Georgetown Lighthouse

Year Built

1801

Cost

$20,000

Type

Conical

Height

87 feet

Location

Winyah Bay

Automated Year

1986

First Lit

1812, rebuilt 1867

Lens Type

Fourth order Fresnel (1855), VRB-25 (current)

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White with black lantern

Last Keeper - Date

Scott Van Deusen (1984)

Description

Access to the lighthouse is by boat as there are no roads to this lighthouse and tours are available

Brief History

•  The original lighthouse was a cypress tower and was destroyed by a storm in 1806.
•  Confederate troops used the lighthouse as a lookout during the Civil War before it was captured by Union troops in May 1862.
•  In 1909 a keeper’s dwelling was built on South Island for a keeper responsible for attending lights there.
•  The lighthouse remained a family station until a fire in 1968 destroyed the two keeper's dwellings.
•  In 2001 the lighthouse property was added to the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Preserve.