Morris Island Light, Coastal lighthouse near Charleston, United States.
Morris Island Light is a 161-foot (49 m) brick tower standing in open water south of the Charleston Harbor entrance. Its base is dark brown, followed by alternating lighter and darker horizontal bands; the original red stripes have weathered to brown. A black-ringed gallery carries a glass lantern room with a domed roof and finial.
A brick tower built by the colony of South Carolina in 1767 first carried the light; Congress funded repairs in 1800 and a first-order Fresnel lens arrived in 1858. The light was extinguished during the Civil War, and Congress appropriated funds from 1873 for a replacement. Completed in 1876 at a cost of $149,993.50, the 161-foot tower survived the 1886 Charleston earthquake, which cracked it in two places and threw its lens out of position.
The tower's red and white horizontal bands have weathered to brown, while the gallery and lantern stay black. Save The Light, Inc. bought the tower for $75,000 in 1999 and has periodically lit it since 2007, a sight visible from Folly Beach.
The tower stands several hundred feet offshore, so it cannot be reached on foot; the surrounding waters and shifting sand make landing unsafe. The best views are from the beach at Folly Beach, north of the light. Save The Light, Inc. leases the tower from the state and coordinates its stabilization and restoration.
The tower's red and white horizontal bands have weathered to brown, as seen today. Since 2007, Save The Light, Inc. has periodically lit the decommissioned lantern, and the lighthouse was bought for $75,000 in 1999 before being leased to the group for 99 years.
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