Charleston Light

About

Charleston Light, also known as Sullivan's Island Lighthouse, is located on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, which is the northern entrance to Charleston Harbor. Designed by Thomas Sullivan, the lighthouse was erected to replace the defunct Morris Island Light on Morris Island, which was at risk of being destroyed by erosion, but which remains standing and was stabilized in 2010. Construction of the Charleston Light was started in 1960, and it was first lit on June 15, 1962. Charleston Light has a steel frame, an aluminum alloy skin, and a triangular cross section. It is 140 feet (43 m) tall. Its slim, triangular structure was built to withstand winds of 125 miles per hour, and the focal plane of the light is 163 feet (50 m) above mean sea level. Originally, it was painted white and red-orange, but was later repainted white and black after citizens complained about the distracting color of the upper half. It is the only U.S. lighthouse with an elevator and air conditioning, and was the last onshore manned lighthouse to be built by the Federal Government. The Texas Tower Offshore Lighthouses were the last offshore manned lighthouses and, were built later starting in 1961 with Buzzards Bay Entrance Light. It was originally fitted with an Aerobeacon DCB-24 carbon-arc light producing 28 million candelas (candlepower) and was the second most powerful in the Western Hemisphere. As

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.