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The lighthouse on this island has a varied past. Its necessity arose from the heavy concentration of mud and sand along the coasline in this area. The original lighthouse tower was erected in 1859 to replace a lightship that had served the area around St. Helena Sound. This structure was soon demolished by Confederate troops to prevent its use by Union forces.
A new tower was completed in 1875 about a quarter mile from the Atlantic shore, but it soon began to feel the effects of the eroding beach on the north end of the island. In 1889, the entire lighthouse structure was disassembled and moved to its present location at a cost of $51,000.
The lighthouse tower is approximately 130 feet above sea level. The light incorporated a second order Fresnel lens that enabled it to project almost twenty miles out to sea. The Hunting Island Lighthouse was decommissioned in 1933. The ocean is once again encroaching on this portion of the island. At present, the north end of Hunting Island is eroding at an average annual rate of 25 feet per year.
Go back to the Carolina Lighthouse index page