Morris Island Lighthouse

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The Morris Island Lighthouse is a 150 foot+ lighthouse, with visible from the far east end of Folly Beach.

The first navigational light on Morris Island dates back in 1673, 3 years after Charles Towne was founded. At that time, it was just an elevated metal basket containing pitch - designed to burn almost all night long.

There were at least two previous lighthouses in the Morris Island area - an original built in 1767 and a replacement built in 1838. The replacement was destroyed purposefully during the Civil War to prevent it from falling into Federal hands. The current lighthouse was built in 1876.

After being taken out of service in 1962, the lighthouse was owned by several private citizens. It was then sold in 1999 to Save the Light, Inc. in hopes of preserving the lighthouse. Preservation is required because of the unique effects of erosion on the lighthouse. Originally built almost a quarter of a mile inland, the lighthouse was on the water's edge in 1938 and is now several hundred feet offshore.

After numerous delays, for a variety of reasons, new restoration work to shore up the foundation is finally scheduled to begin on May 10, 2007.

Location

The best views of the lighthouse are from the abandoned Coast Guard Station at the east end of Folly Beach. This area is accessible by following Ashley Avenue east from Center Street until it ends.