Cape Romain Lighthouses
Cape Romain Lighthouses on Lighthouse Island on Cape Romain Harbor
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| Location | Charleston County, South Carolina |
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| Coordinates |
33°01′06.6″N 79°22′26.6″W / 33.018500°N 79.374056°W(1827) |
| Year first constructed | 1827 & 1857 |
| Year first lit | 1858 (1857) |
| Automated | 1937 (1857) |
| Deactivated | 1858 (1827) 1947 (1857) |
| Foundation | Timber pile (1857) |
| Construction | Brick (1827 & 1857) |
| Tower shape | Conical (1827) Octagonal (1857) |
| Markings / pattern | Red (1827) Upper 2/3: alternating white and black; Lower 1/3: white (1857) |
| Height | 65 ft (19.8 m) (1827) 150 ft (45.7 m) (1857) |
| Focal height | 87.5 ft (26.7 m) (1827) 161 ft (49.1 m) (1857) |
| Original lens | Winslow Lewis lamps and reflectors (1827) 1st order Fresnel (1857) |
| Range | 19 mi (30.6 km) (1857) |
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Cape Romain Lighthouses
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| Nearest city | McClellanville, South Carolina |
| Coordinates | 33°1′7″N 79°22′26″W / 33.01861°N 79.37389°WCoordinates: 33°1′7″N 79°22′26″W / 33.01861°N 79.37389°W |
| Area | 1.2 acres (0.49 ha) |
| Built | 1857 |
| Architect | Winslow Lewis |
| NRHP reference # | 81000563 |
| Added to NRHP | November 12, 1981 |
| Heritage | place listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
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33°01′06.6″N 79°22′26.6″W / 33.018500°N 79.374056°W(1827)
Cape Romain Lighthouses are a pair of brick lighthouses on Lighthouse Island southeast of McClellanville, South Carolina. The lighthouses are on the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. They survived Hurricane Hugo that devastated the area. The lighthouses were named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
During the times of Spanish exploration, Cape Romain was known as Cape Roman, and then briefly, Cape Carteret. The Cape’s shoals were treacherous, extending seven to nine miles off the coast. In the days before lighthouses, many vessels and lives were lost when ships ventured onto the shoals, and wind and waves claimed them for the sea.
When lighthouses were built to warn mariners away from the shoals, they saved many lives. The first lighthouse on Cape Romain was built by Winslow Lewis in 1827 on Northeast Raccoon Key. It cost $10,000 and the deal came with light keeper’s quarters. The short, conical, brick lighthouse was 87 ½ feet tall. Its red stationary light was fitted with 11 lamps and 21 inch reflectors. This lighthouse was a functional disappointment because the red, whale oil wick lamp could not be seen beyond 9–14 nautical miles. Today it is one of the few remaining lighthouses of its period in the U.S.
In 1853, $20,000 was appropriated to build a second lighthouse nearby, and to remove an old wind mill on Mill Island. A wick house, boat house, and two more dwellings were added nearby.
During construction, builders noticed that the new brick tower leaned toward the mainland. The lean has worsened over the years and today the tower is more than three feet off plumb.
Light keepers accessed the first order Fresnel lens after climbing 212 spiraling, cast-iron steps. The light was lit by oil lamp, with a revolving beam visible for 19 miles.
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Wikipedia