station established 1864(?)). Active; focal plane 32 m (106 ft); white flash every 3 s. 29 m (95 ft) quadrupod cast iron tower with lantern, gallery, and central cylinder, painted white; lantern dome painted green. A photo by Capt. Theodor Hinrichs is at right, and Google has a satellite view. This is a historic lighthouse of architectural significance. Freelance photographer Patrice Dougé has a photo of the lantern; he comments that the lighthouse "sustained some damage during the quake," but that damage has been repaired. The lighthouse is located on a peninsula jutting into the Baie de Port-au-Prince at Carrefour, about 5 km (3 mi) west of the city. Carrefour is a very poor neighborhood and casual travel there is not advisable, but the lighthouse should be visible from ships arriving in Port-au-Prince. Site status unknown. ARLHS HAI-001; Admiralty J5390; NGA 14192.
#Port-au-Prince Range Front
Date unknown (station established 1917). Destroyed by the earthquake of January 12, 2010. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) cathedral tower with the light mounted near the top. The cathedral was white; the dome of the tower was gold. The light was attached to the cupola atop the north tower of the Cathédrale de Port-au-Prince; it is just barely visible in this photo (look on the left side of the rear tower). Eric Tremblay has another photo of the cathedral, but Google's most recent satellite view shows the devastation caused by the quake. Located in downtown Port-au-Prince. Site and cathedral open, tower closed. ARLHS HAI-008; Admiralty J5396; NGA 14196.
Pointe du Lamentin Light
Pointe du Lamentin Light, Carrefour, February 2013
contributed photo copyright Capt. Theodor Hinrichs
used by permission
* Port-au-Prince Range Rear
Date unknown (station established 1917). Active; focal plane unknown; white light occulting once every 3 s. NGA says the light is near the southwest corner of Fort Alexandre, but it is not visible in this photo of the fort. No further information available. Located on the heights behind Port-au-Prince. Site status unknown, but the fort is probably open. Admiralty J5396.1; NGA 14200.
Les Arcadins
1882. Active; focal plane 12.5 m (41 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) cylindrical cast iron tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white; lantern dome is black. Lynette Behnke's photo is at right, an April 2009 photo is available, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. This lighthouse is a typical 19th century French tourelle, one of many installed all around the world. The three small islands known as the Arcadins are hazards in the Canal de Saint-Marc (St. Mark Channel), which separates the mainland from the Île de Gonâve, about 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Port-au-Prince. Located on the Île du Phare, the central and largest of the three islands. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS HAI-006; Admiralty J5402; NGA 14220.
Pointe de Saint-Marc
1924. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); nine quick white flashes every 15 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) skeletal tower, painted white. The light is on the cape at the left edge of a panoramic view (click on the photo for enlargement), and Google's satellite view confirms a skeletal tower on a square concrete base. This light marks the entrance to the Canal de Saint-Marc (St. Mark Channel). Probably accessible only by boat. Located on the point, about 20 km (13 mi) southwest of Saint-Marc. Site status unknown. Admiralty J5404; NGA 14224.
Pointe Lapierre
1928. Active(?); focal plane 97 m (318 ft); seven very quick white flashes followed by one long white flash every 10 s. White square stone tower, according to NGA. Google's satellite view suggests a short square tower with a ruined keeper's house. Located on a steep headland on the north side of the entrance to the Baie de Gonaïves, about 15 km (9 mi) west of the city of Gonaïves. Site status unknown. Admiralty J5406; NGA 14228.
Phare des Arcadins
Phare des Arcadins, January 2008
Flickr photo copyright Lynette Behnke; used by permission

North Coast Lighthouses
Cap du Mole St. Nicolas (?)
Date unknown (station established 1922). Active; white light occulting every 3 s. NGA reports a "white tower" without specifying either the height or the focal plane. The 1948 Admiralty list listed a 4 m (14 ft) "white house, red lantern" with a focal plane height of 46.5 m (153 ft). A Google satellite view probably shows the station. One would expect a lighthouse at this location, on the extreme northwestern tip of the island facing the Windward Passage. ARLHS HAI-002; Admiralty J5408; NGA 14230.
Île de la Tortue Pointe Ouest (2?)
Date unknown (station established 1924). Active (?); focal plane 23.5 m (77 ft); two white flashes every 6 s. 14 m (46 ft) white skeletal tower on a triangular base. No photo available, and clouds block Google's satellite view. The Île de al Tortue, also known by its Spanish name Tortuga, is a substantial island off the north coast of Haiti. It was a well-known base for pirates during the heyday of Caribbean piracy, roughly 1630-1680. Located at the western tip of the island. Site status unknown, probably open. ARLHS HAI-005; Admiralty J5414; NGA 14232.
Pointe Picolet (1)
1895. Inactive. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) cast iron quadrupod tower with lantern, gallery, and enclosed watch room. Bob Roswell's photo of the abandoned and rusting lighthouse appears above. Roswell also has a closeup and a photo taken inside the tower, the lighthouse is seen on the right in an aerial photo of the cape, and Huelse has a historic postcard view of the lighthouse. The light station is not easy to find in a Google satellite view of the cape; the shadow of the tower is barely visible in the center of the view. Prefabricated in France, this lighthouse is (or was) a remarkable architectural monument. The active lighthouse at Ruhnu, Estonia, is the only other known surviving quadrupod tower. Located on a promontory sheltering the harbor of Cap-Haïtien, on the north coast of Haiti. Accessible only by boat. Site open; Roswell climbed part way up the tower but found it too dangerous to continue. ARLHS HAI-004.
Pointe Picolet (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown but probably at least 100 m (328 ft); white flash every 4 s. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical white concrete tower. The lighthouse is seen near the top of an aerial photo of the cape. This light is apparently quite recent, since it has only appeared recently in a Google satellite view. According to NGA, it is a powerful light with a range of 55 km (35 mi). Located high above the historic lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. Admiralty J5410; NGA 14231.

Information available on lost (or at least inactive) lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Turks and Caicos Islands | East: Dominican Republic | West: Jamaica | Northwest: Cuba

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Posted January 4, 2007. Checked and revised September 18, 2012. Lighthouses: 14. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.