Hilton Head Range Rear Light

Port Royal Sound was first mapped in 1663 by Captain William Hilton, who commanded the English ship Adventure. The island features a high bluff on its northern side and for this reason Hilton named the island "Hilton's Head." Calls for a lighthouse to be built on the island began in 1853. Merchants, planters, and ship owners asked the federal to construct a lighthouse and a corresponding beacon light to help them safely navigate in and out of the Sound. Although money was appropriated for the project in 1854, the lighthouse and beacon light were never built because the land was too expensive. Two range lights were eventually built on the island after the Union captured it early in the Civil War. These, however, were eventually destroyed by storms.

Efforts to build new lights started again in 1876 when Congress appropriated $40,000 for range lights on the island and across the Sound on Bay Point Island. The property was purchased during the next few years and construction on the rear and front range lights finally got underway in 1879 (the front range light was located just over a mile away to the north; it was 35-feet tall and sat atop the keepers residence). Both were completed in June 1880 but were not activated until August 1st when the range lights on Parris Island were finished. The lantern room was made out of cypress wood and housed a Fresnel lens that originally contained a fixed red light. The brick oil house was built in 1892. The lights were deactivated in 1932 and the front light was demolished shortly thereafter.

In 1937, Camp McDougal was established on the grounds of the lighthouse to train troops for anti-aircraft units and defense battalions. The lighthouse was used as a lookout during World War II to search for enemy ships. In 1975, the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It appears to have become part of the resort in the 1980s.

"Hilton Head Range Rear Light." Lighthouse Friends. Accessed February 18, 2021. https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=331.

"History." Palmetto Dunes Oceanfront Resort. Accessed February 18, 2021. https://www.hiltonheadlighthouse.com/history.

Wells, John E. "Rear Lighthouse of Hilton Head Range Light Station." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. December 12, 1985. http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/beaufort/S10817707031/S10817707031.pdf.