South Carolina Lighthouses

* Governors
1985. Active (privately maintained and unofficial); continuous white light. Approx. 50 ft (15 m) octagonal tower, painted with black and white horizontal bands. Built by a developer in honor of South Carolina's governors. Located on the Intracoastal Waterway just off US 17 in Little River. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Lightkeeper's Village.
Georgetown (North Island) (2)
1867 (extensively rebuilt 1812 lighthouse; station established 1801). Active; focal plane 85 ft (26 m); two white flashes every 15 s. 87 ft (27 m) old-style brick tower, painted white; solar-powered VRB-25 aerobeacon. 5º Fresnel lens used prior to 1999 on display at Georgetown Coast Guard Station. 1-story brick keeper's house; brick oilhouse (1890) and boathouse (1894) also preserved. This is a rare early federal lighthouse, although it was altered somewhat after the Civil War when its height was raised from 72 to 87 ft (22 to 27 m). Wilmoth also has a nice photo. Light station leased to the state in 1988 as part of a juvenile detention and rehabilitation center, but plans for this center were abandoned in 1990. In 2001, the light station was transferred to the state's Department of Natural Resources, which already owned the rest of the island as the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Preserve. Located on North Island on Winyah Bay opposite Georgetown. Accessible only by boat; cruises out of Georgetown visit the light station. Owner: S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources, Site manager: Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center Heritage Preserve. ARLHS USA-323; Admiralty J2582; USCG 3-0120.
Cape Romain (1)
1827 (Winslow Lewis). Inactive since 1858. Ruined 65 ft (20 m) old-style brick tower, no lantern. Endangered by isolation and neglect. Lower third of the rare wooden spiral stairway has disappeared. Stephen Wilmoth has current photos from a 2004 visit. Watch List. Site open, tower open but very hazardous. Owner: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Site manager: Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. ARLHS USA-134.
Cape Romain (2)
1858. Inactive since 1947. 150 ft (46 m) octagonal brick tower; upper half with vertical black and white stripes, lower half white. Keeper's house demolished in late 1950s. Located on Lighthouse Island (also called Raccoon Key) southeast of McClellanville. Endangered by isolation and neglect. Watch List. The tower has a long-standing lean of several degrees due to a faulty foundation. The lighthouse was painted and the windows were replaced in the early 1990s, but the rusting stairway is very dangerous. Lighthouse Digest has posted Stephen Wilmoth's account and photos of a 2001 visit. Wilmoth has current photos from a 2004 visit. Accessible only by boat, and there is no dock, so visitors must wade ashore; tours to the area are available from McClellanville. Guided tours (reservations required) are available occasionally from the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center in Awendaw. Site open, tower open but very hazardous. Owner: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Site manager: Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. ARLHS USA-133.
* Charleston (Sullivan's Island, New Charleston)
1962. Active; focal plane 163 ft (50 m); two quick white flashes, separated by 5 s, every 30 s. 140 ft (43 m) aluminum (steel-framed) trapezoidal tower with overhanging lantern, top half black, lower half white; DCB-24 aerobeacon. The last federal lighthouse built, and the only U.S. lighthouse with an elevator and air conditioning. The National Park Service is seeking ownership of the light station and plans to include it in the Fort Sumter National Monument, which already includes the Sullivan's Island Lifesaving Station adjacent to the lighthouse. Located on I'on Street off SC 703 in Sullivan's Island. Site open (free), tower closed; group tours can be arranged. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: USCG Group Charleston. ARLHS USA-825; Admiralty J2646; USCG 3-0195.
* St. Philip's Church (Fort Sumter Range Rear)
1893. Inactive since 1915. Light formerly mounted in the steeple of St. Philip's Episcopal Church. The church, one of the best known landmarks of old Charleston, was built in the 1830s, but the steeple wasn't added until the late 1840s. It carried the rear light of a range; the front light was at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Only one other U.S. church, First Baptist Church of Beverly MA, has been used as a lighthouse. Located at 146 Church Street in Charleston. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: St. Philip's Church.
Morris Island (Old Charleston) (3)
1876 (Peter Hains; station established 1767). Inactive since 1962. 161 ft (49 m) brick tower, originally painted with horizontal red and white bands, but the red has weathered to brown. Keeper's quarters destroyed 1939. Incredibly, the original 1º Fresnel lens was sold at auction in 1938; the top of the lens has been recovered and is on display at the visitor center at Hunting Island Light. This is the second oldest light station in the South, established in 1767. The tower is gravely endangered; rapid beach erosion has left it standing in the open Atlantic northeast of Folly Beach. Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List. Fund raising for preservation was kicked off in 1999 by a $500,000 appropriation from the South Carolina legislature. Preservationists purchased the light from private owners in 1999. The SC Natural Resources Board voted April 21, 2000 to buy the light for $1 and lease it back for preservation. The sale was closed on December 12. In 2001, following an engineering study, a preservation plan was adopted, calling for stabilization of the existing foundation. In 2003, International Chimney Corporation completed a plan for complete restoration. In September 2003 funding for the initial work (some $2.6 million) was nearly complete and a construction start was planned for July 2004. After several delays, the state approved the project in January 2005, but in March the Corps of Engineers announced it had no funds to start the project. The total project could cost as much as $6 million. In 2001 Charleston County purchased as a park the 5.5 (2 ha) acre tract (the former Coast Guard station) overlooking the lighthouse. A Lighthouse Digest report describes the history of the lighthouse and the preservation effort. Accessible only by boat; boat tours are available from Folly Beach. Site and tower closed. Owner: State of South Carolina. Site manager: Save the Light, Inc. ARLHS USA-515.
*** Hunting Island (2)
1875 (station established 1859). Reactivated (inactive 1933-1995, now privately maintained); focal plane 132 ft (40 m); continuous white light with a more intense flash every 30 s. 136 ft (41 m) cast iron tower, upper third painted black, lower 2/3 white. Relocated 1.3 miles (2 km) inland in 1889. Keeper's house demolished, but the oil house and two storage buildings survive. Part of the Morris Island Light 1º Fresnel lens is on display in the base of the tower. This lighthouse replaced an 1859 tower destroyed during the Civil War. Tower renovated 1991. Increasingly endangered by beach erosion. In May 2003, the lighthouse was closed after a broken step was discovered; it reopened in February 2005 after $108,000 in repairs. Wilmoth has posted photos taken at the time of the reopening. Park visitor center has historical displays. Site open daily year round (state park entry fee); tower closed indefinitely for repairs. Owner: South Carolina State Parks. Site manager: Hunting Island State Park. ARLHS USA-392; Admiralty J2744.5; USCG 3-4065.
[Parris Island Range Rear]
1881. Inactive since about 1912. The rear light was on a 131 ft (40 m) triangular pyramidal cast iron skeletal tower. The tower was demolished long ago, along with the keeper's house and the 45 ft (13.5 m) wooden front light. The brick oil house remains. Located on the southwest side of the island within the Parris Island marine base. Site closed. Owner: U.S. Marine Corps. Site manager: Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. ARLHS USA-1195.
* Hilton Head Range Rear (Leamington)
1880. Inactive since 1932 (a decorative sodium vapor light is now displayed). 94 ft (29 m) cast iron hexagonal pyramidal skeletal tower with central cylinder, painted white. The brick oil house (1892) remains. The two keeper's houses have been relocated to Harbour Town, where one serves as a café and the other as a real estate office. This lighthouse has a unique design. Tower restored by Palmetto Dunes developer in 1985. Located on the Arthur Hills Golf Course at Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island. Site open by appointment (call ahead), tower closed. Owner/site manager: Palmetto Dunes Resort. ARLHS USA-972.
*** Harbour Town
1970. Active (privately maintained); focal plane 90 ft (27 m); white flash every 2.5 s. 90 ft (27 m) octagonal cylindrical stucco tower, painted with horizontal red and white bands; acrylic lens. Well known as the symbol of Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island. In 2000-01 a $200,000 renovation added air conditioning, improved lighting, and historical displays. Located at the end of Lighthouse Road, on the north side of the harbor entrance off Calibogue Sound, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. Site and tower open daily year round (small entry fee for tower). Owner/site manager: Sea Pines Plantation. ARLHS USA-1135; Admiralty J2765.7; USCG 3-4395.
Haig Point (Daufuskie Island) Range Rear
1872. Reactivated (inactive 1924-1987, now privately maintained); focal plane 47 ft (14 m); white flash every 14 s. 2-1/2 story Victorian frame keeper's house surmounted by square cylindrical frame tower, painted white; acrylic lens. Coast Guard has a historic photo. Front range light demolished. The dilapidated lighthouse was first restored in 1965-67by George H. Bostwick. When International Paper Realty bought all of the area in 1984, the company carried out an archaeological study and then carefully restored the building to its original appearance. It is used as a guest house. Located on the northeast point of Daufuskie Island opposite the Harbour Town Light, overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. Visible at a distance from Harbour Town Light. Accessible by guided tours from Harbour Town. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: Haig Point Community. ARLHS USA-217; Admiralty J2766; USCG 3-4370.
Bloody Point Range Front
1883. Inactive since 1899. 1-1/2 story frame keeper's house; the light was displayed from a dormer window on the upper story. Currently the house is painted red with white trim. Lamp house (very rare) and oil house also preserved. Relocated inland in 1899 and used thereafter strictly as a keeper's quarters until the range was deactivated in 1922. Private residence. The owner wrote a feature article on the lighthouse for Lighthouse Digest. Anderson has a good account and excellent photos. Located at the southern end of Daufuskie Island near the sixth tee of the Bloody Point golf course. Site closed. Owner/site manager: private; the owner, Joe Yocius, is a realtor doing business as Low Country Joe. ARLHS USA-1003.
 
Information available on lost lighthouses:
 


Click on Picture
to
Return to Home Page