beacons of hope

Once upon a time the only way a ship knew to stay clear of the rocky and shallow shores of the coast was by yielding to the glowing, warning beacon of light from the lighthouse. The struggle to keep the light lit, to keep the sailors safe, and to keep the horn sounding in the fog and sea storms was a lonely, challenging, and at times, dangerous job. Many lighthouses have been swept into the sea, crumbled and fallen under the coarse salt air, a constant barrage on the tall, almost slight structures and the viscious and unpredictable crashing of the storm driven waves. Many a keeper of the light has fallen victim to the same fate. Luckily, the invention of much more sophisticated navigational equipment as well as other advancements allowing existing and operational lighthouses to be unmanned, allows the lighthouse and the struggle to maintain the safety of the seas to be rendered mostly obsolete. However, as it is with many things "obsolete" , there is still a comfort in not only knowing they exist, but in using them as a reminder of what once was and how far we've come.


The Charleston area boasts two easy to access lighthouses - one on Morris Island and one on Sullivan's Island. The Sullivan's Island lighthouse is still functioning and oddly, square. The lighthouse on Morris Island is in the middle of the ocean, thanks to erosion, and currently under construction in the hopes of being saved. Here are some images of both.

On the beaches of Morris Island





the Morris Island Lighthouse, in the middle of the sea




Crossing the Cooper River Bridge



The Sullivan Island Lighthouse by day and by night


At sunset near the lighthouse