Lighthouses of the United States: Louisiana

The United States of America is a federal union of 50 states and a capital district. The state of Louisiana is located on the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River. New Orleans, located on the river about 100 miles (160 km) above the mouth, is the state's largest port; other ports along the south coast serve offshore oil platforms. The state's coastline is everywhere low and marshy, posing a challenge for lighthouse builders.

Named for King Louis XIV, Louisiana was founded with the first settlements at Natchitoches in 1714 and at New Orlens in 1718. The colony was transferred to Spain in 1762, returned to France in 1801, and then sold to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Organized initially as the Territory of Orleans, Louisiana was admitted to the Union as the 16th state in 1812.

On 29 August 2005 Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans and all of the eastern half of the Louisiana coast. On 24 September Hurricane Rita swept through Cameron Parish at the western end of the state, swamping most of the coast that Katrina had missed. These twin disasters 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. But this was 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, Frank's Island, Pass Manchac, and Southwest Pass Entrance Lights have all been lost in the last 30 years, and there remain five more Louisiana lighthouses on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. (Note: here and elsewhere in the Directory the symbol # indicates a lighthouse lost since 2000.)

Navigational aids in the United States are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard but ownership (and sometimes operation) of historic lighthouses has been transferred to local authorities and preservation organizations in many cases. Louisiana lights are the responsibility of the Coast Guard's Eighth District based in New Orleans. Sector New Orleans covers most of the state while Sector Houston-Galveston manages the southwestern coast.

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.


New Canal Light, New Orleans, August 2019
Google Map photo by Carol Hutchison

General Sources
Louisiana Lighthouses
Historical accounts and photos posted by Kraig Anderson.
Online List of Lights - United States East Coast
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Lighthouses in Louisiana
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
List of Lighthouses in Louisiana
Index to Wikipedia articles.
World of Lighthouses - Gulf Coast of U.S.
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Leuchttürme USA auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center: Light Lists
The USCG Light List can be downloaded in pdf format.
NOAA Nautical Charts
Nautical charts for the coast can be viewed online.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for Louisiana.
 
 

West Rigolets Light (now lost), New Orleans, July 2004
(destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005)
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Lsuff

Lake Pontchartrain and New Orleans Area Lighthouses

Lake Pontchartrain is a large brackish lagoon, 40 miles (65 km) long from east to west and as much as 24 miles (39 km) wide. At its eastern end the lake is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by a twisting passage called the Rigolets (pronounced RIG-uh-leez). The city of New Orleans is built on an isthmus between the lake and the Mississippi River.

St. Tammany Parish Lighthouses
#Rigolets Entrance Range Rear
Date unknown. Inactive since 2022 and since removed. 47 ft (14.5 m) square cylindrical skeletal tower mounted on a square platform supported by piles. No photo available. but Google has a satellite view but Bing's satellite view confirms the removal. Located north of the Rigolets in a channel of the Pearl River Delta. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ex-USCG 4-10835.
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 vertical black stripe on the range line; 250 mm lens.Brandi Kemp's photo is at right, Larry Myhre has a 2010 photo, Ethan Eckman has a 2021 photo, Dana Causey has a 2008 photo, Ramon Orellana has a 2022 sunset photo of the light in action, Lighthouse Digest featured the lighthouse in the January 2005 issue, the Coast Guard has a historic photo taken in 1918, and Google has a sea view and a satellite view. 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, the lantern of the lost Pass Manchac lighthouse, and the 3rd order clamshell Fresnel lens from the lost Chandeleur Light. In 2003 the museum announced a preservation plan calling for a 230-foot pier to protect and provide access to the lighthouse. After the lighthouse was automated the 1-story wood keeper's house (1887) was sold and moved three times, first by a doctor who used it as his residence, and then by another resident who moved it to Main Street. The house was donated to the museum in 2003 and relocated to the museum grounds in April 2004. The lighthouse escaped serious damage during Hurricane Katrina but there is increasing concern that rising sea level is damaging its foundation. In the summer of 2008 the brickwork was restored and the lighthouse repainted; Donnie & Connie Shackleford's November 2008 photo shows the results. In September 2012 Hurricane Isaac flooded the lighthouse, ripping off the door and destroying the lowest stairs of the stairway. A new steel door, donated by a local foundry, was installed in 2014. In 2015 a new group, Friends of the Lighthouse Keepers Cottage, formed to work for the restoration of that building. Current restoration plans call for the construction of a bulkhead, breakwater, pier and dock. Permits are secured for the work but the price tag for the job is about $2 million. Fundraising is underway. In 2017 a developer proposed to build an RV park and marina on surrounding land with a road and a bike path to provide access to the lighthouse. In 2020 $1.6 million in funds from the Gulf of Mexico Security Act were allocated to shore up the eroded land around the lighthouse. Located in the marsh on the north bank of Lake Pontchartrain southwest of Madisonville. Accessible only by boat but visible from the extreme south end of Main Street (highway 1077) 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 4-11325.

