"The old tower that has survived hurricanes and a major earthquake, has new friends and a chance at surviving a little longer."

Header Morris Island.jpg (26933 bytes)

Located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, This tower stands 161 feet high and had a first order lens. The keeper's dwelling as well as the rest of the island has been claimed by erosion and the tower itself is now surrounded by water.

Morris Island Lighthouse just before sunset. As seen from the north end of Folly Beach.

It takes a bit of looking to find the Morris Island Lighthouse. Standing on the River Walk at the Battery in Downtown Charleston, you can see the black and white tower of the New Charleston Lighthouse on Sullivan's Island, but from there you're never going to see Morris Island Lighthouse. You can take the boat ride to Fort Sumter and see it from there. About halfway out you can see it just to the south over the marsh. To get as closeas you can you'll have to follow the signs to Folly Beach. When you get there, drive to the north end of the Island until the road runs out. Then a short hike out to the north end of the Island, past the abandoned Coast Guard station and suddenly, there it is, sticking out of the water. It's quite a sight. We got there about a half hour before sunset. After it got dark, the only light in the whole area was from the moon. It was very surreal.

Morris Island Lighthouse is located at the entrance to Charleston Harbor. The original Lighthouse it was built in 1767 and was one of only two lighthouses found south of the Delaware Bay by the end of the Revolution. The original tower was destroyed during the Civil War. Morris Island was a very strategically located island, near enough to Fort Sumter that a continuous bombardment was delivered from there for almost 4 years during the war. After the war a new tower was built about 400 yards from the old site. This tower stood 161 feet high and had a first order lens. The keeper's dwelling as well as the rest of the island has been claimed by erosion and the tower itself is now surrounded by water. Sometime around 1934 a groin was constructed near the island that changed currents so much, that within 30 years the entire island was gone.

The first glimpse of the Lighthouse from the end of the road

 

 

Morris Island Lighthouse 1885
This light served until 1962 when the new Charleston Lighthouse on Sullivan's Island was put into service. According to local legend, Fred Wichmann, local son of a Lighthouse keeper, with the assistance of L. Mendel Rivers, stopped it's destruction when a Savannah wrecking firm made a bid on it to salvage the bricks. It was also owned by F. E. Felkel, a private developer, then the State of South Carolina, and now is in private hands once again.
 
The old tower that has survived hurricanes and a major earthquake, is probably not going to be saved. Strong currents have undermined the foundation, and the tower is listing about 5 degrees. Go see it now before it's gone.