10 Facts: The Charleston Light

Morris Island Lighthouse with Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse in the distance

#1: Official Name: The official name for the lighthouse on Sullivan’s Island is the Charleston Light, but locals have always referred to it as the Sullivan’s Island lighthouse. It’s even shown on the seal of the Town of Sullivan’s Island.

#2: Construction and Height: The 162.5-foot tall tower is the last lighthouse built by the federal government. Intended to replace the 1876 Morris Island lighthouse, construction was completed in 1962.

Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse under construction 1961

#3: Four facts in one:

• The only triangular lighthouse – designed to withstand winds of up to 125 mph.

• The only lighthouse constructed with an aluminum skin.

• The only lighthouse that has an elevator.

• The only air-conditioned lighthouse.

#4: Original Colors: The tower was originally painted reddish-pink and white. As the red faded to orange, objections from local residents led to a change to the current black and white, no easy task since the colors and color pattern, known as the “daymark,” are used to let mariners know which lighthouse they are seeing. All reference manuals have to be updated when a daymark is changed. Remnants of the original red paint can still be seen high on the tower just below the platform.

The original pinkish-red and white daymark

#5: Brightness of the Light: When the light was turned on in 1962 it produced the second brightest light in the western hemisphere at 28 million candlepower, turning many Islanders’ bedrooms from night into day. Outcry from residents led to a reduction in the power to 1.2 million candlepower in about 1970. But what was the brightest light? That distinction was shared by the Phare du Creach on the French island of Ouessant off the northwest coast of France and the new Cape Point Lighthouse in South Africa.

Night view of the Charleston Light on Sullivan’s Island

#6: Distinctive Light Pattern: Each lighthouse has a distinct pattern to its blinking light and the light’s color. Known as the “characteristic,” it allows mariners to identify the lighthouse at night. The pattern for the Charleston Light was two blinks followed by 30 seconds of darkness, then repeated.

#7: Architect's Surprise: The architect who designed the lighthouse didn’t even know his design had been chosen until later! Jack Graham was in the Coast Guard when he was tasked by his supervisor to come up with a design, but he had left the service by the time that design was chosen as the one to be used. It was only when he happened upon a picture of the “new” Sullivan’s Island lighthouse in a boating magazine that he realized his plans had been chosen.

Jack Graham, architect of the Charleston Light on Sullivan’s Island

#8: Coast Guard Facility: The property on which the lighthouse stands served as an active U.S. Coast Guard station from 1915 to at least 1973 when the current Coast Guard base was built in downtown Charleston. The property was then transferred to the National Park Service after Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

#9: U.S. Lifesaving Station: Before it was a Coast Guard facility: this was the location of a U.S. Lifesaving Station. The Coast Guard was formed in 1915 from its two forerunners, the U.S. Lifesaving Service and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, the latter of which was founded by Alexander Hamilton in 1790 when he was Secretary of the Treasury. In 1939 the United States Lighthouse Service was also merged into the Coast Guard.

Sullivan’s Island Coast Guard Station

#10: Lifesaving Station Location: The Sullivan’s Island Lifesaving Station included a boathouse that housed two 20-foot surf boats that were pulled on a cart by the crew and launched directly into the surf. There was also a two-story quarter building that housed the six “surfmen” and the keeper of the station. These two buildings, plus a circa 1930 four-bay garage for power boats used later by the Coast Guard, still exist today. Why is the Lifesaving Station so far away from the water? During the time of its active service the Lifesaving Station was “on the beach” so the boats could be launched into the surf. However, since the 1890s there has been major accretion of land on Sullivan’s Island making the boathouse now hundreds of feet from the ocean.

U.S. Lifesaving Station on Sullivan’s Island