Tchefuncte River Range Lights

The Tchefuncte River Range Lights are a range that was first established in 1838 to aid vessels entering the Tchefuncte River from the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. The lighting apparatus was supplied by Winslow Lewis and consisted of nine lamps with several fourteen-inch reflectors. 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.

Tchefuncte River Range
Rear Light
LocationMouth of the
Tchefuncte River, Louisiana
Coordinates30°22′46.7″N 90°10′08.8″W
Year first constructed1838
Year first lit1868 (current tower)
Automated1952
FoundationStone
ConstructionBrick
Tower shapeConical
Markings / patternWhite with black vertical stripe, black lantern
Tower height16 metre 
Focal height49 feet (15 m)
Original lens5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens9.8 inches (250 mm)
Range15 nautical mile 
CharacteristicIsophase White 6s
Fog signalnone now, bell in past
USCG number4-10145[1][2][3]
Tchefuncte River Range Rear Light
Nearest cityMadisonville, Louisiana
Area0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built1867
NRHP reference No.86001684[4]
Added to NRHPJuly 14, 1986
Tchefuncte River Range
Front Light
LocationSt. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, US
Coordinates30°22′42.55″N 90°10′10.16″W
Year first constructed1838
Tower shapeSkeleton tower
Markings / pattern KRW
Tower height16 metre 
Focal height25 feet (7.6 m)
Range15 nautical mile 
CharacteristicQuick flashing white
Fog signalnone
USCG number4-10140[1][2]

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]

Rear light
  • 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. Light List, Volume IV, Gulf of Mexico (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 84.
  2. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Louisiana". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  3. Rowlett, Russ (2010-01-06). "Lighthouses of Louisiana". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  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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