Harbour Town Light

The Harbour Town Lighthouse is a lighthouse at the Harbour Town Marina at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. It was privately built and is a private aid to navigation.[3][4][5][6][7] Although initially ridiculed by local residents during the planning and construction phases, the lighthouse became instantly popular and is today the most recognizable symbol of Hilton Head Island and Sea Pines Resort. The annually televised The Heritage golf tournament has helped increase the lighthouse's fame to millions of golf fans worldwide, and the 18th hole at the Harbour Town Golf Links has become one of the most popular and recognizable finishing holes in golf.

Harbour Town Lighthouse
Harbour Town Lighthouse
LocationHilton Head Island, South Carolina
Coordinates32°08′19″N 80°48′46″W
Tower
Constructed1969
FoundationConcrete
ConstructionStucco over metal lath and plywood
Height93 feet (28 m)[1]
ShapeOctagonal tower[1]
MarkingsRed and white bands
Light
First lit1970
Focal height28 m (92 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
LensWhite
CharacteristicFl W 2.5s[2]

History

Building of Harbour Town Lighthouse was started in 1969 by Charles Fraser and completed in 1970.[4] It is a octagonal column with a red observation deck or gallery below the lantern. The column is stucco on metal lath over plywood with a height of 93 feet (28 m). Its daymark is alternating red and white bands. It has a white light that flashes every 25 s.[2][4][7]

The lighthouse was privately built as part of Harbour Town Marina and Sea Pines Plantation. It is open for the public to climb. There is a small fee for a day pass to the Plantation and another small fee for admission to its lighthouse.[4][5]

Current

The Harbour Town Lighthouse is now a tourist and wedding destination[8] for Hilton Head Island. The privately owned lighthouse also features a museum with historic photos of Harbour Town, and gift shops at the bottom and top of the light.[9]

References
  1. Sally Mahan, Meet the man behind Hilton Head's iconic lighthouse, Hilton Head Monthly, March 31, 2014, accessed October 18, 2023.
  2. Light List, Volume III, Atlantic Coast, Little River, South Carolina to Econfina River, Florida (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2007.
  3. Bansemer, Roger, Bansemer's Book of Carolina & Georgia Lighthouses, Pineapple Press, Sarasota, FL, 2000, pp. 94-95, ISBN 1-56164-194-4.
  4. Clary, Margie Willis, The Beacons of South Carolina, Sandlapper Publishing Co., Inc., Orangeburg, SC, 2005, pp. 94-96, ISBN 0-87844-176-X.
  5. "Harbour Town, SC". South Carolina Lighthouses. lighthousefriends.com. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
  6. Roberts, Bruce, and Jones, Ray, Southern Lighthouses: Outer Banks to Cape Florida, 3rd ed., Globe Pequot Press, Guildord, CT, 2002, pp. 46-47, ISBN 0-7627-1243-0.
  7. Zepke, Terrance, Lighthouse of the Carolinas, Pineapple Press, Sarasota, FL, 2002, pp. 153-157, ISBN 1-56164-148-0.
  8. Archived October 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Archived October 13, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
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