Finally, restoration begins

After years of planning and fundraising, work actually has begun around the Morris Island Lighthouse, with the placement of a barge adjacent to the structure, from which stabilization work will be done. It signals that the long-awaited preservation of the 131-year-old landmark is approaching reality.

Completion of a coffer dam will allow the lighthouse's decaying foundation to be examined and stabilized. It is the most important part of the overall preservation project, according to Richard Beck, chairman of Save the Light Inc.

The dam will block seawater from the base of the lighthouse and enable the foundation to be stabilized with cement and the base to be capped.

"This is one of the more complicated preservation efforts," Dr. Beck tells us. Erosion has claimed the site of the lighthouse, and the structure is now in an inlet between Morris and Folly islands.

Getting the project to the starting point has been a challenge for its advocates. But as Dr. Beck says, "It's not a conversation piece any more, it's happening."

Save the Light, a citizens group, purchased the lighthouse in 1999 after months of fundraising, and has continued efforts for its preservation. The lighthouse was donated to the state of South Carolina in 2000, but Save the Light still serves as steward for the site under an agreement with the state.

The group's efforts have been joined by local governments, notably the nearby city of Folly Beach. Meanwhile, members of the local legislative delegation made the case that the lighthouse deserved state assistance. The preservation fund was bolstered this year with a $500,000 allocation by the Legislature.

Federal funds also will help restore the beacon, and Save the Light members credit First District Rep. Henry Brown, in particular, for his commitment to the project.

It was operated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service and later the Coast Guard. The Army Corps of Engineers will oversee its stabilization.

The preservation of this coastal icon is a testament to the local residents who first decided they weren't willing to see the lighthouse fall into the sea, and to those who have joined their long-running campaign.