Lighthouse History
Built: 1960
Type: Triangular Shape Tower
Height: 163 feet
Status: Active
Location: Sullivan's Island
Lens: Equipped with 2 Rotating
Beacons / Automated in 1982
Keepers:
Notes: In 1848 the first
lighthouse on Sullivan's Island was constructed. It was a red square
structure that contained a 6th-order Fresnel lens with a fixed white light.
This lighthouse lasted until 1872 when it was rebuilt.
In 1988 another light tower
was added approximately 690 feet from the first and the pair of lights
became known as the Sullivan's Island Range Lights. They were use to align
the ships in the Charleston Harbor Channel. The lights were renamed the
South Channel Range Lights in 1899. These lights no longer exist on the
island.
In 1962 the existing light
was built to replace the Morris Island Light. The changing channel made
Sullivan's Island the best location for the new light. Being built in 1962,
the structure reflects the technology of the time. The tower is 163 feet
tall and is built in triangular shape to help protect it from hurricane
winds. An internal elevator ascends almost to the top with a stairway leading
from the elevator to the lantern room. The lighthouse building contains
offices and is therefore air-conditioned.
The initial lighting apparatus
was also state-of-the-art. In fact, with 28-million candlepower it
was probably one of the most powerful lighthouses in the world. Not only
was this unnecessary, but the heat created from the lights were dangerous,
so in 1967 they were change to a lower intensity that only emitted 1,170,000
candlepower - still a very powerful light. Visible from twenty-six miles,
the light has a unique flashing characteristic consisting of a 0.2-second
flash, a 4.8-second eclipse, another 0.2-second flash, and a 24.8-second
eclipse. The lights were automated in 1982 and remain on both day
and night.
Directions: Take US 17 to
SC703 and follow that through Mt. Pleasant to Sullivan's Island.
The lighthouse can be easily seen from the road but is on U.S. Coast Guard
property and which is closed to the public. |