Tchefuncte River Range Lights

Tchefuncte River Range
Rear Light

Location	Mouth of the Tchefuncte River, Louisiana
Coordinates
Year first constructed	1838
Year first lit	1868 (current tower)
Automated	1952
Foundation	Stone
Construction	Brick
Tower shape	Conical
Markings / pattern	White with black vertical stripe, black lantern
Focal height	49 feet (15 m)
Original lens	5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens	9.8 inches (250 mm)
Characteristic	Isophase White 6s
Fog signal	none now, bell in past
USCG number	4-10145
Tchefuncte River Range Rear Light
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Madisonville, Louisiana
Area	0.1 acres (0.040 ha)
Built	1867
NRHP Reference #	86001684
Added to NRHP	July 14, 1986

Tchefuncte River Range
Front Light

Coordinates
Year first constructed	1838
Tower shape	Skeleton tower
Markings / pattern	KRW
Focal height	25 feet (7.6 m)
Characteristic	Quick flashing white
Fog signal	none
USCG number	4-10140

The Tchefuncte River Range Lights are a range that was first established in 1838 to aid vessels entering the river from the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. 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.

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.

Gallery for rear light

1937 1937  1918 1918  1905 1905  The original tower, c1860 The original tower, c1860

References

The Light List spells the river name "Tchefuncta", but that's in conflict with the U.S. Board on Geographical Names