Castle Pinckney Light Explained

Castle Pinckney Light
Location:	Shutes' Folly Island, Charleston County, South Carolina
Coordinates:	32.7736°N -79.911°W
Focalheight:	50feet (1855)
Lens:	5th order Fresnel lens (1855)

Castle Pinckney Light is a former lighthouse on Shutes' Folly Island in Charleston Harbor, Charleston County, South Carolina.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Castle Pinckney was a c. 1810 U.S. coastal fortification, which was built upon the site of Fort Pinckney, a 1797 fort destroyed during an 1804 hurricane.

Castle Pinckney was occupied by Confederate forces during the Civil War.

History

In 1855, a yellow tower with a focal plane of 50feet was built at Castle Pinckney. It had a 5th order Fresnel lens.^{[1] [2]}

In 1878, Castle Pinckney was transferred to the Lighthouse Board for use as a lighthouse depot for the Sixth District. A new lighthouse was constructed in 1880. A third lighthouse was constructed in 1890, and it was made a lighthouse station.^{[1] [2]}

In 1916, the lighthouse depot was moved to Tradd Street in Charleston. The lighthouse station was deactivated in 1917, and Castle Pinckney was transferred to the War Department for a time.

The lighthouse was probably destroyed in 1938.^{[1] [2]}

Notes and References

1. Clary, Margie Willis, The Beacons of South Carolina, Sandlapper Publishing Co., Inc., Orangeburg, SC, 2005, pp. xii-xiii, 101-102, .
2. Web site: History of Castle Pinckney. 2008-08-09. South Carolina State Port Authority. 2011-01-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20110109013255/http://scspa.com/spa/community/history_environ/history1.asp. dead.
3. Web site: Castle Pinckney National Monument. 2008-08-09. Glimpses of Historical Areas East of the Mississippi River . U.S. National Park Service.
4. Web site: Castle Pinckney Light. 2008-08-09. Lighthouse Depot. 2011-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20110614083240/http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_explorer.asp?action=display_details&LighthouseID=3158. dead.