Cubits Gap Lighthouse

Structure: Cubits Gap Lighthouse once stood as a vital aid to navigation on the mighty Mississippi River, positioned approximately three miles north of the crucial Head of Passes, near the small community of Pilottown. Erected in 1891, its purpose was to guide vessels through the intricate and ever-shifting waterways of the river's delta, a critical artery for commerce and trade. For decades, it served mariners navigating the challenging approach to New Orleans from the Gulf of Mexico. The original structure, whose exact form is now lost to time, was automated in 1961, marking a shift towards modern navigational technology. Sometime after the 1960s, the historic lighthouse was deactivated and subsequently demolished, its physical presence replaced by a more contemporary light mounted on a small platform in the river. While the original structure is gone, a modern light continues to mark the location, ensuring the safe passage of ships through this dynamic and economically significant stretch of the Mississippi. The area remains a bustling hub for river traffic, with the modern light carrying on the legacy of its predecessor.

Significant events: automated in 1961, deactivated and demolished