Off the Charleston coast, a brick tower stands alone in the water.
The Morris Island Lighthouse was built when the tower still stood on dry land. Today, most of Morris Island has eroded away, leaving the lighthouse surrounded by shifting tides and open sky. It is a familiar silhouette to generations of Lowcountry residents, and a reminder that even the places we think will always be there need someone to care for them.
In 2026, Charleston is celebrating 150 years of that light.
A Lighthouse Built for a Changing Coast
The Morris Island Lighthouse was first illuminated on October 1, 1876. Its story reaches back much earlier. As early as 1673, colonists used fires in raised pans of pitch to help guide ships. By 1767, a proper 42-foot lighthouse stood on Morris Island, one of the earliest official lights in the American colonies. That structure was later replaced by a taller brick tower, which Confederate forces extinguished in 1861 and destroyed in 1862.
The current lighthouse was begun in 1872, completed in 1876, and originally built more than half a mile from the shoreline. It stands 174 feet tall and served as a reliable guide into Charleston Harbor for decades.
Erosion came later. Jetties built at the harbor entrance in the late 1800s changed the flow of sand and accelerated shoreline loss. By the 1930s, the tower stood at the water’s edge, and by the 1960s the surrounding land was gone. The U.S. Coast Guard deactivated the light in 1962 in favor of a modern beacon on Sullivan’s Island, and the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Today, the Morris Island Lighthouse stands offshore not because it was built there, but because the island around it disappeared.
From Decline to a Community Rescue
By the middle of the twentieth century, the lighthouse’s future was uncertain. In 1965, the General Services Administration auctioned it to a private citizen, and ownership changed hands repeatedly while the tower deteriorated.
A grassroots rescue effort began in 1996, led by James Island resident Barbara Schoch and conservationist Johnny Ohlandt. Citizen groups formed the Morris Island Lighthouse Committee, and Save The Light, Inc. was incorporated in November 1998.
In February 1999, Save The Light purchased the lighthouse for $75,000 with financial backing from artist Jim Booth and businessman Robert New. In 2000, the Heritage Trust Program recognized it as one of South Carolina’s top 100 cultural sites, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources accepted title, with the transfer finalized in December 2000 under a 99-year lease.
Since then, Save The Light has worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on stabilization and erosion control. Preservation work is ongoing and depends on continued community support.
Celebrating 150 Years of Light
On Sunday, October 18, 2026, Save The Light will mark the lighthouse’s 150th anniversary from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Bowen’s Island Restaurant in Charleston. General admission is $100 per ticket at SaveTheLight.org. Guests will enjoy a traditional Lowcountry boil, barbecue, sides, wine, beer, soft drinks, live music, birthday cake, freebies, and keepsake memorabilia.
The event will also unveil the 150th Anniversary Art Contest gallery, announce the adult and children’s division winners, and open a People’s Choice vote for attendees.
Tickets are available through Save The Light’s 150th Anniversary Celebration page.
And if you cannot attend in October, there are other ways to join the effort. Save The Light’s annual Oyster Roast is scheduled for January 24, 2027, followed by the Save the Light Half Marathon & 5K on Folly Beach on February 6, 2027.
A Coffee for the Cause
At Carolina Coffee Works, we are proud to support Save The Light through our Morris Island Medium “Save the Light” edition.
Morris Island Save the Light Lighthouse Roast is a 16 oz bag of medium-roast Organic Colombia Huila coffee with official Save The Light campaign branding on the label. 20% of every bag sold supports the preservation of the Morris Island Lighthouse through Save the Light.
In the cup, expect caramel, milk chocolate, light citrus, and a clean finish. It is a smooth, balanced everyday roast that works well black or with cream. We roast it in small batches to order here in Charleston, giving this local collaboration a fresh, practical connection to the cause.
Keeping the Light in View
For 150 years, the Morris Island Lighthouse has remained part of Charleston’s coastal story, and preserving it still takes steady public support.
If you are in Charleston on October 18, join Save The Light at Bowen’s Island Restaurant. Buy your tickets at SaveTheLight.org and help celebrate a landmark that still means a great deal to the Lowcountry.
Or bring home a Morris Island Medium “Save the Light” coffee and support the effort one cup at a time.