71 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com GUARDIANS of the Coast BY SARAH ROSE hammock coast TOUR OF LIGHTHOUSES Georgetown Lighthouse 1, May 16, 2023. (Justin McIntyre-SC Maritime Museum) www.HammockCoastAgents.com | www.HammockCoastCuisine.com | www.HammockCoastPodcast.com THE GEORGETOWN LIGHTHOUSE Built in 1801 out of cypress wood, the lighthouse on North Island guided passenger and trade ships from the Atlantic through Winyah Bay and into the thriving port city of Georgetown. When a hurricane ripped it apart in 1806, a second lighthouse was built in its place, this time with bricks and mortar. Completed in 1811, the 90-foot structure has survived countless storms. It has also served as a lookout post during the Civil War and a safe haven for escaped slaves seeking safe passage on Union vessels. The tower was manned during World War I and World War II. More recently in the 1980s, it was used as a camp for troubled teenage boys. After the adjacent keeper’s house burned down in 1958, a Coast Guard crew manned the lighthouse until 1986 when the light was automated. According to Justin McIntyre, curator of the South Carolina Maritime Museum, “Georgetonians are very proud of their lighthouse. The fact that it is still guiding vessels in and out of Winyah Bay after all these years is amazing and the real story.”
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