Hunting Island’s iconic lighthouse was built in 1859 to guide vessels along the coast between Charleston and Savannah and into the Port Royal and St. Helena Sounds with visibility for 17 miles. It is one of eight existing lighthouses on the South Carolina coast and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

The lighthouse that stands today is not the original as that was destroyed by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War to prevent the Union Navy from using it for navigation. The replica was constructed in 1873 with a special segmented design in case it ever needed to be moved because of erosion. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1933 and the original lamp, clockwork movement, and Fresnel lens were removed. Today, an LED lamp is in place and flashes the original flash pattern from 1859 giving night visitors to the island the feel of an operating lighthouse.

The lighthouse now sits one and one-quarter miles southwest of its original location. Allen Architectural Metals is part of the team working on restoring the historic lighthouse. Our team is heading the cast iron restoration of replacing damaged or worn-out cast iron treads, window troughs, replacing the handrail at the watch level, replacing the cornice trim at the watch level, and replacing the port hole at the top of the lighthouse. AAM will also be adding ductile iron support brackets for the cast iron stair.