Lighthouse History

1911: Tom Slough, who had been blinded in an accident, opened classes for the blind at Kingsley House. This resulted in the organization of The Louisiana Commission for the Blind.

1915: The Louisiana Commission for the Blind, made up of blind individuals and their friends, began meeting at 1336 Camp Street. The goal was to provide meaningful employment for the blind. The co-founder and first Executive Director was Mrs. May Collins Vorhies.

1919: The group relocated to the City Hall Howard Annex Building and called the offices, The Workshop for the Blind.

1920: On May 20, 1920, The Louisiana Commission for the Blind became chartered. The first officers and Board members listed in the charter were:
Dr. J.W. Newman, President
Miss Anna Kennedy, Vice-President
Rabbi Emile Leipzinger, Vice-President
Wilfred Miltenberger, Vice-President
Mrs. M. Gromback, Recording Secretary
Mrs. Tinette Lichenstein, Corresponding Secretary
Rev. Father Peter Wynhoven, Treasurer
Mrs. Henry Alcus, Financial Secretary
Miss Anna McConnell, Secretary in Point
William Dunn, Assistant Secretary in Point
Dr. Henry Blum
Mrs. Finley D. Ross
Mr. S. J. Schwartz
Mrs. Edwin Lazard
Mrs. R. L. Skinner
Miss Olga Kaufmann


1922: After the end of World War I, the city government needed space in the Howard Annex Building. Some Lighthouse operations were moved to 1618 Calliope Street.

1924: The Lighthouse purchased and moved into its own building at 743 Camp Street, which previously housed the Central Hotel and Fletcher Equipment and Supplies. It was renovated to accommodate Lighthouse manufacturing. The building was a familiar landmark with a lighthouse modeled after the Milneburg Lighthouse at the lakefront.

1930: The charter was amended and the name for The Lighthouse was changed to The Lighthouse for the Blind of New Orleans.

1938: October: 43 blind workers formed the Protective Association for the Blind, Christian Nunemacher chaired the association. They went on strike for collective bargaining rights, preference over sighted workers and the resignation of the present Board of Directors. Their complaints consisted of working conditions, over production and the shortage of funds due to the fact that a previous employee had absconded with $12,000 of Lighthouse funds, bringing on the existing financial problems. At the time, The Lighthouse was producing mostly mops and brooms for government and commercial sale.
 

1938: November: The Department of Treasury issued a determination letter recognizing The Lighthouse as both a 501(c) (3) organization being exempt from Federal income tax and as a public charity under section 509(a) (2).

1939: March 17th, E. T. Colton was elected as the new president of the Board of Directors. On March 28th, the blind workers returned to work.

1941: Community Chest, the predecessor of United Way, produced a short film for its new campaign. It included scenes from Lighthouse workers in manufacturing. This same year, The Lighthouse increased its minimum wage to $8.00 per week.

1942: The Lighthouse increased its minimum wage to $10.00 per week. Salaries ranged from $10-$22 per week.

1947: The Lighthouse purchased a four story building at 639 Camp Street. The building previously housed Eli Lilly & Company and was directly across from the main Post Office. Operations began in April of the following year.

1948: February: The Lighthouse noted that as many as 6 complaints a day were being received from people who had been solicited by telephone to buy brooms and mops from individuals representing themselves as speaking for the organization.
 
1948: June: At this time 63 blind individuals worked at the Lighthouse. Their salaries ranged from $17 to $40 per week. The Police Department and Checker Cab Company provided free transportation for many of them to and from work.

1948: June: The Lighthouse installed a new switchboard with a Braille attachment and hired a blind operator. The State of Louisiana contacted The Lighthouse to request the training of 10-12 blind young women on the new phone system.

1948: November: The Mayor of New Orleans issued a proclamation to designate the week of Nov. 7-13, 1948, "The Lighthouse for the Blind of New Orleans Week." The Lighthouse held a week long open house for the public to tour the new facility on Camp Street.

1949: July: The Lighthouse moved from a Board operated agency to staff operated agency to be overseen by the Board of Directors.

1950: The Lighthouse established a Social Services Department. The purpose of the department was to see to the medical, personal, recreational, and mental needs of the blind employees.

