Castle Pinckney Light
Lighthouse in South Carolina, US
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Castle Pinckney Light is a former lighthouse on Shutes' Folly Island in Charleston Harbor, Charleston County, South Carolina.[1][2][3][4]
Castle Pinckney from an 1861 illustration in Frank Leslie's Weekly | |
 | |
| Location | Shutes' Folly Island, Charleston County, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 32°46′25.1″N 79°54′39.6″W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1855 |
| Light | |
| Deactivated | 1917 |
| Focal height | 50 feet (15 m) (1855) |
| Lens | 5th order Fresnel lens (1855) |
Castle Pinckney was a c. 1810 U.S. coastal fortification, which was built upon the site of Fort Pinckney, a 1797 fort destroyed during an 1804 hurricane.
Castle Pinckney was occupied by Confederate forces during the Civil War.
History
In 1855, a yellow tower with a focal plane of 50 feet (15 m) was built at Castle Pinckney. It had a 5th order Fresnel lens.[1][2]
In 1878, Castle Pinckney was transferred to the Lighthouse Board for use as a lighthouse depot for the Sixth District. A new lighthouse was constructed in 1880. A third lighthouse was constructed in 1890, and it was made a lighthouse station.[1][2]
In 1916, the lighthouse depot was moved to Tradd Street in Charleston. The lighthouse station was deactivated in 1917, and Castle Pinckney was transferred to the War Department for a time.