OLD CHARLESTON LIGHTHOUSE
To get to the Old Charleston Lighthouse take road SC 171 to Folly Beach, turn left on East Ashley Street and follow it until it ends, there you will find a public parking area. It's about a twenty-minute walk along the beach to where the lighthouse can be seen. The lighthouse is about a quarter mile out. It is a sad but impressive sight to see. The paint is fading and weathered and due to erosion it is now surrounded by water.
Construction on the first lighthouse at this site was started in 1767. It was replaced by a second lighthouse which was 102 feet tall and was put in service by 1837. The second tower was equipped with a first order Fresnel lens in 1858, but was destroyed durning the Civil War. The existing tower was placed in service in 1876 and was used until 1962, when the New Charleston Lighthouse at Sullivan's Island was placed in service.
More pictures of Old Charleston Lighthouse
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Copyright © 1998 G. L. Marler and J. A. Marler