Morris Island Lighthouse

Morris Island Lighthouse. Folly Beach, SC. As early as 1673, there is a record of a light burning at what was then known as Charles Towne colony. On May 30, 1767, the cornerstone for a new light was laid on a group of three small islands then referred to as Middle Bay Island. The Charles Towne light was one of ten pre-Revolutionary War lights built in the colony., In January 1790, the newly formed South Carolina legislature transferred the title to the newly formed United States Government. Within a year, the three islands had melded together to become Morrison's (Morris) Island., On December 30, 1860, the State of South Carolina, soon to secede from the Union, took possession of the lighthouse. The Confederates destroyed the lighthouse on Morrison's Island to prevent the Union armies from using the lighthouse as a lookout tower., In 1873, following the Civil War, the United States Congress approved funds for the construction of a new first order tower on Morris Island. Construction began that fall., The finished lighthouse, 158 feet above the ocean, was painted with black and white bands. When first illuminated on October 1, 1876, the Morrison's Island lighthouse could be seen 19 miles out at sea., Explosions on the Folly Beach from live bombs used by the United States Navy during World War II naval training exercises caused cracks to form in the base of the old lighthouse., In 1962, the Sullivan's Island lighthouse became operational and the Morris Island light was extinguished., Resting upon the pedestal above is a 109 feet tall replica of the Morris Island Lighthouse.