Charleston Harbor - Morris Island Lighthouse

From Charleston Footprints:

Morris Island Lighthouse:

The original light built on the uninhabited island was constructed in 1762 to a height of 42 feet by the same man who undertook the building of historic St. Michael’s Church, Samuel Cardy. That structure was remodeled in 1838 to build it higher and more sturdy, and stood until December 20, 1861, when Confederates blew it up. Abraham Lincoln had declared a blockade of Southern ports in 1861, and the defenders of Charleston did not want a light that could fall in Northern hands. Blockade runners that brought needed supplies and medicines in through the blockade depended on darkness, and the less light, the better.

The 1876 structure, like the two that preceded it, was built well inland on the island, and was manned by a light keeper whose house was nearby. 

The lighthouse was built a mile inland on the island.  Because of erosion, it now sits in the ocean.

See also Sciway.  Morris Island was uninhabited but for a few people, the lighthouse keeper and his family.  There were three cottages, a small school house, and ten barns and other buildings.  A long wooden walkway led from the village to the back of the island, presumably to a dock that would allow access to James Island proper.  The light inside of the lighthouse burned lard oil.

The lighthouse appears on the 1780 Clinton Map