The Independent Circular Church
In 1680, “dissenter” English Congregationalists, Scots Presbyterians and French Huguenots of the original settlement erected a Meeting House in the northwest corner of the walled city.

The street leading to it became Meeting Street.

During the colonial period, the church had no official name, but

” suffered itself to be called either Presbyterian, Congregational, or Independent: sometimes by one of the names, sometimes by two of them, and at other times by all the three.”
(Church records, February 5, 1775)

In 1804, Robert Mills, Charleston’s leading architect and designer of the Washington Monument in D.C. designed the famous circular structure.

The Pantheon style building was 88 feet in diameter, featured 7 great doors and 26 windows and could accommodate 2,000 worshipers!

The first major domed building in North America, it was described by one observer in 1818 as “the most extraordinary building in the United States.”

In 1838, the 182 feet tall New England-style steeple was added.

The earliest records of the church were lost when a violent hurricane in 1713.

The only 17th century artifact remaining is the 1695 brick grave structure of the Simonds family, on the south side of the sanctuary.

Despite fires, earthquake and wars, the recently restored Circular Church graveyard is unique in the South as a repository of distinguished funerary art.

In 1816, the first Sunday School for religious education in South Carolina was started.

After the 1861 “hurricane of fire” swept through the city and the Civil War devastation, the church was left in ruins for decades.

In 1890, the Circular Church raised from the ashes with a modern, Romanesque style design.

Bricks from “Old Circular” were used in building the present sanctuary, completed in 1892.

The Circular Church is open to the public Monday-Friday 8:30AM to 12PM, tours given when there is a tour guide on duty. Call (843) 577-6400 for more info.

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, the “Mother Church of the Province”
In 1680, the Charles Towne colony moved from Albemarle Point across Ashley River to the peninsula. A small wooden church, the first St. Philip’s, was built at the corner of Meeting and Broad (present site of St. Michael’s Church).

In 1710, the church was badly damaged by a hurricane and a new brick building was authorized at the present site, which became the Second Church.

From 1728 to 1740, the church endured fires, hurricane, smallpox, yellow fever, slave uprisings, Indian attacks, war threats and even the expulsion of its preacher!

In 1835, the Second Church burned to the ground and was immediately rebuilt. Yet, 30 years later, it suffered again from the great 1861 Charleston fire.

During Civil War, the 11 bells were converted into cannon to be used by the Confederate Army. The steeple was under constant Union bombardments; one shell exploded in the churchyard during a Sunday service (the service was completed!).

From 1893 to 1915 a beacon in the steeple was used to guide ships into the Charleston harbor and the church became the Lighthouse of Charleston.

In the church graveyards are buried John C. Calhoun, Secretary of War and Vice President of the United States; Edward Rutledge, signer of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Pinckney, signer of the Constitution and writer Dubose Heyward, author of “Porgy”.

St. Michael’s Church is the oldest church edifice in Charleston and one of the few city churches in America that has retained the original design.

Architectural highlights include:

• The 186 feet high steeple sank 8” from the 1886 earthquake.

• “The Governor’s Pew” where President George Washington and Gen. Robert E. Lee worshiped

• The pulpit with featuring the “double decker ” desks and a scar from the 1865 Union bombardments.

• The panel with the ΙΗΣ taken by soldiers as Civil War booty, and later voluntarily returned and replaced.

• The chancel decoration executed by Tiffany in 1905.

• The original organ built by John Snetzler in London and installed in 1768.

• The clock and ring of 8 bells that were imported from England in 1764 and restored by Smith of Derby, London, England, in 1993. It is thought to be the oldest functioning colonial tower clock in the country.

The French Huguenot Church
The French Protestant Church of Charleston was founded in 1681 by Huguenot refugees fleeing persecutions in France. By 1700s, about 450 Huguenots had settled in South Carolina’s Lowcountry.

The first Huguenot Church was built on its present site in 1687, and destroyed by fire in 1796.

A new building was completed in 1800, but dismantled in 1844 to make way for the present Gothic Revival edifice, designed by Edward Brickell White and dedicated in 1845.

Same year, the church installed a tracker organ built by Henry Erber in the style and shape of a Gothic chapel. Its keys responded to touch faster than any modern mechanism and its tone was similar to the Baroque organs for which Bach and Handel composed.

In 1865, after the fall of Charleston, federal soldiers dismantled the organ and were loading it on a New York-bound ship when the pleas of the organist and some influential friends saved it.

Today the church is the only remaining independent Huguenot Church in America.

