Relics 2015: Still Standing

The lighthouse was built in 1837, just west of the mouth of the Tchefuncte River where it empties into Lake Pontchartrain, south of the town of Madisonville. The lighthouse has been damaged many times: during the Civil War, by the many storms and hurricanes over the years, and now from shoreline erosion. Although only the lighthouse remains, and there is no access by land, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville maintains the complete history and leads conservation efforts.—Bill Lannes

Bill Lannes ran around New Orleans as a self-described “long-haired kid” in the early ‘70s. “You could have a turbulent time in those days,” said Lannes. But the rare quiet moment was found among friends. “We were always coming over to the Northshore to go fishing,” said Lannes. He first remembers seeing the Tchefuncte River Lighthouse in the ‘60s, fishing with his grandfather at the mouth of the river. 

When a longtime friend passed in February, Lannes thought back to their teenage years and the lighthouse he now connects with him. “It didn’t matter what kind of craft you were—he was there to guide you to safety and harbor. This man taught me to accept everybody.”

Now a Covington resident, Lannes took up photography four years ago. The sky stayed bright on the day pictured, though Lannes has braved choppy lake waters in the past to capture frames spackled with lightning.

He chose a black-and-white treatment for the picture of the lighthouse, reachable only by boat, to highlight the trace of the slight breeze across the tree branches. “All the moss gave it that movement. It just kind of struck me right.” 

Lannes paired the picture with a dedication: “In memory of a friend whose light shined for all vessels.” 

View more photos at flickr.com/photos/75465178@N05. Details on Relics 2015, our yearlong photography series, can be found here.