Biloxi, Pass Manchac, Tchefuncte River Lighthouses

Tchefuncte River Lighthouse

A delightful little visual surprise is the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse, which sits at the mouth of the Tchefuncte River, on Lake Pontchartrain, in Madisonville. This lighthouse was also built prior to the Civil War, and had also been destroyed and rebuilt, like so many others. Though it is supposedly still functional, it is not in use at the present time. It stands 43 ft. high, of brick and stucco construction, and was fitted with a fifth order fresnel lens.

It is also accessible mostly by boat, unless you care to wade through high marsh grasses, wearing boots and watching for snakes. The lighthouse was turned over to the town of Madisonville by the U.S. Coast Guard, and is intended to be one of the area tourist attractions in a proposed recreational area. The original light keeper's house has been moved upriver into the town of Madisonville.

Biloxi MS Lighthouse

Nearly everyone living in New Orleans has spent some time in Biloxi, MS, and is familiar with the Biloxi Lighthouse, standing 61 feet high in the middle of U.S. Highway 90. It was built before the Civil War, and like so many lighthouses, suffered damage from storms and neglect, and had to be restored.

To many, it was thought to be nothing more than a contrived tourist attraction, since it is in the middle of the highway, near souvenir shops and the "Shrimp Train" tour ride boarding area. It is, however, a functional lighthouse, still being used as a navigational aid, although the Coast Guard turned it over to the City of Biloxi in the 1960's.

Pass Manchac Lighthouse

There is a lighthouse in Lake Pontchartrain, just east of Pass Manchac, seven miles from land. I've also been told, that this lighthouse, like the one in Madisonville, has been turned over to the local community, by the U.S. Coast Guard, and that there are some plans to restore it.

I have not visited it, and have no photographs. I have no boat.