Tchefuncte River Range Rear Light, Madisonville, May 2019
Google Maps photo by Brandi Kemp

Tangipahoa Parish Lighthouse
#Pass Manchac (4)
1857 (station established 1839). Inactive since 1987; ruins collapsed in Hurricane Isaac in September 2012. Charted as an obstruction. This was a 40 ft (12 m) ruined round cylindrical brick tower, formerly attached to a keeper's house (the house was demolished in 1952). The Coast Guard has a 1914 photo of the active light station. The lighthouse was a longtime resident on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. Matthew Barkley's 2005 photo is at right and Hermann Alb has an October 2007 photo. Lighthouse Digest has a January 2001 feature story on the lighthouse and a photo of the light tower while it still had its lantern. The abandoned tower began to lean alarmingly in the early 1990s. Title to the lighthouse was transferred to the state and a $250,000 state appropriation in 2001 helped launch a restoration effort. In 2002 the lantern broke in two while being removed for restoration; since restored, the lantern is now displayed at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum. Pilings were placed around the lighthouse but this failed to stop the continuing lean. The pilings did help save the tower during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 (photo at right) but the lighthouse finally collapsed during Hurricane Isaac in 2012. Google has a sea view and a satellite view of the ruins, now marked by a light on one of the pilings of the destroyed light station (focal plane 17 ft (5 m); quick-flashing red light). Pass Manchac is the channel that connects Lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain at the western end of the latter. Built on the north side of the entrance to Pass Manchac from Lake Pontchartrain, the lighthouse site is now located about 300 m (0.2 mi) offshore in Lake Pontchartrain. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner: State of Louisiana. Site manager: Lake Maurepas Society. ARLHS USA-582. Warning light: USCG 4-11592.
Pass Manchac Ruins
Pass Manchac Light (now lost), Lake Pontchartrain, 12 October 2005
photo copyright Matthew Barkley; used by permission

Orleans Parish (New Orleans City) Lighthouses
**** New Canal (4)
2012 reconstruction of 1890 lighthouse (station established 1838). Reactivated (inactive 2005-2012, now privately maintained); focal plane about 50 ft (15 m); two white flashes every 5 s. 32 ft (10 m) square 2-story frame keeper's quarters on pilings, surmounted by a square cylindrical tower. Building painted white with red roofs. Carol Hutchison has the fine 2019 photo at the top of this page, Anderson has an excellent page with photos, Rita O'Brien has a closeup photo, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The light station originally marked the entrance to the New Basin Canal, which was filled in around 1950. The 1890 building was built offshore in the lake but fill had brought its location onshore by 1910. The Louisiana State Library has a historic photo from this era, and Huelse has a postcard view from around 1906. 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. After many delays the Foundation secured a lease of the lighthouse from the Coast Guard in September 2006. The lighthouse was severely damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in August and September 2005, and on November 28 it collapsed to the ground. Wikimedia has a photo showing the lighthouse after the hurricanes and Cole Wakefield has a July 2007 photo. Work to preserve the remains of the structure began in November; the wreckage of the building was dismantled and stored for use in rebuilding the structure. In 2007 the Foundation decided to disassemble the lighthouse and reconstruct it, using as much of the original material as possible. By summer 2009 the foundation had secured a building permit but substantial additional funding was needed to start work. In 2011 the Coast Guard transferred the property to the Orleans Levee District (now called the Flood Protection Authority - East), and in July a $439,000 contract was awarded to rebuild the building, with contractors hoping to use 50% original material. The lighthouse was rededicated and relit on 26 September 2012. The building opened as a museum on 19 April 2013. Located on Lake Pontchartrain at West End Boulevard and Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans. Site open, museum and lighthouse open daily except Sundays year round. Owner: Flood Protection Authority - East. Site manager: Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation . ARLHS USA-536; USCG 4-11180.
* Port Pontchartrain (Milneburg, Pontchartrain Beach) (2)
1855 (Danville Leadbetter) (station established 1832). Inactive since 1929. 42 ft (13 m) "dumbbell" style brick tower. Keeper's house destroyed. Andy Kralick's 2023 photo is at right, Kenya Allmond has a 2017 closeup, Daniel Lilienkamp has a 2014 photo, Allen Boudreaux has a street view, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was originally conical; the flared top was added in 1880. The Coast Guard has a historic photo of the 1855 tower before it was extended and Huelse has a historic postcard view. Endangered by lack of maintenance. The first lighthouse was built privately by Alexander Milne as part of a port development in the area. The lighthouse was originally located offshore in Lake Pontchartrain, but a large area of the lake has been filled over the years, and the lighthouse is now on dry land with its base buried about 8 ft in the fill dirt. The surrounding area was occupied by the Pontchartrain Beach amusement park from 1939 to 1983, but it is now included in the University of New Orleans's Research and Technology Park. In the 1990s a Hilton hotel was planned nearby; Hilton had agreed to restore the lighthouse as part of its development but these plans fell apart in the economic slowdown of 2001-02. Jeremy D'Entremont has 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. In 2018 the university used a $38,000 EPA grant to clean and stabilize the building. Engineers say the structure is sound but the lantern is badly rusted. Funds were being sought for a complete restoration. No major project has been announced but the 2023 photo at right show that the lighthouse has been cleaned and repainted. Located on the north side of Lakeshore Drive at Elysian Fields, on the University of New Orleans campus. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: University of New Orleans. . ARLHS USA-650.
#West Rigolets
1855 (Pierre G. T. Beauregard). Inactive since 1945; destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This was a 30 ft (9 m) square frame keeper's quarters on wood pilings, surmounted by a small lantern. Brick oil house. The National Archives has a historic photo of the light station. Abandoned and deteriorating rapidly, the lighthouse was long on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. Research by Digest correspondents determined that the light was sold into private ownership in 1946. 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. A March 2005 photo shows the lighthouse soon before its destruction by the hurricane. In October 2023 developer Vincent Marcello announced that he had purchased the site and planned to rebuild the lighthouse (on concrete pilings) as a fishing camp. 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.

