Watch! Extraordinary Aerial Video of Morris Island Lighthouse

This came across my Facebook feed today, and I can’t help but share it with you – a beautiful aerial video of the Morris Island Lighthouse just off Folly Beach. Many of you know this isn’t just an ordinary lighthouse. Rather it is one that stands by itself out in the middle of the ocean, crumbling but not forgotten, with a century and half of stories to tell. Thank you Dan Crawford of Crawford Productions, Inc, for shooting this sunrise moment.

Morris Island Lighthouse Folly Beach, SC from Daniel Crawford on Vimeo.

 

How did it get this way you ask? With the construction of the jetties at the entrance of the Harbor in 1889, the ocean currents changed to such a degree that a huge swath of Morris Island eroded away, leaving the lighthouse atop only a small piece of land, visible around low tide. You can still get close to it via a pedestrian path at the very northeastern end of Folly Beach, but look only, do not swim, as the channel between the lighthouse island and Folly has treacherous currents!  However, you CAN go by boat as I did almost 5 years ago to celebrate a friend’s birthday with a lighthouse picnic. Not only was the experience of being on the tiny island in the middle of the ocean extraordinary, but also we were rewarded with a pod of dolphins strand feeding just feet from our toes.  See the amazing video from my 2010 post and know how rare it is to see this in the wild.

If you want to learn more about the Morris Island Lighthouse history, go here and be sure to note it is now on the National Register of Historic Places. And if you want to become part of the effort to save it, join Save the Light and help protect one of our unique and important local treasures.

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