Morris Island (Charleston) Lightouse

By Sean McWilliams

This iconic lighthouse in Charleston Harbor, constructed in 1876, was copied from plans for the St. Augustine FL, lighthouse, the planners merely crossing out the old location and writing in the new. The lighthouse withstood hurricanes and even the Charleston earthquake of 1886, needing repairs of various degrees. Originally surrounded by a large plot of land known as Morris Island, the shores around it have eroded over the years, leaving it as a lone sentinel in the waters of the harbor. The light was deactivated in 1962, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.