South Pass Light facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
South Pass Light

South Pass Light, Port Eads, Louisiana, in 1945
South Pass Light Location in Louisiana
Location	Plaquemines Parish
Coordinates	29°00′55″N 89°10′01″W / 29.01524°N 89.16685°W / 29.01524; -89.16685
Year first constructed	1832 (First) 1842 (Second) 1848 (Third) 1881 (Current)
Year first lit	1881 (Current)
Automated	1971
Tower shape	skeletal tower with circular house at base
Markings / pattern	White with black lantern
Current lens	DCB-224

The South Pass Light is a famous lighthouse in Louisiana, USA. It is also known as the Port Eads Lighthouse, South Point Light, or Gordon's Island Light. This lighthouse stands on Gordon's Island in Plaquemines Parish. It helps ships find their way into the Mississippi River Delta from the Gulf of Mexico. The light station was first built in 1831 and is still working today.

History of the South Pass Light

Building the First Lighthouse

In 1829, the U.S. Congress decided to spend money to build two lighthouses. These lighthouses were needed at the main entrances to the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico. One of them was for South Pass.

The first South Pass light station was built in 1831. It had a wooden tower on top of a wooden house where the keeper lived. A builder named Winslow Lewis was in charge of building it. He put his special lamps and reflectors in the lighthouse. These lamps were very common in American lighthouses back then.

Lewis chose to build the lighthouse on Gordon's Island. The island was named after Martin Gordon, a customs collector from New Orleans. The ground was very soft and marshy. The first keeper, Henry Heistand, lit the lamps for the first time on May 15, 1832.

Early Challenges and New Towers

The lighthouse faced many problems in its first 40 years.

• In 1839, large logs floating down the river hit the keeper's house.
• In 1841, a big storm completely destroyed the entire station.

A new wooden tower was built in 1842 on the other side of the Mississippi River. But this tower rotted away in just five years. So, a third tower was finished in 1848. This tower was made of wood and had eight sides. It was about 54 feet tall and had a round lantern at the top. The base of the tower was inside a house with a steep roof and a porch.

The Lighthouse During the Civil War

The light at South Pass worked well for many years. In 1851, a U.S. Navy officer reported that it could be seen from 12 miles away.

During the American Civil War in 1861, the light was turned off by Confederate soldiers. But Union forces turned it back on the next year. They put a new, special lens called a Fresnel lens in the tower.

A New Era for the Lighthouse

By 1867, the lighthouse was in bad shape. The United States Lighthouse Board asked Congress for money to build a new, stronger tower. This light was very important because it was often the first one ships from Europe and the Caribbean would see.

The need for a new lighthouse became even greater in 1876. That's when James Buchanan Eads started building a system of wooden jetties. These jetties helped make the river channels deeper. This stopped the shipping lanes from getting blocked by mud and sand. The work on these jetties was big news across the country.

After the jetties were finished, trade at the Port of New Orleans doubled! The small town around the lighthouse was even named Port Eads in honor of James Eads.

The Current Lighthouse Structure

Finally, in 1879, Congress gave $50,000 to build a new tower at South Pass. This tower was made of iron and was 105 feet tall. It had a very powerful first-order Fresnel lens. It was built about 100 feet southeast of the old tower. The new light was first lit on August 25, 1881.

In 1900, the tower was painted white with a black top. This helped ships tell it apart from the lighthouse at Southwest Pass.

In 1951, the old lens was replaced with a modern DCB-224 light. In 1971, the lighthouse became automated, meaning it no longer needed a keeper. The original first-order lens is now on display at the Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge.

The South Pass Lighthouse was the only building at Port Eads to survive Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. After the hurricane, the government spent money to rebuild the marina facilities at Port Eads. Now, it has places for boats to dock, refuel, and even rooms to rent. There's also a small restaurant.

Design of the Tower

The 1881 tower has a unique design. It has a cone-shaped frame made of eight slanted iron pillars. Inside, there's a round building that holds the spiral staircase leading up to the lantern.

This design is similar to many other lighthouses along the Gulf Coast and Florida Straits. Examples include the Alligator Reef Light and American Shoal Light. The iron frame has many smaller iron braces. These braces make the tower very strong against strong winds from storms. They also let the wind pass through the structure, which helps it stand firm. The large lantern was built big enough to hold the huge lens that was first put there.

Front Range Light

In 1886, a smaller light was added. It was placed on four wooden poles. This light worked with the main South Pass Lighthouse to create a "range light" system. Ships could line up the two lights to stay on the right path.

Later, in 1919, a wooden tower was built for this front light. It also had an air diaphone, which is a type of foghorn. In 1947, this wooden tower was replaced by a smaller iron tower. This smaller tower was also known as the South Pass West Jetty Light.

It's not known exactly when this front range light disappeared. The jetty it was on has since vanished into the sand. Today, a small light on poles operates in the same area where the front light used to be.

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