If you are in Charleston, South Carolina, getting a glimpse of the Morris Island Lighthouse is a must, especially if you are on a boat! There are several places you can see the lighthouse, but the best two are from either Morris Island or Folly Beach. I have painted several Morris Island Lighthouse paintings, but today I will focus on my top three.
I am fourth generation Folly Beach, SC. My great grandfather built a house there in the 20’s and my grandfather built a house there in the 50s, which acted as a summer home. My mother and father bought their house on Folly in the 80s. Now my brother lives in the house my grandfather built.
One thing that I really enjoy doing on Folly is walking or biking to the very east end of the island and looking at the Morris Island Lighthouse. In fact, I had to go all the way back to 2008 to get pictures for this blog post. I guess I’ve seen it so many times from that angle, I haven’t taken pictures in a while! Consequently, the recent paintings I did of the lighthouse scene were based on memory.
You cannot get to the very east end of Folly Beach by car, you must walk. You can either walk down a closed off road or walk via the beach. If you choose to walk the road, you will come to a sand dune at the end and you will see the lighthouse between the sea oats. If you choose the beach route, you will see the lighthouse with the rocks and wood of an old groin in the foreground. I used both of the scenes from memory to paint two of the paintings.
Another way to get a good view of the lighthouse is to go to Morris Island itself, accessible only by boat. However, wouldn’t suggest getting close to the lighthouse. The current and waves around it are quite turbulent. My husband’s family were here in July and we took a trip out to the west side of the island that faces Folly.
However you can get a glimpse of it, you’ll never forget the way it makes you feel. It has this mysterious beauty, but also a sense of loneliness and sadness. Among the turbulent waves and water, it sits there silently and a quite stillness come over you. Luckily in the recent years, efforts have been made to keep the lighthouse maintained. Built and then rebuilt since 1767, it needs all the help it can get!
My husband and his grandmother both adore that lighthouse. Thus, I painted pictures for both of them. Hers was similar to the ones above. His is a unique view of the lighthouse from above. I painted in in 2020, although I feel like it could be better, I love the unique perspective. It hangs as a center piece in our living room above the couch.
If you saw the Morris Island Lighthouse only from the Ravenel Bridge, Fort Sumter, or maybe only the airplane, I hope that you will get to it up close and take in all its historic wonder.