$20 New Orleans Canal and Banking Co. - 1800's circa Obsolete Paper Money - Louisiana Currency Remainder

$20. New Orleans, Louisiana. The New Canal Light, also known as the New Canal Lighthouse or the New Basin Canal Lighthouse, was established in 1838 at the northern end of the New Basin Canal. This canal, which ran from Lake Pontchartrain to the Uptown or “American” section of the city, now known as the New Orleans Central Business District, was filled in around 1950. However, the lighthouse remained on a jetty extending into the lake, spanning a half-mile-long stretch of the canal that was left and is still used as a small boat and yachting harbor.

During the 2005 hurricane season, the lighthouse sustained significant damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The first floor collapsed, and its cupola fell off. In response, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation signed a lease with the United States Coast Guard in 2006 to repair the damaged lighthouse. The building was disassembled and stored. Construction of the lighthouse began in February 2012 and was completed in 2013 by Certified Construction Professional of New Orleans, LA.

In 1985, the New Canal Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it operates as the New Canal Lighthouse Museum and Education Center, managed by the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation. The museum’s exhibits showcase the history of the lighthouse, the environment and ecology of the Pontchartrain Basin, a Fresnel lens believed to have been present in the lighthouse during the early 1900s, the Foundation’s work, and local history and recreation.