Morris Island Lighthouse
N 32° 41.144 W 079° 53.242
17S E 604307 N 3616995
Morris Island Lighthouse can be found in Charleston, South Carolina. It used to stand on land, but now stands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is slated to be restored soon.
Waymark Code: WM5MB
Location: South Carolina, United States
Date Posted: 01/03/2006
Views: 47
A Brief History:
1767:
The first lighthouse, 42 feet tall, is built on Morris Island to guide ships approaching Charleston Harbor.
1838:
A second, taller tower replaces the first lighthouse. This new lighthouse is 102 feet tall with a revolving light.
1862:
The Civil War begins in 1861 and the lighthouse is destroyed in 1862 to prevent its use by Union troops as a lookout tower.
1876:
The new Morris Island Lighthouse is illuminated on October 1, 1876.
1938:
The Morris Island Lighthouse, originally constructed 1200 feet onshore, is now at the water's edge. The housing complex is dismantled and the lighthouse is automated on June 22. On June 22, 1938, the Morris Island Lighthouse was converted to a mechanized light operation. The mechanized light was a four-power acetylene lens. The first order Fresnel lens was removed and placed into storage at the Lighthouse Depot in Charleston. The Army Corps of Engineers built a sheet steel bulkhead around the base of the lighthouse to protect against erosion. This bulkhead was a 68-foot cylinder set to four feet above ground and filled with reinforced concrete. The keepers were relocated to the Lighthouse Depot in Charleston.
1962:
The Morris Island Lighthouse is decommissioned and replaced by the new Sullivan's Island Lighthouse. In 1965, the lighthouse is sold to a private citizen by the Federal Government as surplus property.
1999:
Save The Light, Inc. buys the historic lighthouse for $75,000 to preserve it for the people of South Carolina. In 2000, the lighthouse is transferred to the State of South Carolina through the Department of Natural Resources. The lighthouse is leased to Save The Light, Inc. for 99 years to coordinate the stabilization, erosion control and restoration of the lighthouse and to raise the necessary funds for that work.
~A Brief History obtained from (
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