Southwest Reef Light
Encyclopedia
Southwest Reef Light is a historic lighthouse
built in 1856 at the end of Southwest Reef in Atchafalaya Bay
, Louisiana
to replace lightship
s which had been stationed there for ten years. It served to guide vessels around the reef and into the main channel of the Atchafalaya River
. It was discontinued in 1916 after a new, shorter and deeper, channel had been dredge
d across the reef, making it obsolete. Point Au Fer Reef Light
took over its function.
It sat, rusting, in shallow water on the reef until 1987 when the town of Berwick, Louisiana
paid to have it moved about 25 miles upriver to a park in the town on the Atchafalaya River. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1991 as Southwest Reef Lighthouse.
The location given in the title bar and the National Register box is the current location in Berwick. The location given in the upper box is its original location on the reef.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
built in 1856 at the end of Southwest Reef in Atchafalaya Bay
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp, is the largest swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The river stretches from near Simmesport in the north...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
to replace lightship
Lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...
s which had been stationed there for ten years. It served to guide vessels around the reef and into the main channel of the Atchafalaya River
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River....
. It was discontinued in 1916 after a new, shorter and deeper, channel had been dredge
Dredge
Dredging is an excavation activity or operation usually carried out at least partly underwater, in shallow seas or fresh water areas with the purpose of gathering up bottom sediments and disposing of them at a different location...
d across the reef, making it obsolete. Point Au Fer Reef Light
Point Au Fer Reef Light
The Point Au Fer Reef Light was a lighthouse built in 1916 on Eugene Island in Atchafalaya Bay, Louisiana to mark a new channel across Point Au Feu Reef. It replaced Southwest Reef Light as the entrance light for the Atchafalaya River. The light was deactivated and replaced by a skeleton tower in...
took over its function.
It sat, rusting, in shallow water on the reef until 1987 when the town of Berwick, Louisiana
Berwick, Louisiana
Berwick is a town in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,418 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area....
paid to have it moved about 25 miles upriver to a park in the town on the Atchafalaya River. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1991 as Southwest Reef Lighthouse.
The location given in the title bar and the National Register box is the current location in Berwick. The location given in the upper box is its original location on the reef.