The Lighthouse on Hunting Island
Hunting Island received its name because it was once used for hunting deer, raccoon, and waterfowl. The keepers and their families likely enjoyed the abundance of wild game, but they also raised hogs, chickens, and turkeys and tended a garden as well.
Hunting Island Lighthouse
Built in 1859, it was used to guide vessels along the coast between Charleston and Savannah and into the Port Royal and St. Helena Sounds. In 1933, the lighthouse was decommissioned and replaced by an offshore buoy.
The Conical Tower
With its 167 steps that lead to an impressive observation deck, the Hunting Island Lighthouse has a handsomely built cast and wrought-iron staircase, railings and support beams that were fashioned by the Phoenix Iron Works company of Philadelphia.
Christmas on Hunting Island
The Hunting Island Lighthouse that stands today is a rebuilt of the original brick lighthouse that was destroyed by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War to prevent the Union Navy from using it for navigation. In 1873, construction of the current lighthouse began with a special segmented design in case it ever needed to be moved because of erosion - which came to fruition in 1889. Within a few years, the sea had cut away the northern end of the island which became hazardous to the lighthouse and associated buildings. It took a full year to move the lighthouse one and one-quarter miles southwest of the original site.