The museum is open Monday to Saturday (Wednesday to Saturday, December through March), from 10AM to 5PM (1PM on Sundays). Admission is $8 adults, $5 students and free for children 5 and under.

Here are the most popular airplanes (data from the exhibits and the museum website)

Marvel at the S-56 Savoia Marchetti open-cockpit seaplane, similar to the one flown by Smith Reynolds in 1931-1932, in his 6,000 miles solo flight from London to Hong Kong. Today, only 2 of the original 30 airplanes built are left in the world!

Love the Cessna “Bird Dog”, the most versatile non-combat military aircraft ever deployed. In Vietnam, the Air Force, the Army and the Marines used it as forward air controller, liaison aircraft, artillery spotting, reconnaissance, and aerial photography aircraft.

The L-19 was named “Bird Dog” by Cessna employees. While flying low and close to the battlefield, the plane observed and adjusted the fire, much like a bird dog will do during hunting.
On April 30, 1973, during the Saigon evacution, a South Vietnamese Air Force major, boarded his wife and five children into a “Bird Dog” and flew out toward the US carriers.

Low on fuel, the pilot spotted the Midway (CV-41) carrier and requested permission to land by dropping a note onto the deck as he circled above. Without assistance of a tail hook or a barrier, the pilot made a slow approach to a successful landing. He became the first pilot to land a “Bird Dog” on a carrier deck!

The Piper J-3 “Flitfire” was designed to honor British military pilots, were successfully raffled off to raise money and never saw active duty. Only 13 of the original 49 Flitfires survived. The NC1776 is the only one in its exact original configuration, including engine, propeller and three-piece windshield and it was flown by Orville Wright in 1943!

Be touched by the hundreds of messages left on this beloved 1946 Piper J-3 “Cub”. For more than 30 years it was flown by ICA Hall of Fame Charlie Kulp (aka “Silas the Flying Farmer”) at air shows nationwide.

Admire one of largest collection of aircraft models in the southeast, ranging from 10 centimeters to 10 feet in wingspan! The jewel is a 1/5-scale of the 1903 Wright Flyer, built and donated by area resident Mark Glazer.

War history buffs will be delighted to see a large variety of authentic military uniforms, equipment, weapons, war photographs, memorabilia and intriguing enemy captures from the late 1800s to present days.

The “Stearman” was one of our military’s most widely used training aircraft in the 1940s. The museum proudly features the PT-13D version of this classic aircraft. Perfectly built for aerobatics, the “Stearman” has taught many fighter pilots essential combat techniques.

And its Swiss counterpart, the dandy-looking 1955 Pilatus P3 trainer…

Nearby attractions and fun things to do with kids

• Be wild at the NC Zoo in Asheboro, the best and one of the largest zoological park in the Southeast ($10 adults, $8 seniors and $6 kids 2-12, or half the price with a accredited zoo membership card, like the Riverbanks Zoo)

• The kids favorite Greensboro Children’s Museum ($6 admission) and the Natural Science Center with its terrific Animal Discovery Zoo ($8 admission, or half the price with a accredited zoo membership card, like the Riverbanks Zoo)

• Spin the wheel at Seagrove, the pottery capital of the world!

“The town struck me very agreeable; but the new Exchange which fronted the place of my landing made a most noticeable appearance” John Quincy Jr., 1773

Most interesting artifacts (data from the exhibits):

A bronze vest fro the 1706 French-Spanish invasion - When the French commander requested the surrender of Charles Towne within the hour, Governor Nathaniel Johnson replied he did not need “even a minute” to refuse.

On August 31st, civilian forces led Col. William Rhettthe chased away armada from the harbor. Spanish-French landing parties on Sullivan’s and Morris Island were severely defeated.

Few days later, another enemy expedition was attacked in Bull’s Bay with nearly 300 casualties. Colonists lost only one. The Spanish and French never again threatened the Carolinas.

A pirate love story - Anne Bonny, daughter of a prosperous plantation owner threw away her life of comfort in pursuit of love. Eloping with a sailor named James Bonny, Anne moved to a Caribbean island, only to leave him for the infamous pirate Captain “Calico Jack” Rackham.

Anne dressed as man to be permitted on Rackham’s ship. Once onboard she fell in love (again!) with a young crewman only to find out he was a also a woman traveling incognito.

Mary Read and Anne Bonny enjoyed a close friendship due to their similar circumstances. In 1720 their ship was captured by British forces and all the men sentenced to death. Mary and Anne were spared the gallows because pregnancy. What happened to them afterwards is a mystery.

