The Little Red Light House

In the last post I told of the ole brick lighthouse in Buras, Louisiana, that got destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. So while in the lighthouse frame of mind, I thought I'd tell yall a survivor's story about the little Red lighthouse. The 125 foot "Southwest Reef Lighthouse" was completed in 1859. Made of iron and standing on screw-type pylons, it was designed to survive hurricanes and warn mariners of the dangerous reefs of the Atchafalaya Bay. It's red light operated for only 2 years 'til the Confederate Army disabled it by removing the light lens and windows from the lighthouse, making it dificult for the Yankees to navigate the bay. The Union troops recaptured the light equipment, and the lighthouse resumed operations in 1865 and worked non-stop until 1916, when dredging operations had removed the shoal and made the little red lighthouse unnecessary. It sat in the bay, forgotten, for around 70 years and endured many storms, until the town of Berwick brought it to their city park and restored it. There it sits today, a true survivor, with a happy ending, which is rare in the case of lighthouse stories.