Type:
Year Established:
1858
Existing:
Yes
Source:
LL-1908
Download:
310b_Half_Moon_Reef_TX_CG1.jpeg (443.95 KB)
File Type:
jpeg (image/jpeg)
Collection / Donor:
LOCATION
Location:
Matagorda Bay, moved to mainland
Latitude:
28° 38.12'
Longitude:
96° 37.2'
City / Town:
Port Lavaca
U.S. State:
Texas
Location County:
Calhoun
Country:
United States
OWNER & ACCESS
Open to Public:
Yes
STRUCTURE
Year Discontinued:
1942
Year Tower Established:
1858
Tower Construction Material:
Wood
Tower Foundation:
Iron Screwpile (Original)
Height of light above mean high water, in feet:
35 ft
Height, in feet, from base of structure to center of lantern:
35 ft
Tower Shape:
Hexagonal
Fog Signal Building?:
No
Keeper's Quarters?:
Yes
Year Keeper's Quarters:
1858
Keeper's Quarters Style:
Platform Cottage
Keeper's Quarters Construction:
Wood
OPTICS
Current Optic:
Removed
Original Optic Type:
Lens Lantern, then 6th Order Fresnel, then 4th Order Fresnel
Year Original Lens Installed:
1858
Private Aid:
No
USCG Access to Optics:
No
Entered by:
Entered Date:
Jul 21, 2017
The only surviving wooden lighthouse in Texas, the Halfmoon Reef Lighthouse served the merchants and locals of Matagorda Bay for almost 100 years. In the early 1850s, the customs collector of Saluria recommended that a lighthouse be built to help support the brisk trade developing inside the bay. Local petitions supported his opinion, and Congress funded the project in 1854. After deciding upon a traditional screwpile structure, construction began on the ideal site, and in 1858 the light was lit. Halfmoon Reef originally held only a hand lantern 40 feet above the bay, but after mariners complained, a red Sixth-Order Fresnel Lens replaced the small lantern.
During the Civil War, Halfmoon Reef escaped intentional damage, but was left open to the elements without much care. Luckily, Confederate authorities had removed the lens for storage, and it was recovered and replaced in the lighthouse by Federal agents in 1866. However, the light remained unlit until 1868, as other, more critical coastal ports took precedence over those serving strictly internal navigation.
The lighthouse became dormant once again in 1886, when it was discontinued, as bay traffic had dropped to a level too low to justify the cost. However, shipping increased once again at the turn of the century, and the Lighthouse Board decided to revamp and relight the station. After replacing the woodwork and repairing the roof, the board added a new Fourth-Order Fresnel Lens, and the lighthouse was relit and back in service as of 1902.
In 1935, the light was downgraded to an eight-day lantern. The keepers were allowed to move ashore, and were able to take on the responsibilities of caring for several other lights along the Intracoastal Waterway. In 1942, the Coast Guard discontinued the light and sold the property. The new owner removed the lighthouse structure from its pilings and barged it ashore. Over the next few decades, it served as a private dwelling for several different families. Eventually, the tower was restored as an Eagle Scout Project, and became a public Museum.
See Halfmoon Reef (Museum) entry.