The hidden treasure - In 1780, just prior to the British capture of Charleston, General William Moultrie hid behind the Exchange walls 10,000 pounds of gunpowder from the nearby magazine. He later wrote:

“I had the powder removed to the northeast corner under the Exchange, and I had the doors and windows bricked up.

Notwithstanding the British had possession of Charles Towne so long; they never discovered the powder although their provost was in the apartment next to it;

After the evacuation, when we came into town, we found the powder as we left it.”

The Swamp Fox buckeyes - General Francis Marion was said to be have been a very superstitious man. He carried buckeyes in his pocket for good luck and to ward off evil spirits.

He was alsoa firm believer in abstinence from alcohol, and such he prohibited drinking among his soldiers.

A piece of 1700s history - Sea wall from the Half Moon battery, the defense wall built by the colonists to protect Charleston.

1750-1770 original matching pair of French Officer style flintlock pistols. Silver inlay runs through the carved wood grips and prominent gold etching is featured on both barrels.

1771 decorative urns made of portland stone in England that were placed on the parapet corners of the Exchange. Today only two of original urns remain, one at the museum and the other resting in the garden of the Nathaniel Russell House.

Replica of the Charleston Post Office, housed inside the Exchange from 1815 to 1896.

Young kids will enjoy touring the dungeon ($8 adults, $4 children 7-12). The museum is open daily 9AM to 5PM and you can park in the metered lot left of the building or the garage on Mid-Atlantic Wharf ($1 per hour, $10 per day).

The Good
• Utan is still the King of Crocs, the largest crocodile to be exhibited in a zoo in North America. Tip! Feedings are Wednesdays and Saturdays, around noon.
• Good to see Bob again, the beloved alligator that hatched without a tail in 1997.
• Getting a closer look at the Siberian Tigers (brother and sister) during the 10:30 AM feeding.
• Being amused by cute baby alligators fighting unfazed turtles for prime sun bathing spots. At times it felt like a child version of a water log race!
• The addition of more Swamp Ghosts albino alligators. These legendary Cajun lucky charms seem to be in vogue throughout the Carolinas! The NC Aquarium in Wilmington and the SC Aquarium in Charleston, both boast new albino alligator Zoo exhibits.

The Bad
• The 11 AM alligator feeding was very short (~10 minutes), borderline boring and lacking educational value. Maybe it was the Monday morning blues…maybe the alligators were already full.

The Ugly
• Missing in Action! The darling Galapagos turtles, the beavers, the albino Burmese, python and the feisty white cockatoo (Lana loved trading greetings back and forth with it) where nowhere to be seen.

The admission is relatively expensive at $16.95 adults, $14.95 seniors, and $10.95 children 4-12 (free for children 3 and under and active military personnel). However you can use the tickets to get a 2^nd Day Free Pass, valid for 7 days from the initial visit. Also, there is a $1 off coupon on the website.

While wondering about at Barefoot Landing check out the T.I.G.E.R.S Preserve exhibit. From April to Labor Day, they bring out adorable tiger cubs. For a fee you can have one in your lap! Proceeds are used to help preserve the magnificent, and unfortunately almost extinct specimens.

Dock Street Theatre history
• Dock Street Theatre, built in 1735, was America’s first theater building designed solely for theatrical performances.
That same year the nation’s first fire insurance association was established also in Charleston.

Unfortunately, it would not stop the terrible 1940 fire that burned half of Charleston, including Dock Street Theatre.

In 1756, the theater burned again, and although it was rebuilt in 1763, it started to fade away.

• In 1809 the old theater was replaced by the prestigious Planters Inn hotel. In 1835, the hotel was remodeled with an exquisite wrought iron balcony. For 50 years, Planters Inn reigned as the principal hotel in Charleston, frequented by rich plantation and horse race owners, seafaring merchants and “ladies of the night”. Among its famous guests was traveling actor Junius Brutus Booth, father of the notorious John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln’s assassin. Following the Civil War, the Planters Inn hotel fell into ruin.

• In the 1930’s, the building was restored by the Works Progress Administration.

The new structure had a pit for the common people, a gallery for women, and balcony boxes for the city’s elite.

Local architect Alfred Simons added beautiful woodwork carved from native Cypress trees.

A Rockefeller grant installed Dubose Heyward as resident writer. He created the famous play “Porgy and Bess,” which later George and Ira Gershwin used as the basis of their American opera.