1951: May: The Social Services Department expanded to include dictating equipment for training purposes and experimental equipment for home use.

1951: June: The Lighthouse participated in a program with the International Refugee Organization and the American Foundation for the Blind (IRO-AFB). The purpose of the program was to resettle blinded displaced persons from the European area. The Lighthouse selected Rade A. Lettica as its protégé for relocation to the United States.

1952: July: The Lighthouse sold the 630 Camp Street Building and purchased property at 123 State Street.

1952: September: The Lighthouse leased property at 820 Magazine Street and temporarily relocated operations to the new space.

1952: December: The Board of Directors formed a Special Services Committee to determine the blind service activities that would be incorporated at the new State Street facility upon completion of the building.

1954: The Lighthouse initiated a Capital Campaign to raise the dollars necessary to construct an administrative building on its State Street property. The campaign raised $133,000 towards the cost of the $275,000 building.

1956: On Sunday, March 4th, The Lighthouse for the Blind dedicated its new building on State Street with the Honorable F. Edward Hebert, Congressman as principal speaker.

1956: Also in March, several of the Board members’ wives formed a group called The Women’s Auxiliary. The primary purpose of this group would be to carrying on certain public relation activities and to augment the work of the professional and compensated staff.

1957: On February 26th The Lighthouse dedicated its new Libby-Dufour Auditorium.

1957: On March 21st , The Lighthouse amended its charter to change its name to "The Lighthouse for the Blind in New Orleans."

1957: May: The Ladies Auxiliary secured a Braille writer for use in the Special Services Department.

1949-1962: Under the management of William Bartram, The Lighthouse enlarged its workshop programs to include a sewing room and a subcontract operation. This provided more work for blind and visually impaired persons than the traditional mop and broom manufacturing program.

The Lighthouse also inaugurated programs that were not related to employment. As previously mentioned, the agency began focusing on social services by hiring a social worker. The Lighthouse "Hobby Shop" began which encouraged elderly blind persons to come and learn simple handicrafts. The Lighthouse eventually started selling these crafts for profit to purchase more materials and to support recreation development. As part of the recreation program, other fun projects developed such as drama groups, Mardi Gras Carnival Balls, swimming classes, bowling lessons and an annual week-long summer camp for the blind.

Under Mr. Bartram’s leadership The Lighthouse manufacturing and service programs continued to grow. Thus, the need for more manufacturing and warehouse space became prevalent. In 1958, The Lighthouse built a 5,400 square foot raw material warehouse. It was producing several different types of brooms, mops, sheets and pillowcases. In 1961, a smaller warehouse, titled warehouse "B," was constructed for additional raw storage space.

In September of 1959 The Lighthouse began the first of its children’s programs in the form of a consultant service to parents of blind children of pre-school and school age.

1962: August 25, after 13 years of careful, painstaking and dedicated service to The Lighthouse for the Blind, William Bartram and his wife died in a tragic car accident while vacationing in Florida.

1963: The Lighthouse published its first newsletter, "The Lighthouse for the Blind News Bulletin," written and edited by Lighthouse staff member, Sonora Carver.

1963: September: The Lighthouse collaborated with Tulane Ophthalmology Clinic in a glaucoma screening program called The Tulane Lighthouse Eye Disease Clinic. Tulane University housed the program, which was managed by 1 paid employee and 10 volunteers. By 1964, the program quickly grew to serve 50 clients per week.

1965: Due to the growth of the Eye Disease Clinic, The Lighthouse expanded the clinic hours and increased the number of volunteers to maintain the consistent flow of patients.

1968: The Lighthouse began a program for reproducing textbooks in Braille for blind students.

1969: The Eye Disease Clinic closed due to Tulane University’s space limitations.

1970: After a period of inactivity with the eye clinic, The Lighthouse and Lighthouse Ladies Auxiliary collaborated and provided funding for a mobile clinic called The Eye Anomalies Detection Program.

1970: May: The Lighthouse purchased property on Front and Alonzo Street from Geagan Lumber Company. The property had a large warehouse, a small 2-story office building and a four unit apartment building.

