Type:
Year Established:
1904
Existing:
No
Source:
LL-1908
Download:
159s_Oyster_Bayou_LA_1945_CG1.jpg (2.75 MB)
File Type:
jpg (image/jpeg)
Photo Date:
1945
Photo Credit:
USCG
Photo Courtesy of:
U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office
Collection / Donor:
LOCATION
Location:
Easternmost Entrance Atchafalaya Bay
Latitude:
29° 21.18'
Longitude:
91° 13.03'
City / Town:
Berwick
U.S. State:
Louisiana
Country:
United States
OWNER & ACCESS
Open to Public:
No
STRUCTURE
Year Discontinued:
1975
Disposition:
Lantern and Structure Removed
Year Tower Established:
1904
Tower Construction Material:
Wood
Tower Foundation:
Pile with Platform
Height, in feet, from base of structure to center of lantern:
47.25 feet
Tower Shape:
Square Tower on Square Dwelling
Tower Daymark:
White
Fog Signal Building?:
No
Keeper's Quarters?:
No
Year Keeper's Quarters:
1904
Keeper's Quarters Construction:
Wood
Other Structures:
None
OPTICS
Original Optic Type:
Fifth Order, Fresnel
Year Original Lens Installed:
1904
Private Aid:
No
Year Automated:
1947
USCG Access to Optics:
No
Entered by:
Entered Date:
Jan 15, 2018
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Oyster Bayou, which connects the eastern end of Atchafalaya Bay to the Gulf, saw about 300 vessels travel up it annually with cargo holds full of oysters. Southerly gales often produced waves six or seven feet tall which inundated the surrounding marsh grass and hid the bayou entrance. With no landmark to indicate the bayou's position, vessels often sailed miles past before realizing their mistake. Lost time and distance could be deadly if racing a storm to port.
In 1902, the Lighthouse Board received $5,000 for a small wooden lighthouse to be built on short pilings. All four initial bids were rejected as excessive, so the Board decided to build the station using day laborers. A storm beached the ship carrying materials to the site, and most of the materials were lost. This delayed the project several months, and exhausted the original funds. New materials arrive in May of 1903, but funds were still lacking. By the spring of 1904, additional funds were received and the station completed. A fifth-order, red Fresnel lens was shown 47 feet above sea level, and was visible eight miles.
The station was automated in 1947. In 1975, the lantern was removed, but the small wood structure of piles served as an aid to navigation.