• In June of 2007, the City of Charleston began a 3 year, 20 million dollar renovation project. Dock Street Theatre reopened on March 18, 2010. It now boasts state-of-the-art lighting and sound, handicap access, expanded restrooms, an elevator, new heating and air, and very comfortable seats!

The Dock Street Theatre is now home to The Charleston Stage Company and The Spoleto Festival Chamber Series.

Ghost sightings and supersitions
In Charleston you’re always is a spitting distance of a ghost. Day or night you could experience stomping footsteps, turning doorknobs, closing doors, displaced furniture and sudden rushes of air throughout your house.

The Dock Street Theatre blue facade was added during the Planters Inn hotel remodeling. The “haint blue” color is omnipresent throughout Charleston and the South, and was used by natives to ward off evil spirits.

If dare to wander the St. Phillip Church graveyard at night watch out for “a shadowy man near a leaning tombstone or a young girl in a long gown with a rose in her hair”.

Some say he is the spirit of a freed slave named Boney. In 1790s he risked his life to save the burning St. Philip church from sure destruction. Even after his death, Boney’s Gray Man spirit still lingers around the church.

The girl was dared by her friends to visit the tombstone at midnight where the Gray Man was commonly seen and to stick a walking cane in the grounds as proof she was there. The girl was later found “slumped in a heap at the base of the stone” with the cane pinning her skirt to the ground. She was frightened to death. (excerpts and quotes from Cathy Pickens’ riveting book “Charleston Mysteries“)

In this area you may also encounter the ghosts of the “Whistling Doctor”, who died after injuries suffered in a duel, the above mentioned Junius Brutus Booth, and that of a prostitute said to have succumbed to a botched up abortion in the 1830s.

Mysterious artifacts
During courtyard excavation, workers working on the renovation found a brick foundation. Archaeologists established the foundation was part of a 18th century privy. They found the privy filled with pottery, glass fragments and kaolin pipe stems from the 1730s and 1750s.
Scientists found pollen from maple, holly pine and oak trees and from many plants and flowers.

The most intriguing artifacts were 72 chicken bones, specifically from wing and forefoot.

The forefoot attaches a bird’s primary feathers. Since it is not usually eaten, what purpose did it serve?

In the 18th century feathers from ravens and goose were used to make quill pens, paint brushes and picks for musical instruments. Researchers could not find any reference to the use of chicken feathers as picks. Maybe this is related to the South Carolina “chicken” curse…

Fun and affordable family attractions downtown Charleston

• Cool off and enjoy the Marina at the marvelous Waterfront Park (free)

• Get spooked at the Old Exchange and Dungeon (Guided tour $8 adults, free for children under 6)

• Conquer dragons, rule castles, paint, or shop at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry ($7)

• Explore Charleston Museum, America’s first museum! ($10 adults, $5 children 3-12)

• Shoot cannons at the Powder Magazine ($2 adults, $1 children)

Life is never dull in Charleston, South Carolina!

Next time you’re in North Charleston spend quality family time at Gahagan Park. It’s free, fun, relaxing and good for your health!

Things to know before you go
• The playground is nestled in wooded area that provides both shade and scenery.
• There are plenty of places to sit right next to the playing stations.
• There are restrooms on the premises
• Finding the park is quite an adventure!
I didn’t see any signs from Summerville to direct you towards the park. You pretty much are on your own.

I ended up asking a local resident. If you reach an industrial construction lot then you are very close.

Here is the Google Map and the park’s official driving directions:

From I-26, take the Hwy. 17A Summerville Exit (#199). Go 3/4 mile, turn left onto Berlin G. Myers Parkway. Follow the parkway to Gahagan Road, turn left onto and proceed 1.5 mile to Garbon St. Turn left and follow to the stop sign, which is West Boundary St. Turn left onto West Boundary. The complex will be one half mile further on the left.

What kids can do at the Gahagan playground:
Play hide and seek, run through tunnels, save a princess, be a pirate and have an overall tree-house adventure!

Climb walls, ropes and zip through the forest like Spiderman!

Dangle from a variety of monkey bars, including one little children can enjoy

Swing, swing and more swing!

Toddlers can play in a dedicated area on a mini-boat, riding tires, sandbox and more.

Brave the elements over suspended bridges

Have fun under the sun in beautiful South Carolina Lowcountry!

Two hours, $25 (free for kids 6 and under) and 3 hornet stings later (my daughter’s accomplishment for the day!) we toured most of the grounds.

