Rear Lighthouse of Hilton Head Range Light Station

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Description 

The Rear Lighthouse of the Hilton Head Range Light Station was constructed by the United States Lighthouse Board in 1879-1880 as part of a system of lights and beacons to guide shipping in Port Royal Sound. The lighthouse is significant as one of the few surviving lighthouses in South Carolina, and as the only one of its type remaining in the state. The Rear Lighthouse and a small brick oil house survive of the complex, which originally included a keeper’s house and a forward beacon, which was mounted on a second keeper’s house. The lighthouse consists of a cast iron skeleton, a cylindrical stair tower, and a wooden watch room and lantern room structure. The tower was originally sheathed in wood; sheet steel sheathing was added, probably in 1913. The hexagonal watch room is at the top of the stair and the skeleton frame. The lantern room is above the watch room; the original focal plane of the light was eighty-seven feet from the concrete base and ninety-two feet above sea level. The light could be seen from fifteen miles away. None of the lantern hardware is intact. The system was taken out of service and the Rear Lighthouse abandoned sometime in the 1930s. Listed in the National Register December 12, 1985. - SCDAH

Tags 

19th Century (37,781)
Beaufort County, South Carolina (65)
Built 1879 (301)
Built during 1870s (5,016)
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (2)
Lighthouse (469)
Private owner (54,398)
South Carolina (2,153)

Update Log 

• August 18, 2014: Photo imported by Michael Miller
• July 1, 2014: Updated by Michael Miller: Added "Description"

Sources 

• Michael Miller - michael_a_miller [at] yahoo [dot] com
• SCDAH
• National Register database - Reference number 85003349 (Search for documents)

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