HUNTING ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
Atlantic Ocean
Hunting Island State Park, SC
The first light at this location was erected shortly before the Civil War. It lasted only a short time, and when the war was over.....so was the tower. The Lighthouse board then selected another site on the island and built the current 128-foot cast iron light, which housed a second order Fresnel lens. It was lit in 1875.
By 1889 erosion was so brutal that it was moved some mile and a third from the previous location. Interestingly, the tower was dismantled and moved. Today of course huge lighthouse structures are being moved virtually intact, including the keepers houses and towers. A job similar to moving the space shuttle. Lighthouses on Block Island and Cape Cod come to mind as examples. This lighthouse my be visited by the public as an attraction in the State Park.
This is one of the best little parks around the east coast for those who love the beach. Facilities are clean and for the most part not crowded and of course there is the lighthouse. Entry is inexpensive and most of the normal park like amenities are available including parking, picnic areas, showers, a freshwater lake, huge sand beaches, and safe swimming.
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