Morris Island Lighthouse near Myrtle Beach, SC

Located in Folly Beach, near Myrtle Beach, at the mouth of Charleston Harbor, what used to be Morris Island, the Morris Island Lighthouse is one of the oldest lighthouses that stand on off the shores of South Carolina. The sea has crept in over the years to claim the island. Originally this lighthouse was built just after the French and Indian War in 1767, but it was destroyed in the Civil War. South Carolina was a British Colony at the time.

Being rebuilt in 1867, the 161 ft. high tower was constructed with two hundred and one steps that leads to the very top. When the lighthouse was built it was on the shore on Morris Island, but over the years the shoreline has eroded so that now the lighthouse  is slowly being consumed by the ocean.  

Steering ships to safety, the Morris Island Lighthouse was active from 1673 to 1962. It is closed now, but can be viewed from the beach of Sullivan Island.  Morris Island Lighthouse is listed in Lighthouse Digest Magazine as an endangered lighthouse.

To see the Morris Island Lighthouse, you will need to walk to the end of Folly Beach. You might think that you could swim the few hundred yards to the lighthouse in low tide; however, there is a swift current there and it isn't safe.

If you would like to tour the Morris Island Lighthouse, you can view it via an interactive website. There are websites where you can have a 360 degree view of the ocean and coastline from the top of the lighthouse. This link will give you a panoramic view: http://www.charlestonbatterytour.com/morris.mov. This link gives you an even larger view: http://www.charlestonbatterytour.com/morris2.mov.