1970: July: The Braille Textbook program expanded to include large type print and books on tape.

1971: The Lighthouse transferred The Eye Anomalies Detection Program trailer, van and visual aid items to The Louisiana State Board of Health to travel the state and deliver free eye screenings to children of all ages.

1972: The Lighthouse purchased the rights of the Alonzo Street land that went to Leake Avenue from the City of New Orleans. This purchase increased the Lighthouse property to approximately 3 acres.

1973: April: Mr. Edwin T. Colton, after serving 34 years as Board President, resigned. The Board elected Dr. James H. Allen as the new President.

1974: The Lighthouse received certification to transcribe books on tape for the Library of Congress Talking Book Program.

That same year The Lighthouse built an additional warehouse, joining warehouse B with the administrative building.

1976: January: The Lighthouse leased the upper floor of the Qvistguard-Peterson Building (formerly the apartments) to the newly organized Radio for the Blind and Print Handicap.

1983: August: The Lighthouse established a Low Vision Service, which was housed on the lower floor of the Qvistguard-Peterson Building. Two ophthalmologists, Dr. Robert Baxter and Dr. Ralph Nix, a technician and a secretary staffed the clinic.

1989: The Low Vision Service Clinic closed, due to space constraints and a decline in the number of patients.

1994 – 1996: The Lighthouse began to experience financial difficulties, due to low government orders in the products that were being manufactured.

1996: The Lighthouse hired Bill Price, formerly with Signature Works, as the new President for his expertise in manufacturing and production. Mr. Price had 22 years experience in business which included retailing, product development, engineering and manufacturing of government and commercial products. Mr. Price moved The Lighthouse from a low tech to a high tech manufacturing facility, placing it in line with other industries of its type. The Lighthouse is now a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that is driven by the production of new, high volume, commercially competitive products. While under the direction of Mr. Price, it has expanded services to the blind and visually impaired community and has begun working with the government on service contracts.

1999: The Lighthouse purchased a cup machine to begin manufacturing 4 different types of paper cups for the government.

2000: Through a grant from Baptist Community Ministries, The Lighthouse partnered with Tulane University to conduct a survey of blind and visually impaired people in the region to discover needs that they had that were not being met by other agencies. As a result of this survey, The Lighthouse instituted an Information and Referral Line to give people quick access to community resources. The Lighthouse also recognized the need for a competitive job placement program, a visual aids store, and a clinic that catered to low vision individuals.

2004: The Lighthouse renovated the front portion of its administrative building to accommodate for new services growth. The building now houses a new Braille Transcription Center, a Low Vision Clinic, a Daily Living Skills classroom (complete with full kitchen), and Magnifiers and More, the only visual aids store in the Gulf South.

2005: On August 29, Hurricane Katrina flooded the Gulf Coast, paralyzing the New Orleans area. In an effort to produce the cups necessary to fill existing government orders, Bill Price made the quick and strategic decision to move Lighthouse cup operations to Crystal Springs, Mississippi, where they remain today until a permanent location can be found in Louisiana.

2005: October: The Information and Referral Center, Social Services, and the Daily Living Skills programs immediately started assisting clients who were now living in an unfamiliar city with very limited resources.

2005: November: The Lighthouse re-opened its manufacturing facility. Manufacturing included the production of paper towels and bio-degradable deck swabs. The repackaging program included paper plates, mess trays, and a variety of household scrubbers.

2006: The need for services for the blind and visually impaired community continued to grow. Every year new programs and services are implemented or increased to accommodate those needs.

2008: The Lighthouse purchased a third cup machine and increased the types of cups it produced to 18.

2009: Recognizing the government and nation’s desire for biodegradable paper products, The Lighthouse developed 12 more different types of cups with biodegradable paper, thereby having the ability to produced 30 different types of cups.

Since 1996, under the direction of Bill Price, The Lighthouse has steadily increased its revenue and expanded its programs. Each year it continues evolving to meet the needs of the blind and visually impaired community by creating jobs, developing new programs, and providing quality products. The Lighthouse has a proud history and a bright future. It has been a New Orleans tradition for almost 100 years and will continue to grow with the needs of the blind and visually impaired community of Southeast Louisiana.