Port Pontchartrain Light, New Orleans, May 2023
Google Maps photo by Andy Kralick
Hibernia Bank
1921. Inactive. 350 ft (107 m) building topped by an ornamental tower. The tower was apparently listed as a navigational aid during the 1920s and 1930s, although its navigational value would have been slight. Lighthouse Digest has a February 2006 feature on the building and Google has a satellite view. In 2006 the bank was acquired by Capital One Bank. Today the tower is spotlighted with multicolored lights at night; a photo is available. Located at 313 Carondelet Street in downtown New Orleans. Owner/site manager: Capital One Bank.
Governor Nicholls
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 24 m (79 ft); red flash every 4 s. Approx. 19 m (62 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery. Next to the lighthouse is a Coast Guard harbor control building mounted atop a warehouse. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. During periods of high water traffic around the very sharp Algiers Bend of the Mississippi is restricted to one direction at a time; during these periods the lighthouse displays a green flash every 5 s if upstream traffic can proceed and a red flash every 5 s if it must anchor. Located on the north side of the river at the east end of the Governor Nicholls Wharf near the foot of Esplanade Avenue in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Site and tower closed. Admiralty J3913.695; USCG 4-13850 (normal light) and 13855 (warning light).

Jefferson Parish Lighthouse
* Gretna
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 12 m (39 ft); green flash every 4 s. Approx. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical tower carrying a traffic control room with the light mounted on the roof. Lighthouse painted white. Trabas has one of Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photos, another is seen at right, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. During periods of high water traffic around the very sharp Algiers Bend of the Mississippi is restricted to one direction at a time; during these periods the lighthouse displays a green flash every 5 s if downstream traffic can proceed and a red flash every 5 s if it must anchor. Located on the south side of the river just west of the foot of Ocean Avenue in Gretna; the Mississippi River Trail, a bikeway, passes the tower. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3913.79; USCG 4-13880 (normal light) and 13885 (warning light).

Gretna Light, New Orleans, 2008
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

St. Bernard Parish (Chandeleur Islands) Lighthouses
The Chandeleur Islands are a narrow chain of barrier islands off the eastern coast of Louisiana, due south of Biloxi, Mississippi. The islands are disappearing rapidly due to the rising sea level and the decrease in sediment deposited by the Mississippi River.

#Chandeleur (3)
1896 (station established 1848). Inactive since about 2001; destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 100 ft (30.5 m) "Sanibel class" square pyramidal skeletal tower with central cylinder, 300 mm lens. The original 3rd order clamshell Fresnel lens is on display at Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville. Keeper's house destroyed. Capt. Robert Brodie has a March 2005 photo, Patrick Feller's photo from about 1986 is at right, and the Coast Guard has a photo of the light station as it appeared with all its buildings. Earlier towers were destroyed by hurricanes in 1854 and 1893; the Coast Guard has a historic photo of the second (1856) lighthouse. 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 29 August 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; ex-Admiralty J3648; ex-USCG 4-0350.
#Chandeleur (4)
About 2001. Destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This was a 66 ft (20 m) square skeletal tower with gallery. No photo available. The tower is no longer seen in Google's satellite view: notice the total absence of land! Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Breton National Wildlife Refuge. ex-Admiralty J3648; ex-USCG 4-0350.
Chandeleur (5)
2006. Inactive since 2009(?). 66 ft (20 m) square skeletal tower with gallery. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This light was listed in 2007 but it was dropped from the 2009 light list. It was not removed and it is now charted as a daybeacon. Located a short distance east of the site of the historic lighthouse. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Breton National Wildlife Refuge. ex-Admiralty J3648; ex-USCG 4-0350.

