The Cat Island Light was a
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Lighthouses mar ...
located on
Cat Island off the coast of
Mississippi.
Originally built to guide shipping through the
Mississippi Sound, it was discontinued as traffic moved further south.
History
The first lighthouse at this location was erected in 1831, following an appropriation in 1827.
Construction was delayed by the need to survey and acquire land. The contract was given to
Winslow Lewis, who also constructed the
Pass Christian Light
The Pass Christian Light, in Pass Christian, Mississippi, was one of the first lighthouses built in Mississippi, the state. First lit in 1831, it was deactivated in 1882 and later demolished.
History
The Pass Christian Light, along with the Cat Is ...
under the same contract.
Lewis subcontracted construction of the Cat Island tower to Lazarus Baukens, who erected a conical brick tower to the same design as that used for the Pass Christian Light.
An 1854 inspection, however, revealed that the structure was set directly on the sand, with no foundation whatsoever.
It was provided with the lamp and reflector arrangement typical of such early lights. This was replaced in 1857 with a
Fresnel lens, and in 1859 a new lantern was constructed.
The tower was constantly threatened by erosion, and in 1856 funds were appropriated to move it; however, nothing ever came of this.
This followed the destruction of the original keeper's house in the 1855 hurricane.
The tower was damaged in a hurricane in 1860
and burned by the Confederates during the
Civil War.
After the war, the lantern was taken to be used for the
Tchefuncte River Range Rear Light
The Tchefuncte River Range Lights are a range that was first established in 1838 to aid vessels entering the Tchefuncte River from the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. The lighting apparatus was supplied by Winslow Lewis and consisted ...
,
and in 1872 the bricks were removed to be used as
riprap to shore up the failing
St. Joseph Island Light.
The previous year, a new lighthouse was erected, a square
screw-pile structure.
Erosion and storms continued to be problems, and in 1900 riprap was piled around the piles to stabilize it.
In 1937 the light was discontinued due to decreasing traffic through the area.
The house stood abandoned and eventually burned in 1961.
The iron foundation continues to stand and appears as a hazard on NOAA charts.
It is also a local fishing spot, known affectionately as The Bird Cage.
References
{{authority control
Lighthouses completed in 1831
Lighthouses completed in 1871
Lighthouses in Mississippi
Buildings and structures in Harrison County, Mississippi
Buildings and structures demolished in 1961