History buffs might be interested to know that three lighthouses once stood on Chandeleur Island, and prior to 1915 there was farming on the island and a fishing settlement.
The first lighthouse was 55 feet high, constructed of brick and went into service in March 1848. It was destroyed by a hurricane just four years later.
A second lighthouse, also of brick, was constructed in 1855. It was captured by Union forces during the Civil War but managed to survive the conflict intact.
However, in 1893 a hurricane left it with a severe lean, and a metal, skeletal framework tower replaced it in 1895.
That lighthouse stood for over 100 years, and survived many storms and hurricanes, including hurricane Camille in 1969.
In 1998 Hurricane Georges erased the island beneath the lighthouse and left it standing in about 3 feet of open water.
In 2005 Hurricane Katrina toppled it, and its remnants have never been found.
