Posted By: sandy
24 lighthouses, 4 lantern rooms, 6,271 miles, $1,011 for gas, 16 day - 07/06/08 05:49 AM
Stan and I left CT on June 5th for the New Orleans Regional. We stayed in Tennessee Thursday and arrived in New Orleans, LA around 5 PM, having traveled 1,233 miles.
Being able to put a face to the name(s) of many of the people contributing to the CF was especially neat and I was really tickled to spend time with everyone. Dave is to be commended for the super great job he accomplished in setting up the agenda. Heather is a sweetheart and her parents have to be very proud of her. Gather from previous information that Stephanie (Shortcake) gets a big THANK YOU!! as well. Night driving is getting more and more difficult for both Stan and me and we opted out of joining the others on some of the stops. We did, however, manage to see everything that everyone else did, just a little earlier in the day(s).
Paul and others have posted pics of Port Pontchartrain, the site of the lost New Canal, Southwest Reef, Tchefuncte River, Mobile Bay, Sand Island, and Biloxi so I won’t duplicate theirs.
The Pass Manchac refurbished Lantern Room is now located on the grounds of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum and is shown below. Pass Manchac was automated in 1941. In 1952 the dwelling was razed–tidal erosion by that time had the lighthouse located on an island. Abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1987 when the light was decommissioned, the Manchac Lighthouse Committee was formed in 1999 to take responsibility for the structure.
Its lantern room was removed for restoration in 2002 when phase 1 of a 2-phase restoration plan was initiated. The lantern room broke in two during the removal process. Mother Nature has submerged the base of the tower in several feet of water and drastic measures are necessary to save it. The tower is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and moving the tower would compromise the tower’s historical status, but it may have to be moved if it’s going to be saved.
There’s conflicting data on the lantern room: The historical marker for the picture shown below clearly indicates this is the refurbished lantern room from Pass Manchac. However, the information quoted below was gleaned from the internet during a search recently and I haven’t yet contacted either source to determine who has the authentic lantern room:
“The top of the 1868 Pass Manchac Lighthouse was recently saved, and is now on display on Louisiana Highway 22 in downtown Ponchatoula, Louisiana.”
Also on the grounds of the Museum is the refurbished Tchefuncte River Keeper’s Dwelling. The dwelling was moved to the town of Madisonville in the 1950s after the light was automated. A committee is working on fundraising and restoration efforts.
Stan and I left New Orleans on Tuesday and traveled to South Padre Island, TX to begin this odyssey.
First light seen on Wednesday was this faux light atop Knights Inn & Suites Hotel, South Padre Island:
Next stop was Point (Port) Isabel Light. This 50' brick tower exhibited its light for the first time in March of 1853. The original keeper’s dwelling was inadequate and a new one was completed in 1855. The lighthouse received a 3rd-Order Fresnel lens in 1857. The tower was deactivated during the War Between the States. Confederate soldiers used the lantern room (sans lens which they had removed for safekeeping) as a lookout for monitoring the movements of the Union forces. Union forces, however, were able to seize control but not before the opposing force caused considerable damage to the tower including damaging the clockwork mechanism used to revolve the lens. The ongoing war prevented repairs and the lighthouse was not reactivated until February of 1866. It received a new lantern room in 1881.
Decommissioned in 1905, the property stood vacant until 1927 when a private individual purchased it and then sold it to the Port Isabel Town Company for use in promoting the recently renamed city. The bluff surrounding the tower was lowered to form level city blocks, leaving the lighthouse perched on a small mound. Following bankruptcy of the town promoters during the depression, the State stepped in to save the lighthouse in 1947.
The square block on which the lighthouse stands is Texas’ smallest state park and is named Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historical Park. Fully restored in 2000, a replica of the keeper’s dwelling was built to house an interpretive display and the offices of the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce.
Next stop was a boat trip offered by Kohootz Dolphin Encounters who sail past Aransas Pass (Lydia Ann) Light. Privately owned since 1955, its current owner purchased the property in 1973 and has fully restored the station..
A keeper’s dwelling and 55' octagonal brick tower were completed in the early part of 1857. Its 4th-Order Fresnel lens was illuminated later that year. After the start of the Civil War (1861), the lens was removed for safekeeping. Control of the tower passed repeatedly between Confederate and Union forces. Gradual repairs to Texas’ lights occurred and in the spring of 1867, Aransas Pass Lighthouse was the last principal light along the coast to return to service.
Electrified in 1928 using diesel generators brought to power a newly-installed radio beacon, the station was staffed by a civilian keeper and three Coast Guard assistants after 1939. Together, they shared the responsibility for the lighthouse and 40 minor beacons marking the channels in the area.
