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The 1768 Charleston Lighthouse: Finding the Light in the Fog of History
192 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2023
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January 18, 2026
The 1768 Charleston Lighthouse tells the story of the original lighthouse on Morris Island. It was built during colonial times and blown up during the Civil War. The book also explores the lighthouse's architect and his similar work one of Charleston's colonial churches. Along the way, various myths about the lighthouse are actively debunked and the origin of the misunderstanding sought out where possible. It is actively addressing issues with the historiography.
Duffus has clearly delved much deeper into the history of this lighthouse than anyone before him. He also does a good job putting the lighthouse into context of Charleston's maritime history. Lighthouses are all too often not properly researched, resulting in a lot of erroneous historical understanding, and Duffus calling this out is welcome.
Unfortunately, for all the author's efforts, the paper trail is far from complete and the reader may find more educated deduction than expected, due to a shortage of sources. The book also feels a little padded. Even though Duffus is the sole credited author, he refers to himself throughout the book in the second person for some reason ("We assert...").
Though it falls short of Duffus' previous books about Cape Hatteras and Cape Fear, it is a still a very worthy effort and a must-read for lighthouse buffs. Those with a strong interest in Charleston or South Carolina history will probably also enjoy learning about an important but obscure subject. The American Revolution and the American Civil War are both part of the story, but not enough to recommend it to people with those specific interests. The topic and delivery are probably too niche for the general history reader.
Duffus has clearly delved much deeper into the history of this lighthouse than anyone before him. He also does a good job putting the lighthouse into context of Charleston's maritime history. Lighthouses are all too often not properly researched, resulting in a lot of erroneous historical understanding, and Duffus calling this out is welcome.
Unfortunately, for all the author's efforts, the paper trail is far from complete and the reader may find more educated deduction than expected, due to a shortage of sources. The book also feels a little padded. Even though Duffus is the sole credited author, he refers to himself throughout the book in the second person for some reason ("We assert...").
Though it falls short of Duffus' previous books about Cape Hatteras and Cape Fear, it is a still a very worthy effort and a must-read for lighthouse buffs. Those with a strong interest in Charleston or South Carolina history will probably also enjoy learning about an important but obscure subject. The American Revolution and the American Civil War are both part of the story, but not enough to recommend it to people with those specific interests. The topic and delivery are probably too niche for the general history reader.
Displaying 1 of 1 review