Tchefuncte River Range Lights

Tchefuncte River Range
Rear Light
Location Mouth of the
Tchefuncte River, Louisiana
Coordinates 30°22′46.7″N 90°10′08.8″W / 30.379639°N 90.169111°W / 30.379639; -90.169111Coordinates: 30°22′46.7″N 90°10′08.8″W / 30.379639°N 90.169111°W / 30.379639; -90.169111
Year first constructed 1838
Year first lit 1868 (current tower)
Automated 1952
Foundation Stone
Construction Brick
Tower shape Conical
Markings / pattern White with black vertical stripe, black lantern
Focal height 49 feet (15 m)
Original lens 5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens 9.8 inches (250 mm)
Characteristic Isophase White 6s
Fog signal none now, bell in past
USCG number

4-10145[1][2][3]

Tchefuncte River Range Rear Light
Nearest city Madisonville, Louisiana
Area 0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built 1867
NRHP Reference # 86001684[4]
Added to NRHP July 14, 1986
Tchefuncte River Range
Front Light
Coordinates 30°22′42.55″N 90°10′10.16″W / 30.3784861°N 90.1694889°W / 30.3784861; -90.1694889
Year first constructed 1838
Tower shape Skeleton tower
Markings / pattern KRW
Focal height 25 feet (7.6 m)
Characteristic Quick flashing white
Fog signal none
USCG number 4-10140[1][2]

The Tchefuncte River Range Lights are a range that was first established in 1838 to aid vessels entering the river from the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. The original rear tower suffered during the Civil War and was replaced with the current tower in 1868. The new tower, ten feet taller than the first, was built on the same foundation, using some of the same brick. It was given a lantern which had been removed from Cat Island Light in Mississippi.

The rear tower has a black vertical stripe to serve as the range line in daytime. It sits on a spit of land, but is accessible only by boat. The front tower is marked with a standard USCG KRW daymark, with a red stripe between two white stripes. It is a skeleton tower and sits in open water.

The rear tower was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum is making efforts to restore and stabilize the light.[5]

1937 
1918 
1905 
The original tower, c1860 

References

The Light List[1] spells the river name "Tchefuncta", but that's in conflict with the U.S. Board on Geographical Names[6]

  1. 1 2 3 Light List, Volume IV, Gulf of Mexico (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 84.
  2. 1 2 "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Louisiana". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
  3. ↑ Rowlett, Russ (2010-01-06). "Lighthouses of Louisiana". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  5. ↑ "The Tchefuncte River Light Station". Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  6. ↑ "Feature Detail Report for: Tchefuncte River". USGS Geographic Names Information System. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
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