SCIWAY visitor Dan Christie of Ohio tells us that “on one occasion the storm surge raised the water level to the bottom window of the lighthouse, which is easy to imagine. We loved the tour, and saw dolphins, pelicans, seashells and even a bald eagle. I love South Carolina, thank you!” Find out more about the history of the North Island lighthouse.

Love lighthouses? Check out SCIWAY’s SC Lighthouses Guide.

The Governor’s Lighthouse is a facsimile lighthouse, meaning that it was not built by a government agency and cannot be used as a navigational aid. Despite this fact, it’s still a prominent local landmark and brings many visitors to the Little River area.

SCIWAY thanks Scott Hoffman of Green Sea, an unincorporated community near Loris, for this photo he took on November 3, 2010.

Scott writes: “We had some friends in from Missouri making their first visit to South Carolina. We were taking them out fishing, but it was a rough day on the sea and we had to turn around and come back. Our guests were thrilled at seeing this beautiful lighthouse — it was the highlight of the day.”

Marked by its unique triangular shape and two-toned paint scheme, this 163-foot structure keeps watch over the Charleston Harbor with the aid of two rotating beacons that can be seen from 26 miles away!

SCIWAY would like to thank Nathan Jones of Mount Pleasant for submitting this picture he took in May 2011.

The red and white lighthouse is the backdrop of the final hole of the popular Harbour Town Golf Course, and it has become a widely-recognized landmark. There is a gift store at the top of the lighthouse and historical information about the area within. Even though the tower was built to be more of a symbol for the area than to assist with navigation, its light can be seen 15 miles away.

See the view for yourself with the Harbour Town Lighthouse webcam!

Currently, the Hunting Island Lighthouse is the only historic lighthouse in South Carolina that allows visitors to climb to the top.

Unfortunately, the Atlantic Ocean washes away several feet of shoreline each year. Today, the tower stands 400 feet from the high water mark. If erosion continues at its present rate, the lighthouse might need to be moved further inland soon.

Learn more about the Hunting Island Lighthouse.

Many people love the lighthouse and have worked hard over the years to protect it. Save the Light, a local grassroots organization, raised money to buy the lighthouse from its former owner in 1999. The Morris Island Lighthouse is now owned by the state of South Carolina, but Save the Light continues to lead the way for its restoration and preservation.

Restoration efforts thus far have been threefold. First, the US Army Corps of Engineers built a steel cofferdam (enclosure) around the lighthouse’s base. Second, large stones were placed in a circle surrounding the cofferdam to prevent further erosion. Finally, in 2010, new pilings were installed to stabilize the foundation.

SCIWAY visitor Laura Beane explains part of the lighthouse’s lure: “I have visited and photographed many lighthouses, but no other light has captivated me more than this one. She stands majestically at the entrance of the Charleston harbor. After visiting this lighthouse I can see and feel why this is such a beloved landmark to South Carolina and those who visit.”

Morris Island itself is accessible only by boat, but the lighthouse is visible from many of Charleston’s coastal communities. Today a tiny and fragile island under constant threat of development, Morris Island was once home to at least 15 buildings, including three Italianate cottages, a small schoolhouse, and numerous barns and other outbuildings. The small village was connected to the back of the island by a long, wooden walkway. Many lighthouse keepers and their families lived there over the years. (See Jim Booth’s painting, Carolina Legacy, at the bottom of this page for an idea of how the island once looked.)

The first lighthouse on the island stood just 42-feet tall and was erected in 1762. Its 1838 replacement stood 60 feet taller and featured a revolving light. During the Civil War, the Confederate army destroyed the structure to prevent Union troops from using it as a lookout tower. The US government replaced it immediately after the war. This new Morris Island Lighthouse operated continually from 1876 until 1962, when it was decommissioned and replaced by a modern lighthouse on Sullivan’s Island.

If you would like to learn more about the lighthouse and its history, please visit Save the Light. You can also become a member, make a donation, buy merchandise, or purchase renowned artist Jim Booth’s painting, Carolina Legacy (shown above). Proceeds from all 400 prints in the Save the Light edition go directly towards the lighthouse’s protection and preservation. Here at SCIWAY, we are big fans of the lighthouse, so naturally we have a copy of this painting in our office! (Carolina Legacy used here by permission from Save the Light.)