Year first constructed 1960 Automated 1975 Tower shape Triangular Opened 1960 Phone +1 843-883-3123 | Year first lit 1962 Foundation Concrete Height 43 m Construction Concrete | |
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Location Sullivan's Island, South Carolina Address 1815 Ion Ave, Sullivan's Island, SC 29482, USA Similar Morris Island Light, Morris Island, Cape Romain Lighthouses, Georgetown Light, Hilton Head Range R | ||
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Charleston Light on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, which is the northern entrance to Charleston Harbor, was built to replace the defunct Morris Island Light on Morris Island. Construction was started in 1960, and it was first lit on June 15, 1962.
The lighthouse has a steel frame, an aluminum alloy skin, and a triangular cross section. It is 140 feet (43 m) tall. Built to withstand winds of 125 miles per hour, the focal plane of the light is 163 feet (50 m) above mean sea level. Originally painted white and red-orange, it is now a black upper half and white lower half. It is the only U.S. lighthouse with an elevator and air conditioning and was the last on shore manned lighthouse to be built by the Federal Government. The Texas Tower Offshore Lighthouses were truly the last manned lighthouses and, were built later starting in 1961 with Buzzards Bay Entrance Light.
It has a DCB 24 light. It originally had 28 million candelas (candlepower) and was the second most powerful in the Western Hemisphere. As the light was actually too dazzling, the power was lowered to 1.2 million candelas and could still be seen over 26 nautical miles (48 km; 30 mi). Its characteristic is two 0.2 s flashes separated by 4.8 s every 30 s. The light was automated in 1975.
It is a non-contributing resource located in the U.S. Coast Guard Historic District. Now part of Fort Sumter National Monument. Donated by the Coast Guard in 2007 to the National Park System. Although this lighthouse is still a working light, many problems inside this structure keeps it from being open to the public.