| Cape Romain Lighthouses | |
|---|---|
 Cape Romain Lighthouses on Lighthouse Island on Cape Romain Harbor |
|
| Location: | Charleston County, South Carolina |
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) |
(1827) (1857) |
| Year first constructed: | 1827 & 1857 |
| Year first lit: | 1858 (1857) |
| Automated: | 1937 (1857) |
| Deactivated: | 1858 (1827) 1947 (1857) |
| Foundation: | Timber pile (1857) |
| Construction: | Brick (1827 & 1857) |
| Tower shape: | Conical (1827) Octagonal (1857) |
| Markings/Pattern: | Red (1827) Upper 2/3: alternating white and black; Lower 1/3: white (1857) |
| Height: | 65 ft (19. Charleston County is a County located in the US state of South Carolina. South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth 8 m) (1827) 150 ft (45. 7 m) (1857) |
| Elevation: | 87. 5 ft (26. 7 m) (1827) 161 ft (49. 1 m) (1857) |
| Original lens: | Winslow Lewis lamps and reflectors (1827) 1st order Fresnel (1857) |
| Range: | 19 mi (30. 6 km) (1857) |
Cape Romain Lighthouses are a pair of brick lighthouses on Lighthouse Island southeast of McClellanville, South Carolina. McClellanville is a town in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. The lighthouses are on the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. The Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge is a 66000 acre (267 km² National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern South Carolina. They survived Hurricane Hugo that devastated the area. Hurricane Hugo was a destructive Category 5 Hurricane that struck Guadeloupe, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St
The original lighthouse, which was built by Winslow Lewis, is a 65 ft (19. Winslow Lewis (1770-1850 was a Sea captain, Engineer, Inventor and contractor active in the construction of many American Lighthouses 8 m) conical brick tower. It originally had his lamps and reflectors. In 1847, twelve oil lamps with a parabolic reflector were installed. This lighthouse was taken out of service in 1858. It is one of few surviving Winslow Lewis lighthouses.
In 1857, an 150 ft (45. 7 m) octagonal brick tower was built. In 1858, a first-order Fresnel lens was installed. A Fresnel lens (pronounced or) is a type of lens invented by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel. Although is was out of service during the Civil War, it was operating in 1866. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South after the Civil War. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South In 1931, a revolving beacon replaced the Fresnel lens. It was automated in 1937 and decommissioned in 1947. Built slightly out of plumb, this tower has a distinct tilt. [1] [2] [3]
The current daymark of the 1827 lighthouse is red, and the lantern is missing. A daymark is a structure such as a Tower constructed on land as an aid to navigation by sailors The 1857 lighthouse has distinctive white and black markings. The upper two-thirds of the tower's octagonal sides alternate white and black; the lower one-third is white. Its lantern survives.
The lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, #74001857. The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP is the United States government's official list of districts sites buildings structures and objects deemed worthy of The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional pictures and information [4] and a copy of the nomination form for Cape Romain Lighthouses. [5]
References
- ^ Roberts, Bruce, and Jones, Ray, Southern Lighthouses: Outer Banks to Cape Florida, 3rd ed. , Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT, 2002, pp. 39-40, ISBN 0-7627-1243-0.
- ^ Hollands, F. Ross, Jr. , Great American Lighthouses, Preservation Press, Washington, DC, p. 190-191, ISBN 0-89133-153-0.
- ^ Edgar, Walter, ed. The South Carolina Encyclopedia, University of South Carolina Press, 2006, p. 556-557, ISBN 1-57003-598-2
- ^ South Carolina Department of Archives and History
- ^ National Register of Historic Places nomination form
External links
- Cape Romain Lighthouses is at coordinates Coordinates: