The Morris Island Lighthouse: Charleston's Maritime Beacon

by Douglas W. Bostick

Douglas Bostick, historian and former director of Save the Light, Inc., recounts the stories of the many lightkeepers and their families who braved meager provisions, low pay and grueling conditions living on a small island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor.

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2008

About the author

Douglas W. Bostick is an eighth-generation South Carolinian. He is the executive director & CEO of the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust and director of the South Carolina Liberty Trail.

Reviews

[Josh Liller]

This book traces the history of the Charleston Lighthouse, better known as Morris Island Lighthouse. It covers the colonial origins of the first Charleston Lighthouse through the efforts (as of 2007) by the non-profit organization Save The Light - www.savethelight.org - to save the tower. The island washed away due to man-made changes to the harbor channel, leaving the lighthouse surrounded by water.

As is typical of History Press publications, this is a short book (121 pages of main text) with no citations and no index, although there is a two-page Bibliography. However, it's clear from the text that some primary source National Archives research has been performed. There are lots of good historic photos throughout the book as well. The author makes the repeated mistake of of referring to lighthouse tenders as "lightships". There is also clearly limited information available about the lighthouse keepers. The writing is decent.

This is a short but solid work that I think most lighthouse buffs will enjoy.