I would have lingered more inside Middleton picture perfect gardens, but Lana was screaming like a nuclear alarm, so we had to leave… In spite of the hornet drama (thank God it happened at the end!) we had a real good time. Here is a summary of what kids can enjoy at Middleton Place:

Fun stuff for kids while touring Middleton

1. Check out the old house ruins, dating back to 1755. According to the booklet, the north flanker was burned by Union troops during Civil War, while the walls were destroyed by the Great Earthquake of 1886. The south flanker, that used to be the guest wing, has been restored to present day House Museum. You can tour the house for additional $10.

2. Run like the wind on the famous lush green terraces. When we got to the top Lana took off like a bullet. She and all the other kids knew exactly what to do! This is one of the best places to relax, have a picnic, and let the youngsters loose.

3. Tour the Stableyards, by far the most popular place for children. Here the plantation literally comes to life. You see, touch, or play with sheep, goats, Guinea hogs, chickens and horses…and even milk a cow (not us!).

Guides demonstrate the skills used by slaves to run the plantation: making soap and candles, tanning, dyeing, coopering, weaving and more.

Here you can see a fine, fine example of grinding corn!

Of all the farm exhibits and craft artists, we were most impressed with the Master Weaver! Unfortunately we caught her during a well deserved break…

4. Climb on oak trees. Admit it, you wished you could do it too!

5. Admire the beautiful vibrant flowers. I was pleasantly surprised how much my daughter enjoyed the gardens. After all we were the enchanted guests of America’s oldest landscaped gardens!

The carriage tour is additional $15 per person. Here are more photos from our self-guided Middleton walking tour.

If you’re also planning to visit Magnolia Plantation, go after lunch when is less crowded. Make sure to see the Audubon Swamp, a world-renown preservation reserve and a personal favorite of ours.

Life is beautiful in the Carolina Lowcountry!

Tips to know before you go

• The beach is quite narrow at high tide, but it widens up late afternoon.

• Folly Beach is the only beach where alcohol is allowed (no glass bottles or cans). In the weekends the place gets crowded and party-like. When we were there, (mid-week during Spring Break) the atmosphere was very peaceful

• Parking can be a hassle in the weekends and during vacation months. There are metered spots along all public beach access pathways ($1 an hour, bring coins or small bills). Come early as they go fast.

• A good parking and overall beach going solution is the Folly Beach County Park ($7 all day parking fee) located at the end of the west side of the island.

The park offers the island only public restrooms, showers and changing rooms.

It also has a snack bar (hot-dogs, nachos, chips, ice-cream and flavored drinks) and a small beach gear stand. Lifeguards are on duty seasonally along the 600 feet beach front designated swimming area.

Park Hours: May - Labor Day: 9AM – 7PM (April, September, October until 6PM, November through March 10AM- 5PM)

• Dogs are not allowed on the beach May 1st through September 30th, from 10AM to 6PM.

• Drive below the speed limit police is known to be very generous with traffic tickets. If you find free parking along the street make sure the car is on the grass and off the pavement.

Fun things do and see at Folly Beach
• Admire one of the oldest lighthouse in the country, the 158 feet tall Morris Island Lighthouse.

It first illuminated in 1876 when it replaced the old 1767 “Charleston Light”, one of the only ten pre-Revolutionary War lights in the colonies.

Today the lighthouse stands 1,600 feet offshore due to natural and man-made erosion.

Efforts are under way to save and preserve the light.

You can see the lighthouse from the beach after a half mile walk from the end of the road (east side of Folly Beach).

• Go surfing, kayaking, jet skiing or para-sailing.

• Leave a message on the famous Folly Beach boat, a lone and mysterious remnant of Hurricane Hugo.

• Enjoy pier, rock, deep-sea, river fishing. There are couple charter companies that offer guided fishing tours.

• Hunt for the legendary six treasure chests…

Beware a ruthless pirate ghosts is standing guard, as Nancy Roberts discovered in her thrilling “Ghosts of the Carolinas” book!

• Solve the mystery of the “headless bodies…In May of 1987, fourteen bodies at a construction site at the west end of Folly Beach. The South Carolina Institute of Archeology and Anthropology (SCIAA) investigated the remains…Twelve of the bodies were missing skulls and other major body parts…”

The SCIAA decided the men were from the Union Army’s 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment, one of the first major American military units made up of black soldiers (remember Glory?)

Who and why beheaded the soldiers? Was it the bounty hunters, voodoo followers or something else?