1896 Chandeleur Light (now lost), St. Bernard Parish, ca. 1986
Wikimedia Creative Commons photo by Patrick Feller

Plaquemines Parish (Mississippi Delta) Lighthouses

The Mississippi River has a classic "bird's foot" delta in which the entrances (called passes in Louisiana) radiate from a central point, the Head of Passes. Over the past 200 years the identity of the principal entrance for shipping has shifted around the delta from the northeast to the southeast and then to the modern principal entrance, Southwest Pass.

Pass à l'Outre and South Pass Lighthouses
#Franks Island
1823 (Winslow Lewis). Inactive since 1855; collapsed in 2002. The lighthouse was an old-style brick tower, originally 65 ft (20 m) high. The Coast Guard has a historic drawing of the building. For many years the abandoned tower could be seen projecting about 40 ft (12 m) above the water. Lighthouse Digest has Mary White's 1996 article on the history of the lighthouse with Bob Shanklin's photo of its appearance in the 1990s. Sometime in 2002 it collapsed. No one saw it fall. 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 à l'Outre
1852 (relocated here in 1855) (Danville Leadbetter). Inactive since 1930; charted as a landmark. Originally an 85 ft (26 m) round cast iron tower but now sunk in the mud, its height reduced to about 40 ft (12 m). Long abandoned and gravely endangered, the lighthouse is on the 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. The Coast Guard has a historic photo of the light station in 1893. 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. A June 2021 photo is at right and Anderson has Richie Blink's aerial photo showing the present appearance of the lighthouse. Google has a good satellite view. Located in the entrance to Pass à l'Outre, about 12 mi (19 km) east of Head of Passes. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Site manager: Delta National Wildlife Refuge. ARLHS USA-580.
 

Pass à l'Outre Light, Mississippi Delta, June 2021
Instagram photo posted by Delta Discovery Tours
 
South Pass (Range Rear) (Port Eads) (4)
1881 (station established 1832). Inactive since 2014. 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 1st order 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. Tom McNeely's photo is at right, Clint Eaves has a 2015 photo, Cheyenne Grant has a 2017 photo, a 2023 view from the pass is available, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse itself was not seriously damaged by the hurricane but since it is now abandoned it must be considered endangered. In 2013 the new buildings of the Port Eads Marina were built at the station. The marina closed in 2019 but Plaquemines Parish officials were hoping it could be revived. The lighthouse is a sibling of the 1871 Southwest Pass Light, a design somewhat similar to the offshore lights of the Florida Keys. The original lighthouse was destroyed by a storm in 1841 and its wooden replacement (1842) quickly decayed. The Coast Guard has a historic photo of the third lighthouse, built in 1848. The former front range light was a skeletal tower (1947) located on the jetty on the west side of the South Pass entrance. (The jetty has disappeared, but a light on pilings is operated near its former location.) 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: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Plaquemines Parish. ARLHS USA-774; ex-Admiralty J3688.1; ex-USCG 4-0405.
Cypress Leading
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 42 ft (13 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off, visible only on or within 6° of the leading line. 42 ft (13 m) square skeletal tower carrying a diamond-shaped black and white daymark and mounted on a platform supported by piles. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo and Google has a satellite view and a very distant river view. This light guides outbound (southbound) vessels entering the South Pass from the main stem of the river. Located on the west bank of the South Pass about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Head of Passes. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Admiralty J3708.1; USCG 4-12660.
South Pass Light
South Pass Light, Mississippi Delta, July 2009
ex-Panoramio photo copyright Tom McNeely; used by permission

Southwest Pass Lighthouses
#Southwest Pass Entrance (1)
1962. Demolished by the Coast Guard in 2007. The lighthouse was an 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 were painted red with white trim, keeper's house painted white. The Coast Guard also has a aerial photo taken in 1965. We don't know what damage this lighthouse sustained during Hurricane Katrina, but in the fall of 2007 the lighthouse was demolished and replaced (see next entry). ARLHS USA-1101.
Southwest Pass Entrance (2)
2007 (station established 1962). Active; focal plane 122 ft (37 m); white flash every 10 s. 122 ft (37 m) triangular skeletal tower with gallery, mounted along with a small equipment shelter on a rectangular platform supported by three steel piles. Platform and piles painted orange. The station also has an array of weather instruments as a NOAA C-MAN station. Trabas has Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo (seen at the bottom of this page) and Google has a satellite view. To resist hurricane-driven waves, the platform is at least 40 ft (12 m) above the water. 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. Admiralty J3714; USCG 4-0420.
Southwest Pass Entrance Range Rear (three towers)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 65 ft (20 m); continuous white light visible only on the range line. 65 ft (20 m) square skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower also carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo of the main light and Google has a satellite view. This is the outermost range for ships entering the Mississippi. To the east and west are shorter (45 ft, 14 m) towers with rear lights defining the east and west boundaries of the channel; they carry diamond-shaped daymarks, green and white on the west and red and white on the east, and display lights 3 s on, 3 s off, green on the west and red on the east. Capt. Peter also has photos of the west side and east side rear lights. Located on the west side of the entrance just inside the west jetty. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Main light: Admiralty J3722.1, USCG 4-12690; east light: Admiralty J3722.6; USCG 4-12710; west light: Admiralty J3722.51; USCG 4-12720.
Southwest Pass (3)
1871. Inactive since 1962(?); charted as a landmark. 130 ft (40 m) octagonal pyramidal skeletal tower with a 2-story cast iron keeper's quarters and central cylinder. Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo is at right, Sheehan Merritt has a 2023 photo, the Coast Guard has a historic photo, and Google has a satellite view. Abandoned and gravely endangered, the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. The lighthouse survived Hurricane Katrina without major damage. Located on the west side of Southwest Pass, about 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the entrance light. The marshy site is almost inaccessible. Site status and site manager unknown. ARLHS USA-779.

1871 Southwest Pass Light, Mississippi Delta
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission
Southwest Pass (2)
1839 (station established 1832). Inactive since 1871; charted as a landmark. Ruined round old-style brick tower, originally 65 ft (20 m) tall. The lantern was removed long ago. Capt. Peter Mosselberger's photo is at right, the Coast Guard has a historic photo, and Google has a satellite view. Due to poor foundation work, this gravely endangered tower has had a lean since soon after it was built. The lighthouse stands in the marsh about 0.8 mi (1.3 km) northeast of the 1871 light, and it was still standing after Hurricane Katrina. Site status and site manager unknown. ARLHS USA-1100.

Head of Passes Lighthouses
Southwest Pass Head Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 48 ft (15 m); continuous white light visible only along the range line. 48 ft (15 m) square skeletal tower mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower also carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a satellite view. This range guides outbound vessels into the north end of the Southwest Pass. Located on the east side of the channel about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Head of Passes, where the several outlets of the river diverge. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Admiralty J3784.1; USCG 4-12920.
[Head of Passes (5?)]
Date unknown (station established 1852). Active; focal plane about 40 ft (12 m); three red flashes, in a 2+1 pattern, every 6 s. Fog horn (two blasts every 20 s) sound continuously during the winter. Approx. 40 ft (12 m) square cylindrical skeletal tower mounted on a square wood platform supported by piles. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a satellite view. Head of Passes is the point where the Mississippi River splits into the various branches of its remarkable birds-foot delta. This is the zero point for mileage on the river. The history of the light station is mostly unknown. The original lighthouse was the cast iron tower moved to Pass a l'Outre in 1855 (see above). It was replaced by a light in the dormer window of the keeper's house, and then in 1863 by a light on a wood skeletal tower. Jared Troth has a historic photo of a fourth light, a tall pyramidal skeletal tower. The present light stands at the end of a collapsing jetty separating the Southwest and South Passes. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-367; Admiralty J3790; USCG 4-12945.
Cubits Gap Range Rear
Active; focal plane about 49 ft (15 m); continuous green light visible only along the range line. Approx. 49 ft (15 m) square skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower also carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a satellite view. This range guides vessels headed downstream into the Head of Passes. Located on the east side of the river about 1 mile (0.6 km) north of the Head of Passes. Accessible only by boat. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Admiralty J3793.1; USCG 4-12955.

1839 Southwest Pass Light, Mississippi Delta
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

South Coast Lighthouses

Jefferson Parish Lighthouse
Barataria Bay (Fort Livingston) (3)
Date unknown (around 1945; station established 1856). Inactive. Approx. 50 ft (15 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white and mounted on the northwest corner of Fort Livingston. The first lighthouse, an octagonal brick tower, was largely destroyed by a hurricane in 1893. It was replaced by a square wood skeletal tower in 1897; the Coast Guard has a photo of that lighthouse. It was replaced around 1945 by a steel skeletal tower seen in a 1974 National Park Service photo. Chris Trahan has a 2016 photo, GenaMarie Frazier has a distant view, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. A web page for the fort has several photos. The light has been moved to a post just offshore (focal plane 37 ft (11 m); yellow flash every 2.5 s); this light is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey). Site open, tower closed. ARLHS USA-035. Active light: Admiralty J3929.8; USCG 4-15860.

