By P.C. Zick – @pczick.bsky.social
On a recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina, we kept hearing about the charming town of Folly Beach a short drive south of Charleston proper.
Photo: Pineapple Fountain, Waterfront Park, Charleston, SC
A colorful little beach community with the second longest boardwalk on the eastern coast, the Folly Beach Pier juts out into the Atlantic Ocean for 1,000 feet. Surfers float and catch a wave on both sides. The town itself is filled with fun-inspired stores and restaurants, such as Rita’s where we had breakfast just steps from the beach and pier.
It was during the breakfast out on the deck that we heard some of my favorite words, “Have you been to the Morris Island Lighthouse just down the road?” We hadn’t but as soon as the pier had been walked and the pancakes digested we headed down a beach road where we parked on the side of the road and walked through the sand to the beach.
And there is was floating out on the ocean on a concrete barrier all by itself. The Morris Island Lighthouse, completed in 1876, bobs in the water at the entrance to Charleston Harbor. Ironically, its original goal was to guide ships safely in or around the harbor, but its very location put it at risk. It mostly survived a cyclone in 1885 only to have an earthquake crack its 161-foot tower in 1886. But danger lurked int hee ferocious sea and beat at its door. Erosion brought it too close to the shore, so despite its being fully automated, in 1962, the light was extinguished.
Photo by P.C. Zick – Morris Island Lighthouse
Today, Save the Light, Inc. has a lease on Morris Island Lighthouse to preserve it. Occasionally, they still light is automated lens, and a ring of concrete encircles it to help keep it afloat.
It’s a sight to see, unlike its replacement, the Charleston Light, on Sullivan’s Island. I like the old style not the square black and white design of the current light guiding ships safely in and around Charleston Harbor.
Photo by P.C. Zick – Charleston Light, Sullivan’s Island
I’m glad it’s functional ‘cuz it sure ain’t pretty.
The Grateful Fates: A Novel of Friendship, Revenge, and Survival
by P.C. Zick
Four women. Four decades of friendship. Four twisted relationships.
P.C. ZICK 