LighthouseFans - Lighthouse Database

Database FAQ

Member List

Lighthouse Database » North America » USA » South Carolina

Hunting Island Light
Beaufort, South Carolina

Please log in or register to review this lighthouse. If you have additional information or corrections, please contact us.

Average Rating:

N/A (0 reviews)

Recommended By: No recommendations

General Information

Date Established: 1859
Date Present Tower Built: 1875
Height of Tower: 136 ft.
Height of Focal Plane: 140 ft.

Location

Distance from You:
Open to Public?: Yes, $2 view

Photos

Full-Size

*Photos on this page are the property of MichaelT, unless otherwise noted, and may not be downloaded or used without permission from the copyright owner.

If you would like to contribute photos of this light (showing a different perspective or the interior), please let us know.

Description

This is the only lighthouse in the state of South Carolina open to the public. From the top platform, for those who are adventurous enough to climb the spiral staircase, one can get a birds eye view of the Atlantic Ocean, the park and surrounding marshes from about 132 feet above the ground. A unique feature of this lighthouse is that it was constructed using cast iron plates and designed to be dismantled in case it ever needed to be relocated. As fate would have it, due to erosion of the beach in 1889, the lighthouse was moved inland 1 1/4 miles from its original site to where it presently stands. Built in 1875 to replace the tower destroyed in the Civil War.

Information added by Fred:
The original 1859 Hunting Island lighthouse that was destroyed by the Confederacy is located a little over a mile away from the current light location. The current light is similar in design to the Curritick Light in N.C. was rebuilt and first lit in 1875. This light was moved 1.3 miles inward because of erosion and was again relit in 1889. In 1933 the second order fresnel; went dark when it was deactivated. During WWII the 132 1/2 ft tower was used by the U.S. Navy as a look out point for Coast Watchers. It is currently a musieum at the Hunting Island State Park, and is the only Lighthouse in SC that is open to visitors.

Photo Credits: Fred (#3)

Submitted by: MichaelT

Date posted: Fri Sep 1, 2006

Views: 1144