The Haig Point Range Lights were

range light Leading lights (also known as range lights in the United States) are a pair of light beacons used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; they may also be used for position fixing. At nigh ...

s on Calibogue Sound at the northeastern end of

Daufuskie Island Daufuskie Island, located between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, is the southernmost inhabited sea island in South Carolina. It is long by almost wide – approximate surface area of (5,000 acres). With over of beachfront, Daufuskie is sur ...

in Beaufort County,

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. The Haig Point Range Lights were built in 1873 and were maintained as an official

aid to navigation In international relations, aid (also known as international aid, overseas aid, foreign aid, economic aid or foreign assistance) is – from the perspective of governments – a voluntary transfer of resources from one country to another. Ai ...

until about 1924. The Rear Range Light house has been restored. It is a guest house for the Haig Point Club and serves as a private aid to navigation. Calibogue Sound is between Daufuskie and

Hilton Head Island Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of C ...

s. It connects the

Intracoastal Waterway The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...

and the Harbour Town Marina with the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. In 1871, the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

authorized two sets of range lights on Daufuskie Island. The other range lights were the Bloody Point Range Lights on the south end of the island. Land was procured in 1872 at Haig's Point for the first set. The Haig Point range lights were lit in 1873.Burn, Billie, ''An Island Named Daufuskie'', The Reprint Company, Inc., Spartanburg, SC, 1991, pp. 187-203, .Clary, Margie Willis, ''The Beacons of South Carolina'', Sandlapper Publishing Co., Inc., Orangeburg, SC, 2005, pp. 59-67, . Although most sources indicate that the range lights were deactivated in 1924,Bansemer, Roger, ''Bansemer's Book of Carolina & Georgia Lighthouses'', Pineapple Press, Sarasota, FL, 2000, pp. 96-97, . others indicate that it was as early as 1922, Daufuskie Island (Haig Point) Range Lights to as late as 1934Roberts, Bruce, and Jones, Ray, ''Southern Lighthouses: Outer Banks to Cape Florida,'' 3rd ed., Globe Pequot Press, Guildord, CT, 2002, pp. 48-49, . or 1938.Zepke, Terrance, ''Lighthouse of the Carolinas'', Pineapple Press, Sarasota, FL, 2002, pp. 153-157, .

Rear Range Light

The Rear Range light, built by James H. Reed, had a square tower on top of the light keeper's wooden, two-story Victorian house. The foundation for the house rests on the

Tabby cement Tabby is a type of concrete made by burning oyster shells to create Lime (material), lime, then mixing it with water, sand, ash and broken oyster shells. Tabby was used by early Spanish Florida, Spanish settlers in present-day Florida, then by Br ...

foundation of an old plantation house. The house and tower are painted white. The lantern has a red roof. The light was a 5th order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

with a kerosene lamp. Later, an electric light was installed. In addition to the house, an oil house, and a 6,000 US gallon (22,700 L) cistern were built. This light was manned until about 1924. In 1925, the house was sold. Over time, it passed through several hands and fell into disrepair. In 1984, the house was purchased by the International Paper Realty Corporation. They began a restoration of the house as a guest house of the Haig Point Club. The oil house and cistern remain near the lighthouse. In 1986, after about sixty years of darkness, a lamp was again activated in the Haig Point lighthouse. This light has an acrylic lens and is powered by solar cells and batteries. This flashing white light is a private aid to navigation. The rear range is a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...

of the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

' Daufuskie Island Historic District. The nomination form and an additional picture is available from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. In addition, the Beaufort County Historical Surveys for both the lighthouse and the oil house are available. These have recent photographs.

Front Range Light

The front range light was a wooden structure with a lantern; the lighting apparatus was a steamer lens. The tower was located about south of the rear range light. This structure was movable to adjust to shifts in the channel. The fate of the front light after the station was closed is unknown, although some sources list it as having been destroyed.

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20080708093130/http://www.haigpoint.com/index.html * http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=653 {{Authority control , additional=Q107267459,Q107267401 Lighthouses completed in 1873 Houses completed in 1873 Buildings and structures in Beaufort County, South Carolina Lighthouses in South Carolina Historic district contributing properties in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Beaufort County, South Carolina