Its 4th-Order Fresnel lens is on display in the Port Aransas City Hall.
Being able to put a face to the name(s) of many of the people contributing to the CF was especially neat and I was really tickled to spend time with everyone. Dave is to be commended for the super great job he accomplished in setting up the agenda. Heather is a sweetheart and her parents have to be very proud of her. Gather from previous information that Stephanie (Shortcake) gets a big THANK YOU!! as well. Night driving is getting more and more difficult for both Stan and me and we opted out of joining the others on some of the stops. We did, however, manage to see everything that everyone else did, just a little earlier in the day(s).
Paul and others have posted pics of Port Pontchartrain, the site of the lost New Canal, Southwest Reef, Tchefuncte River, Mobile Bay, Sand Island, and Biloxi so I won’t duplicate theirs.
The Pass Manchac refurbished Lantern Room is now located on the grounds of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum and is shown below. Pass Manchac was automated in 1941. In 1952 the dwelling was razed–tidal erosion by that time had the lighthouse located on an island. Abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1987 when the light was decommissioned, the Manchac Lighthouse Committee was formed in 1999 to take responsibility for the structure.
Its lantern room was removed for restoration in 2002 when phase 1 of a 2-phase restoration plan was initiated. The lantern room broke in two during the removal process. Mother Nature has submerged the base of the tower in several feet of water and drastic measures are necessary to save it. The tower is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and moving the tower would compromise the tower’s historical status, but it may have to be moved if it’s going to be saved.
There’s conflicting data on the lantern room: The historical marker for the picture shown below clearly indicates this is the refurbished lantern room from Pass Manchac. However, the information quoted below was gleaned from the internet during a search recently and I haven’t yet contacted either source to determine who has the authentic lantern room:
“The top of the 1868 Pass Manchac Lighthouse was recently saved, and is now on display on Louisiana Highway 22 in downtown Ponchatoula, Louisiana.”
Also on the grounds of the Museum is the refurbished Tchefuncte River Keeper’s Dwelling. The dwelling was moved to the town of Madisonville in the 1950s after the light was automated. A committee is working on fundraising and restoration efforts.
Stan and I left New Orleans on Tuesday and traveled to South Padre Island, TX to begin this odyssey.
First light seen on Wednesday was this faux light atop Knights Inn & Suites Hotel, South Padre Island:
Next stop was Point (Port) Isabel Light. This 50' brick tower exhibited its light for the first time in March of 1853. The original keeper’s dwelling was inadequate and a new one was completed in 1855. The lighthouse received a 3rd-Order Fresnel lens in 1857. The tower was deactivated during the War Between the States. Confederate soldiers used the lantern room (sans lens which they had removed for safekeeping) as a lookout for monitoring the movements of the Union forces. Union forces, however, were able to seize control but not before the opposing force caused considerable damage to the tower including damaging the clockwork mechanism used to revolve the lens. The ongoing war prevented repairs and the lighthouse was not reactivated until February of 1866. It received a new lantern room in 1881.
Decommissioned in 1905, the property stood vacant until 1927 when a private individual purchased it and then sold it to the Port Isabel Town Company for use in promoting the recently renamed city. The bluff surrounding the tower was lowered to form level city blocks, leaving the lighthouse perched on a small mound. Following bankruptcy of the town promoters during the depression, the State stepped in to save the lighthouse in 1947.
The square block on which the lighthouse stands is Texas’ smallest state park and is named Port Isabel Lighthouse State Historical Park. Fully restored in 2000, a replica of the keeper’s dwelling was built to house an interpretive display and the offices of the Port Isabel Chamber of Commerce.
Next stop was a boat trip offered by Kohootz Dolphin Encounters who sail past Aransas Pass (Lydia Ann) Light. Privately owned since 1955, its current owner purchased the property in 1973 and has fully restored the station..
A keeper’s dwelling and 55' octagonal brick tower were completed in the early part of 1857. Its 4th-Order Fresnel lens was illuminated later that year. After the start of the Civil War (1861), the lens was removed for safekeeping. Control of the tower passed repeatedly between Confederate and Union forces. Gradual repairs to Texas’ lights occurred and in the spring of 1867, Aransas Pass Lighthouse was the last principal light along the coast to return to service.
Electrified in 1928 using diesel generators brought to power a newly-installed radio beacon, the station was staffed by a civilian keeper and three Coast Guard assistants after 1939. Together, they shared the responsibility for the lighthouse and 40 minor beacons marking the channels in the area.
Its 4th-Order Fresnel lens is on display in the Port Aransas City Hall.