Legends and Lore of the Mississippi Golden Gulf Coast (16 page)

Enter the Friends of Gulf Island National Seashore. In 2000, a replica of the old tower was erected on the old foundation. Once again, the silhouette and light of a lighthouse could be seen. Unlike the other Ship Island Lighthouse, the replica had a very short life. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed the replica.

CHAPTER 24

T
HE
B
ILOXI
L
IGHTHOUSE

The Biloxi Lighthouse has been a symbol of hope to the people of Biloxi since 1848. The Mississippi state legislature passed a resolution on January 27, 1844, to have a lighthouse built in Biloxi. To accomplish this task, federal assistance and money would be needed. With the assistance of United States senators and representatives of Congress from Mississippi, who included Representative Jefferson Davis, legislation was brought before Congress. On March 3, 1847, Congress authorized the building of a lighthouse in Biloxi at a cost of $12,000.

The metal sheets were cast by Murray and Hazelhurst Vulcan Works of Baltimore, Maryland. The lighthouse's cast-metal sheets were shipped in sections on schooners and assembled in Biloxi. A brick foundation was placed, and the cast-metal sheets were bolted together. Once the cast iron was assembled, layers of brick were placed in the interior to create a brick liner. The work on the Biloxi Lighthouse was completed in the spring of 1848. The cast-iron lighthouse stood sixty-one feet tall. Inside the lighthouse there are fifty-five steps on the circular stairway and a ladder to cover the last few feet.

The first lighthouse keeper was Marcellus J. Howard, who served from 1848 to April 1854. Mrs. Mary Reynolds took over the duties on April 11, 1854, and served until 1866. She was the first woman to serve the Biloxi Lighthouse, but she would not be the last. Mrs. Reynolds appears to have adopted a large number of orphaned children. In 1861, she reported to Governor John Petus her fear that local men would steal the lighthouse oil and stated that the loss of her $400 a year salary would cause her large family of orphaned children to suffer. Due to the war, Mrs. Reynolds was most likely not paid her yearly salary. Around 1861, the local Confederate Home Guard removed the lighthouse lens and hid it. This was to prevent its use by Federal ships operating between Ship Island and the mainland. The lighthouse would remain out of service for over five years.

Biloxi Lighthouse in 1901.
Courtesy of Alan Santa Cruz Collection
.

Design drawing of the Biloxi Lighthouse that was built in 1848.
Courtesy of Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum
.

Perry Younghans, a New York native, was appointed lighthouse keeper on November 14, 1866. Then on November 15, 1866, the
New Orleans Times
reported that the Biloxi Lighthouse was shining seaward again.

Mr. Younghans had moved from New Orleans to Biloxi before the Civil War. His family operated the Back Bay Mill and Brick Yard, which was destroyed by Federal troops. Mr. Younghans reported for duty as lighthouse keeper with his wife, Maria, a native of New Orleans, and his nine-year-old daughter, Miranda.

During the 1866 hurricane, the lighthouse was undermined and in danger of toppling over. Workmen excavated the foundation until the tower righted itself, then shored up the tower and placed more rocks to strengthen its foundation. After years of bad health, Mr. Younghans died in 1867 at the age of fifty-three. His widow, twenty-five-year-old Maria Younghans, was appointed to take over the duties of her husband. The Younghans family served as lighthouse keepers for sixty-three years. The Younghans women were beginning sixty-two years of service at Biloxi.

In 1867, the Biloxi Lighthouse, as well as several other cast-metal lighthouses, was covered with black coal tar to prevent rust by orders of the Coast Guard. Due to the dark color, it was difficult to distinguish the lighthouse from the trees. Then in 1869, the coal tar was removed, and the lighthouse was repainted white.

The short time that it was covered in black coal tar fueled a legend that would find a place in local history and appear on historical markers as fact. The legend stated that the Biloxi Lighthouse was painted black and remained so to mourn the death of Abraham Lincoln. We may never know who started the rumor, but we do know that the news of Abraham Lincoln's death would have taken a very long time to reach this far south.