We took the lazy approach…baked in the sun, splashed in the water and built sand-castles. Speaking of splashing, Charleston features a free, super cool water park downtown!

If time permits take the short drive to Wadmalaw Island and tour the country’s only tea farm, the Charleston Tea Plantation. The factory tour is free and you can also take the $10 trolley ride throughout the beautiful plantation grounds. Their annual popular “First Flush Festival” will be on May 16.

America, there you have it. Once again the old saying comes true:
“Best things in life are free”!

The Waterfront Park is the best place in Charleston to wind down, read a book under a tree, stroll with the dog, have a relaxing picnic and gaze at the beautiful harbor from romantic swings.

Tips to know before you go
• There are two splashing areas:

A pineapple shaped fountain, best for toddlers and young kids, featuring all around sitting;

An action-packed water platform, with jets shooting from all directions, very popular with older kids.

Dare to enter “the circle of splash” and you’ll get soaked in an instant!

• Bring swim suits, towels, sun screen, water and snacks. Have an extra set of clothes for the kids.

• Watch your step around the fountains! It is very slippery. I saw few kids (including my own) tumbling down… luckily no one got hurt.

• You can park for free along the street or pay $1 an hour ($10 per day) at the nearby parking garage on Mid Atlantic Wharf street. The garage also has restrooms!

More fun family attractions in the area:
• The Old Exchange Provost and Dungeon Museum (Guided tour $8 adults, free for children under 6)
• The Market (undergoing renovations)
• The SC Aquarium ($18 adults, $11 children 2-11)
• The Powder Magazine ($2 adults, $1 children)

Find you inner child at the beautiful Waterfront Park in historic Charleston!

Things to know before you go
The lighthouse rests in the water about 300 feet offshore. You can only admire the tower from the distance. Still the views are breath-taking!

• Admission is free.

• You can park for free on each side of the road (on the grass) or use the metered-fee parking lots along the many public beach access pathways. My advice is to go early morning or late afternoon when the beach traffic is light.

• You will need to walk on foot about half a mile from the end of the road to the lighthouse viewing point on the beach.

• Get two in one, lighthouse and beach fun! Bring your beach gear and have a nice family outing at the most scenic beach spot in Charleston! Note there are no umbrellas, restrooms, food stands and drinking sources nearby. You’re pretty much on your own…

• Speaking of food, your best and cheapest source for snacks is the mini-mart, right pass the main intersection.

Morris Island Lighthouse Historic Facts (data compiled by the wonderful Save The Light website)

• In 1673, shortly after Charles Towne settlement was founded, a raised metal pan filled with pitch and set afire at night became the first navigation aid on Morris Island.

• In 1767, the first lighthouse built on Morris Island was 42 feet tall, had an octagonal shape and burned whale oil in lamps suspended from the dome’s interior.

The “Charleston Light” was one of ten lighthouses built in the colonies (all were extinguished during the Revolutionary War so as not to aid the British ships), and one of only two to survive the Revolutionary War.

A 1776 French navigational map shows the location of the Charleston Light on Middle Bay Island and warns about a very dangerous reef that “…if struck, you will sink immediately.”

• In 1838, a second 102 feet tall tower, fit with a revolving light, replaces the first lighthouse.

• In 1862, the lighthouse is destroyed by confederate troops at the start of the Civil War to prevent its use by Union troops as a lookout tower. By late April 1861, 164 lights from Virginia to Texas had been turned off. The only beacons still lit were along the Florida reefs “where even the local boat captains could not trust their instincts.”

• On October 1, 1876 the current Morris Island Lighthouse shines light for the first time.

• In 1938, the lighthouse is now at the water’s edge…originally it was 1200 feet onshore! The housing complex is dismantled and the lighthouse is automated on June 22.

• In 1962, the Morris Island Lighthouse is decommissioned and replaced by the new Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse.

• In 1999, the lighthouse is leased to Save The Light, Inc. for 99 years to coordinate the stabilization, erosion control and restoration of the lighthouse and to raise the necessary funds for that work. In 2007 Save The Light, Inc. begins the Morris Island Lighthouse preservation with the help of the Army Corps of Engineers.

Today Phase I - erosion control has been completed. Phase II – stabilization is next.

Visit www.savethelight.org and help save this maritime jewel!

While vacationing at Folly Beach make sure to visit:

• The 1,500 years old Angel Oak Tree on Johns Island

• Taste the sweetest and most aromatic tea in the country at the Charleston Tea Plantation on Wadmalaw Island