Illuminating exhibits
A lighthouse has stood near this spot along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain since 1838. The first was a cypress tower topped with a lantern, which was set about 1000 feet offshore. By 1843, many of the lighthouse’s timbers had begun to rot, which required a new one be built. In 1880, the Southern Yacht Club relocated from Biloxi, Mississippi, to New Orleans and their nearby building blocked the lantern’s light, rendering it useless. So the old lighthouse was sold for scrap and another was constructed in 1890, this one 16 feet taller than the original. This version was damaged by hurricanes in 1903, 1915, 1926, and 1927. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused further destruction in 2005, leaving the lighthouse a splintered and disassembled mess.
In 2006, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, owners of the lighthouse, signed a lease with the United States Coast Guard to restore it. All that could be salvaged was gathered, disassembled, and stored for re-use. The beacon was finally relit in 2012 and full reconstruction, incorporating materials from the 1890 lighthouse, was completed in 2013. Included in the modernized lighthouse is an education center, where you can take a self-guided tour to learn about the animal habitats of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin and what’s being done to address critical coastal issues such as flooding and pollution.
Info
Address 8001 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA 70124, +1 504.282.2134, www.saveourlake.org | Hours Mon–Sat 10am–4pm| Tip Just down the street, NOLA Flyboarding (7400 Lakeshore Dr) is the only licensed Flyboard dealer in the state. Flyboarding is a new water sport that allows you to “fly” on jets of water to heights of up to 35 feet. Lessons are available for those over age 12 and over 80 lbs.
One of the more interesting facts about the lighthouse’s history is that it has had five female keepers, some who demonstrated unusual heroism in the line of duty. Caroline Riddle, who took on the post in 1895, received commendations after she secured the lantern during a powerful hurricane. Margaret Norvell is remembered for several valiant rescues. She used the station’s rowboat to save a navy pilot who’d crashed his biplane into the lake. In 1925, she helped evacuate more than 200 passengers from a ferryboat that caught fire and sank near the lighthouse.
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