The South had fought a bitter struggle against the North and had been defeated, leaving most of the South destroyed. The news would have shocked the local population, but it would have been taken as the loss of an enemy. Abraham Lincoln, in time, would become known as a great American, but at this time, he was not considered so by most citizens of the United States, especially Southerners, who found themselves hungry and homeless, their worlds turned upside-down. So the legend that the Biloxi Lighthouse had been painted black in mourning for Abraham Lincoln was clearly not based on fact, though it would, in time, become an interesting legend and footnote in the history of the Biloxi Lighthouse and Mississippi's Golden Gulf Coast.

Biloxi Lighthouse, 1950s.
Courtesy of Alan Santa Cruz Collection
.

The duties of lighthouse keeper were to keep the light burning at all cost. During the early years, oil had to be carried up the fifty-five stairs and the ladder at the top to refuel the oil lamp. Eventually, a rope with pulleys would be used to accomplish the same. Lard oil was used at first, but during cold weather, it would congeal and would have to be thawed. Since it was not affected by the weather, kerosene oil replaced the lard. Though hard work, there was not much danger unless the task had to be done during bad weather or hurricane-force winds.

In October 1893, a severe hurricane struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The
New Orleans Times-Picayune
reported that Maria Younghans kept the lighthouse lit throughout the storm. Even though her home had several feet of water in it, Maria carried out her duties as lighthouse keeper. The storm surrounded the lighthouse with surging water that damaged the man-made breakwater surrounding it, but the lighthouse was not damaged. Due to her health, Maria was forced to retire about 1920. Miranda, who had helped her mother tend the lighthouse since 1867, was appointed to take over the duties of lighthouse keeper. Miranda served from 1920 to 1929. During the later years, she was assisted by her cousin Edna Holley. The Biloxi Lighthouse was converted to electricity in 1926, but during power failures, the oil lamps were put back in service until the power was restored.

In May 1928, W.B. Thompson was appointed lighthouse keeper, and he would be the last of a long line of keepers. He had previously served as lighthouse keeper for twelve years in Pensacola, Florida. He served until 1939, at which time the Coast Guard made the Biloxi Lighthouse a self-maintained lighthouse.

In 1941, the City of Biloxi purchased the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's home for $1,200. The property was to be designated for public use or returned to the government. Of course, in 1969, Hurricane Camille destroyed the lighthouse keeper's house and damaged the Biloxi Lighthouse. The lighthouse was restored in 1970, and tours were opened to the public.

Then in 2005, Katrina tore about ten feet of the interior brick liner and caused the lighthouse to have a slight lean to the northeast, but it is still standing. With Katrina still fresh in one's mind, it is easy to understand some of the hardships faced by these brave lighthouse keepers. Today, the restored Biloxi Lighthouse light shines as a beacon of hope to the people of Biloxi and Mississippi's Golden Gulf Coast.

CHAPTER 25

S
T
. M
ARTIN
'
S
M
IRACLE
M
AN

The words “miracle man” may make one think of a religious individual, a saint or possibly the name of a movie. In the 1920s, the term “miracle man” was given to individuals who supposedly cured people. During this period of time, medical treatments did not always help everyone, and this allowed individuals who were truly religious—as well as some con artists—to capture the minds of people in need. The St. Martin community's miracle man was Brother Isaiah.

Brother Isaiah was born John Isaiah Cudney on October 19, 1847, in Canada. He arrived in New Orleans in 1916. We know this because on April 12, 1920, the New Orleans police visited him at his houseboat on “Isle of Misery” near Audubon Park. Andrew Cudney sent a telegram stating that Brother Isaiah was his father. Andrew and his mother had identified him by comparing newspaper pictures with one of his father taken in 1885. John Cudney was a missionary for the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and had shipwrecked while steaming to the Pitcairn Islands. Of course, Brother Isaiah immediately denied that he was “one and the same” but did state for the police his place and date of birth. He indicated to police that he was a relative of “that John Cudney” and had himself heard him preach in Lincoln, Nebraska.

In New Orleans, he had many encounters with the law, the government and other religious leaders. On July 2, 1921, the
Times-Picayune
ran the headline “Isaiah Goes West to Miracle Hill.” It reported that the one-time sovereign of the “Isle of Misery” had moved to Los Angeles, California, to set up a commune called “Miracle Hill.” It appears the market was good in Los Angeles, as many were healed, and Brother Isaiah claimed that “thousands are healed just by looking at me.”

Brother Isaiah, the St. Martin “miracle man.”
Courtesy of Alan Santa Cruz Collection
.