Location | Charleston Harbor |
---|---|
Coordinates | 32°45′8″N79°52′29″W / 32.75222°N 79.87472°W (Fort Sumter) 32°46′45″N79°55′45″W / 32.77917°N 79.92917°W (St. Philips) |
Tower | |
Constructed | 1855 (Fort Sumter) 1893 (St. Philip's) |
Automated | 1950 (Fort Sumter) |
Height | 51 feet (16 m) (Fort Sumter) 140 feet (43 m) (St. Philip's) |
Shape | Hexagonal tower (Fort Sumter) Skeletal tower (Fort Sumter after 1893) Pyramidal church steeple (St. Philip's) |
Fog signal | Bell (Fort Sumter) |
Light | |
Deactivated | 1915 (St. Philip's) early 1950s (Fort Sumter) |
Lens | 5th order Fresnel lens (Fort Sumter) White lantern (St. Philip's) |
The Fort Sumter Range Lights are range lights to guide ships through the main channel of the Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The original front light was built at Fort Sumter and the original rear light was in the steeple of St. Philip's Church in Charleston, South Carolina. [1] [2] Both lights were lit from 1893 to 1915 to make range lights. [1] Today the Fort Sumter Range is the main approach channel to Charleston Harbor. [3]
Fort Sumter, which was the site of the first battle of the Civil War, [4] is now a National Monument. St. Philip's is a National Historic Landmark that was built in 1836. [5] [6]
The front light at Fort Sumter completed in 1857. [7] The front light was a white, fifth order Fresnel lens. [2] The station was destroyed during the Civil War. A temporary light with a steamer lens was in place after the war ended and Fort Sumter was reoccupied by federal troops. [8] Later the light was rebuilt. With little chance of war, this lighthouse was the major activity at Fort Sumter from 1876 to 1898. [9]
In 1893, the front light was destroyed by a hurricane. The tower was replaced with a light green metal skeletal tower. The fog signal was a bell mechanically struck with a double blow every 15 s. After the rear light was extinguished in 1915, a radio beacon was added. The radio beacon was moved to Sullivan's Island lifesaving station in 1950. The light was deactivated in the early 1950s. [1] [2]
The rear range light was a white lantern in the steeple of St. Philip's Church in Charleston that was lit in 1893. [1] The height of the lantern was 140 feet (43 m). The Annual Report of the Light-House Board reported that the electric apparatus for lighting the gas burner in the locomotive headlight was repaired in 1901. [10] This light was removed in 1915. [1] [2]
The Fort Sumter Range is currently the main approach channel to the Charleston Harbor. [11] [12] [13] Its front light is near Fort Sumter and its rear light is a lighted tower near the site of the old Fort Ripley Shoal Light. [3] [11] [13]
Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle of Fort Sumter began the American Civil War. It was severely damaged during the war, left in ruins, and although there was some rebuilding, the fort as conceived was never completed.
Leading lights, also known as range lights in the United States, are a pair of light beacons used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; they may also be used for position fixing. At night, the lights are a form of leading line that can be used for safe navigation. The beacons consist of two lights that are separated in distance and elevation, so that when they are aligned, with one above the other, they provide a bearing. Range lights are often illuminated day and night.
Fort Moultrie is a series of fortifications on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, built to protect the city of Charleston, South Carolina. The first fort, formerly named Fort Sullivan, built of palmetto logs, inspired the flag and nickname of South Carolina, as "The Palmetto State". The fort was renamed for the U.S. patriot commander in the Battle of Sullivan's Island, General William Moultrie. During British occupation, in 1780–1782, the fort was known as Fort Arbuthnot.
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in Charleston County, in coastal South Carolina. It mainly protects Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie, the Charleston Light and Liberty Square, Charleston. It was known as Fort Sumter National Monument until it was renamed in the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, signed March 12, 2019.
Morris Island Light is a lighthouse on Morris Island in South Carolina. The light stands on the southern side of the entrance to Charleston Harbor, north of the City of Folly Beach. At 161 ft, it is the tallest lighthouse in South Carolina. The lighthouse was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Second Battle of Charleston Harbor, also known as the siege of Charleston Harbor, siege of Fort Wagner, or Battle of Morris Island, took place during the American Civil War in the late summer of 1863 between a combined U.S. Army/Navy force and the Confederate defenses of Charleston, South Carolina.
St. Philip's Church is an historic church at 142 Church Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Its National Historic Landmark description states: "Built in 1836, this stuccoed brick church features an imposing tower designed in the Wren-Gibbs tradition. Three Tuscan pedimented porticoes contribute to this design to make a building of the highest quality and sophistication." On November 7, 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark.
The Fort Ripley Shoal Light or Middle Ground Light was a lighthouse in the Charleston, South Carolina harbor approaches.
The Haig Point Range Lights were range lights on Calibogue Sound at the northeastern end of Daufuskie Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The Haig Point Range Lights were built in 1873 and were maintained as an official aid to navigation until about 1924. The Rear Range Light house has been restored. It is a guest house for the Haig Point Club and serves as a private aid to navigation.
The Conover Beacon is a lighthouse in Leonardo section of Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, that functioned as the front light of the now-discontinued Chapel Hill Range.
The Chapel Hill Rear Range Light is a lighthouse located off of Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, which functioned as the rear light of the now-discontinued Chapel Hill Range.
The Bloody Point Range Lights, which is known as the Bloody Point Lighthouse, were range lights on the southern end of Daufuskie Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The Bloody Point Range Lights were built in 1883. Due to erosion, the front light was moved to the location of the former rear light and became the rear light. The lights were maintained as an official aid to navigation until 1922. The original Front Range Light house is currently a private home.
The Parris Island Range Lights were range lights on the southern end of Parris Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina. The Parris Range Lights were first lit in 1881. They were deactivated in 1912. Only the lens house for the Rear Light remains, which is the oldest building at Parris Island.
The Sullivan's Island Range Lights were range lights on the southern end of Sullivan's Island in Charleston County, South Carolina. The light station was first established in 1848 and was destroyed in 1861 during the Civil War. It was rebuilt after the war and the lights were in existence at least as late as 1901. Neither of the range lights still remains today.
Castle Pinckney Light is a former lighthouse on Shutes' Folly Island in Charleston Harbor, Charleston County, South Carolina.
The Nantucket Beacon formed a range with the Brant Point Light to guide vessels into Nantucket harbor. Operated at various times in the 19th century, it was deactivated sometime after 1870. This range was eventually succeeded by the Nantucket Harbor Range Lights, which are still in operation.
The Hospital Point Range Rear Light is part of a pair of range lights in Beverly, Massachusetts. It is located in the steeple of the First Baptist Church of Beverly.