Lafourche Parish Lighthouse
Belle Pass Range Rear (Port Fourchon)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 67 ft (20 m); green light, 3 s on, 3 s off, visible only on the range line. There is also a passing light showing a green flash every 4 s at a focal plane of 12 ft (3.5 m). 67 ft (20 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has a photo and Google has a satellite view and a very distant street view. This range guides vessels approaching Port Fourchon, the principal seaport supporting the oil platforms off Louisiana's south coast. The port is at the mouth of Bayou Lafourche, off Louisiana highway 1 about 15 miles (25 km) southwest of Grand Isle. Located on the east side of the channel opposite the port facilities. Accessible only by boat. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Admiralty J3954.1; USCG 4-16985.

Terrebonne Parish Lighthouses
Houma Navigation Canal B (Outbound) Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 65 ft (20 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 65 ft (20 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. There's also a passing light showing a white flash every 4 s at a focal plane of 14 ft (4 m). The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The seat of Terrebonne Parish, Houma is a city of about 35,000 residents. It has an important shipyard serving the offshore oil and gas installations and since 1962 it has been connected to the gulf by the 36 mi (58 km) long Houma Navigation Canal. Located in Terrebonne Bay about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of the entrance to the Houma Navigation Canal and 9 miles (15 km) southeast of Cocodrie. Accessible only by boat. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. USCG 4-17860.
Houma Navigation Canal A (Inbound) Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 55 ft (17 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 55 ft (17 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located in Terrebonne Bay about 4 miles (6.5 km) southeast of the entrance to the Houma Navigation Canal and 5 miles (8 km) southeast of Cocodrie. Accessible only by boat. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. USCG 4-17775.
Ship Shoal
1859. The lighthouse has been inactive since 1965 but the Coast Guard has mounted two quick-flashing white obstruction warning lights on the corners of the lower platform at a focal plane of 17 ft (5 m). 125 ft (38 m) octagonal pyramidal screwpile tower with 2-story cast iron keeper's quarters and central cylinder. A photo is at right, the Bayou Guide Service has a page for the lighthouse, and the Coast Guard has a historic photo of the lighthouse in service, but the lighthouse is not shown in Google's satellite view. This historic lighthouse, an engineering marvel when it was built, is abandoned, rusting, leaning, and endangered. It is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. In the 1990s the city of Berwick hoped to move this lighthouse to its Lighthouse Park but there were no funds for accomplishing this feat. In 2019 city officials revived this plan, although the source of funds is still not clear. Facing a Coast Guard deadline of March 2021, the city hoped to disassemble the lighthouse and bring it onshore in sections by the end of 2020. When this didn't happen the city asked for a bill of sale to take ownership of the tower. The move is still intended but it's not clear when or if it might occur. If the move is accomplished another large sum would be needed for restoration. Located about 35 mi (55 km) southwest of Cocodrie and about 20 mi (13 km) offshore. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-759. Warning lights: Admiralty J3957; USCG 4-0730.

Ship Shoal Light, Gulf of Mexico
photo by Newell Slaughter for
Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation

St. Mary Parish Lighthouses
Point au Fer Reef (2)
1975 (station established 1916). Inactive since 2011. 44 ft (13 m) skeletal tower. The tower also carried a square daymark painted green. Next to the tower is a small beacon on piles (focal plane 17 ft (5 m); green flash every 4 s). No photo available but Google has a satellite view. The Coast Guard has a 1945 photo of the original lighthouse and a 1974 aerial photo taken shortly before the light station was deactivated. The station was burned in September 1976 after the South Lafourche Cultural and Historical Society declined ownership. Located in the entrance to Atchafalaya Bay about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Point Au Fer Island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS USA-613; ex-USCG 4-0755. Active light: Admiralty J3978; USCG 4-18700.
* Southwest Reef (relocated to Berwick)
1858. Inactive since 1916. 40 ft (12 m) square cast iron tower on four iron pilings. Entire structure painted bright red. Jimmy Emerson's photo is at right, C.M. Hanchey has a closeup, T. Rick has a 2019 closeup, Patrick Feller has a nice 2010 photo, the Coast Guard has a historic photo of the original light station, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This lighthouse has an unusual design, although the North Pierhead Light at Erie, Pennsylvania, 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. Located on Bellview Front Street at Lima Street in Berwick, across the bayou from Morgan City. Site open daily, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Town of Berwick. . ARLHS USA-780.

