WayfarrowSouthwest Reef Light
Lighthouse · St. Mary County, Louisiana
Southwest Reef Light is a lighthouse in St. Mary County, Louisiana. Louisiana has 22 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 2 of them in St. Mary County.
It was built in 1858, in the Civil War era, making it the 4th oldest of the 9 in Louisiana with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 37 feet tall; it guards Gulf of Mexico; it was deactivated in 1916.
Status check, 2026-11: The square iron screwpile tower was moved from Atchafalaya Bay to a riverfront park in Berwick in 1987, which matches these coordinates. The record's 1848 date is wrong: most sources say 1858 (first lit 1859), though a few say 1856. Southwest Reef Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 29.6944° N, 91.2161° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1858 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 37 ft |
| Deactivated | 1916 |
| Body of water | Gulf of Mexico |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 29.69444, -91.21611 |
Nearby places
- Ameheghost town · Assumption County · 22.8 mi
- Netpinunshghost town · St. Mary County · 24.4 mi
- Point Au Fer Reef Lightlighthouse · St. Mary County · 24.5 mi
- Burbankghost town · Assumption County · 27.2 mi
- Burtonghost town · St. James County · 30.1 mi
- Minnieghost town · St. James County · 30.2 mi
- Forstallghost town · St. James County · 30.2 mi
- Gearyghost town · Ascension County · 30.9 mi
- Chopinghost town · St. James County · 31.8 mi
- Uncle Samghost town · St. James County · 33.3 mi
- Cedar Groveghost town · Iberville County · 33.4 mi
- Nicholleghost town · St. James County · 33.5 mi
Questions
Where is Southwest Reef Light?
Southwest Reef Light is in St. Mary County, Louisiana, at 29.6944, -91.2161.
How many lighthouses are in St. Mary County?
St. Mary County, Louisiana has 2 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.