The 158-foot Morris Island Lighthouse that we know today was built between 1872 and 1876. But it is not the first—or even the second—lighthouse to stand in that spot. The original 40-foot lighthouse, built in 1767, was replaced in 1838 by a 102-foot lighthouse (inset at left). In January 1861 (155 years ago this month), on the brink of the Civil War, the Federal government took proactive steps to prevent the seizure of lighthouses along the Southern coast, destroying the lens and lantern of the Charleston light on Morris Island, along with 164 more between the Chesapeake Bay and the Rio Grande.
The lighthouse was subsequently torn down by the Confederates to prevent the Yankees from using it as a watchtower. In the photo at right, the pile of rubble remaining is from a smaller beacon light, seen here after the Union occupation of Morris Island. Bricks from the original lighthouse may have been used for shelters and dune huts across the island.
Photos courtesy of the US Coast Guard and the Library of Congress. Many images like this one are included in Stratton Lawrence’s book, Images of America: Folly Beach. To purchase your own personalized signed copies, delivered to your home on Folly Beach, or to share a photo and story for next month’s Folly Flashback column, email Stratton at strattonlawrence@gmail.com.