Calcasieu Parish Lighthouses
Calcasieu Channel D Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 63 ft (19 m); red light at night and white by day, 3 s on, 3 s off, visible only on the range line. 63 ft (19 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has a photo by Capt. Theo Hinrichs and Google has a satellite view. The range guides vessels following the dredged Calcasieu Ship Channel across Calcasieu Lake to the city and port of Lake Charles. Opened in the 1920s, the channel has a depth of 40 ft (12 m) and stretches for 30 miles (48 km) from the Gulf. Located on the east side of the Calcasieu Waterway and north of the Intracoastal Waterway, in marshland opposite the end of Burton Shipyard Road. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Site status unknown. Admiralty J3991.06; USCG 4-21750.
Southwest Reef Light
Southwest Reef Light, Berwick, January 2008
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Jimmy Emerson

Cameron Parish Lighthouses
Calcasieu Channel A Range Front (2) (Calcasieu Pass)
2013. Active; focal plane 47 ft (14.5 m); continuous red light. 47 ft (14.5 m) triangular cylindrical skeletal tower. Trabas has an extreme closeup by Capt. Theo Hinrichs and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This light is at the original location of the rear tower of the range but new range towers were built in 2013. The Calcasieu Channel is a dredged waterway through the pass and Calcasieu Lake to the city of Lake Charles. This light is the successor to the 1876 Calcasieu lighthouse, which was very similar to the Southwest Reef light (pictured above). Located in an Omega Protein facility. Site and tower closed, but there is a good view from LA 27, which follows the west side of the channel. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3988; USCG 4-21325.
Calcasieu Channel A Range Rear (2)
2013. Active; focal plane 45 m (148 ft); continuous red light. 145 ft (48 m) triangular cylindrical skeletal tower. Trabas has Capt. Theo Hinrichs's photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located beside LA 82, 1.1 mi (1.77 km) north of the front light. Site status unknown (appears open in the street view). Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J3988.1; USCG 4-21335.
Calcasieu Channel C Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 55 ft (17 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off, visible only on the range line. 63 ft (19 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Theo Hinrichs's photo and Google has a satellite view. The range guides outbound vessels following on a long reach across Calcasieu Lake. Located on the west side of the Calcasieu Waterway about 1 mi (1.6 km) north of the A Range Rear Light. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Site status unknown. Admiralty J3989.41; USCG 4-21550.
Calcasieu Channel B Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 60 ft (18 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off, visible only on the range line. 60 ft (18 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Theo Hinrichs's photo and Google has a satellite view. The range guides inbound vessels in the Calcasieu Waterway approaching Calcasieu Lake. Located on the west side of the Calcasieu Waterway at the southern edge of Calcasieu Lake. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Site status unknown. Admiralty J3989.36; USCG 4-21535.
Sabine Pass East Jetty (2)
Date unknown (station established 1924). Active; focal plane 42 ft (13 m); continuous white light. 33 ft (10 m) square cylindrical skeletal tower carrying a diamond-shaped black and white daymark. Fog horn (two blasts every 20 s) sounds continuously during the winter. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (seen at right) and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse, seen in a Coast Guard photo, was still standing into the 1990s, but we do not know when it was replaced. The Sabine River forms part of the boundary between Louisiana and Texas. The east jetty, in Louisiana, is about 3.5 miles (6 km) long, and much of it is underwater at high tide. Located at the end of the jetty. Accessible only by boat. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS USA-713; Admiralty J4000; USCG 4-1105.

Sabine Pass East Jetty Light, Cameron Parish
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission
Sabine Jetty Range (Range B) Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 50 ft (15 m); red light occulting once every 4 s, visible only on the range line. 50 ft (15 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower, mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a satellite view. The range guides vessels in the channel between the east and west jetties. Note: Additional range lights of the Sabine waterway are described on the Southeast Texas page. Located just off the east bank of the river a short distance north of the base of the east jetty. Accessible only by boat. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J4006.1; USCG 4-22480.
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. Brick oil house, unroofed. Endangered by past neglect, the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. William Conger's 2023 photo is at right, Dale Stagg has a 2017 photo , a 2021 closeup is available, Charles Braun has a closeup 2018 street view, the Digest featured the lighthouse in a 1997 article, the Coast Guard has a historic photo, and Google has a satellite view. 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 along the levee from LA 82 to a point across a bayou from the lighthouse, 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 agreed to extend an all-weather road from its liquified natural gas terminal upsteam to the lighthouse. There was little or no work on the lighthouse for several years after the area was hit by Hurricane Rita in 2005, but in 2010 the Alliance began work on a new fund drive. In August 2017 the Alliance announced a partnership with McNeese State University; engineering students would study the lighthouse and help design the restoration. In 2019 the International Chimney Corporation added tension bands around the tower to stabilize the structure, and during the winter of 2019-20 volunteers worked to address some of the immediate structural problems. Fundraising for additional restoration was underway in 2020. In August 2021 the Alliance announced it had raised the funds needed to restore the stairway in the tower. In February 2023 volunteers discovered several original steps buried in sand at the base of the tower; this allowed historically accurate steps to be cast. The staairway project was beginning in late 2023. 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. Site and tower closed. The lighthouse is distantly visible from the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site in Sabine Pass, Texas, across the Sabine River. Owner: Cameron Parish. Site manager: Cameron Preservation Alliance. . ARLHS USA-714.

