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The devastating earthquake in Haiti has drawn world attention to the plight of the people in this poor nation that have suffered in so many ways for so many years. Our hearts and prayers go out to their people and to the friends and relatives of those living there. As we know from other natural disasters it will take many years for this island nation to rebuild.
Since the devastating earthquake, we have received a number of inquiries asking about lighthouses in Haiti. Sadly, while we continue to uncover our own lost lighthouse history, we know almost nothing about the lighthouses in Haiti.
Lighthouses in Haiti would most likely have been built by the French prior to 1804 when Haiti gained its independence from France. After that, it is unclear if the country built its own lighthouses, such as Pointe du Lamentin, or if they were built by another government or entity. Reportedly, the United States Lighthouse Service (Bureau of Lighthouses) built some lighthouses between 1915 and 1934 during the United States occupation of the nation. Interestingly, President Franklin Roosevelt, when he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, wrote the constitution for Haiti.
If any of our readers can supply additional information we would appreciate hearing from you at editor@LighthouseDigest.com
This story appeared in the
March 2010 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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