Southwest Pass Lighthouse

Oct. 17, 2019
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Southwest Pass Lighthouse, Southwest Pass of the Mississippi River, Louisiana

Original tower built in 1839, with a new skeletal tower built in 1873.  Re-built in 1965 with tower and platform, but was replaced in 2007 with a new metal skeletal tower.

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.
Land Asset Lighthouse