Sabine Pass Light, Cameron Parish, June 2023
Google Maps photo by William Conger
Port Arthur Canal Range D Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 76 ft (23 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. Approx. 72 ft (22 m) square skeleton tower. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a satellite view. The range guides outbound vessels. Located on the east side of the Sabine River in the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site and tower closed. Site manager: Cheniere Energy. Admiralty J4022.1; USCG 4-22790.
Sabine-Neches Canal Range O Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 54 ft (16.5 m); red flash every 4 s, visible only on the range line; also a passing light, red flash every 4 s at a focal plane of 10 ft (3 m). 54 ft (16.5 m) square skeletal tower mounted on a square platform supported by piles. The tower carries a rectangular daymark colored red with a white vertical stripe. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. This range guides vessels on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway eastward across the north end of Sabine Lake. Located in the Sabine River on the north side of Shell Island, a short distance above Sabine Lake. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. USCG 4-23090.

Information on lost lighthouses:

  • Amite River (1880-1934), west side of Lake Maurepas. Nothing remains of this lighthouse. ARLHS USA-1099.
  • Balize (1700s), Spanish tower at the Mississippi River entrance near Pilottown. Apparently there was a substantial lighthouse but almost nothing is known about it. ARLHS USA-1230.
  • Bayou Bonfouca (1848-1862), northeast coast of Lake Pontchartrain near Slidell. The lighthouse was destroyed during the Civil War and was not replaced. ARLHS USA-070.
  • Bayou St. John (1811-1924), New Orleans shore of Lake Pontchartrain. There were four lighthouses here, the last one (1882) being a cottage screwpile lighthouse in the lake. Nothing remains of them. ARLHS USA-044.
  • Calcasieu River (1876-1940). This lighthouse was replaced by range lights (see the Calcasieu Channel A Range Front Light above). Huelse has a historic postcard view. ARLHS USA-101.
  • Cubits Gap (1891-1960s?), Mississippi River about 3 miles (5 km) north of Head of Passes, near Pilottown. It was automated in 1961, but we don't know when it was deactivated and demolished. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo of the modern Cubits Gap Light on a small platform in the river and Google has a satellite view. ARLHS USA-208. Active light: Admiralty J3800; USCG 4-13025.
  • East Rigolets (1833-1923), east end of the Rigolets channel. Deactivated in 1878. Anderson has a historic photo of the lighthouse. Ruins of the lighthouse are said to be visible in the water. ARLHS USA-261.
  • Oyster Bay (Oyster Bayou) (1904-1970s), off the entrance to Oyster Bayou southeast of Point Au Fer. Deactivated in 1975, this cottage screwpile lighthouse was demolished. There are no longer any lights for this bayou entrance. ARLHS USA-575.
  • Point aux Herbes (1875-1950s), southwest corner of Lake Pontchartrain. This screwpile cottage lighthouse was burned by vandals during the 1950s. A fragment of the pile foundation was visible until recently but the piles are no longer seen in Google's satellite view. ARLHS USA-642.
  • Point Defer (Point Au Fer) (1827-1859), entrance to Atchafalaya Bay. This lighthouse was replaced by the Southwest Reef Light (see above); there is no light on the point today. ARLHS USA-1231.
  • Proctorsville (1848-1860), south end of Lake Borgne. The cottage screwpile lighthouse built in 1858 lasted only two years before being destroyed by a hurricane. ARLHS USA-1232.
  • Shell Keys (1859-1867), offshore from the Vermilion Bay entrance. The lighthouse was destroyed by a hurricane in October 1867. There is a small beacon near the site today. ARLHS USA-1233. Active light: USCG 4-20135.
  • Timbalier Bay (1857-1985), entrance to Timbalier Bay west of Port Fourchon. The first lighthouse was destroyed by the hurricane of October 1867. The second (1875) collapsed in 1894. The fourth lighthouse was deactivated in the 1950s but survived until it was destroyed by Hurricane Juan in 1985. ARLHS USA-850.
  • Trinity Shoal (1873; never completed), Atchafalaya Bay. Ruins are now underwater.
  • Vermilion Bay (1841-1855), Marsh Island, on the east side of Southwest Pass, the entrance to Vermilion Bay. This lighthouse was replaced by the Shell Keys lighthouse. ARLHS USA-1234.

Southwest Pass Entrance Light, Plaquemines Parish
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger; used by permission

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Mississippi | West: Texas

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index

Posted November 23, 2002. Checked and revised October 18, 2023. Lighthouses: 39. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.