Darkness envelops your nautical world. You search the horizon for a familiar site, and suddenly you spot the signal that convinces you all is well. A pair of 30-second flashes of light emitting from a structure erected more than half a century ago tell you that you are approaching the shoreline of Sullivan’s Island. The last major lighthouse built in the United States was put … [Read more...] about Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse: Still Standing Tall
History
Streets That Tell Stories: a Sullivan’s Island History Lesson
Concrete evidence of the key role Sullivan’s Island has played in U.S. history can be found on a map of the city or by taking a short drive from one end of the island to the other. The names of the streets that crisscross the island reflect the people and events that combined to help settle a continent, forge a nation, survive a major internal conflict and emerge from two world … [Read more...] about Streets That Tell Stories: a Sullivan’s Island History Lesson
The Little Library That Could: Sullivan’s Island’s Edgar Allan Poe Branch
A library is like the human heart because size has no bearing on how much love – in this case, for books and knowledge – it can hold. Take, for example, the Edgar Allan Poe Branch of the Charleston County Library System, located on Sullivan’s Island. Although the Poe Library isn’t massive, I spent quite a busy afternoon there learning its history, speaking with the … [Read more...] about The Little Library That Could: Sullivan’s Island’s Edgar Allan Poe Branch
Luxury in Our History: The New Brighton Hotel
A luxury resort hotel right in the middle of Sullivan’s Island? And with a casino, performance hall and its own sources of water and natural gas? Yes, this actually happened. Built in 1884, the New Brighton Hotel rivaled any resort on the East Coast at the time. Its existence was intended to spur the dawn of a new era, a post-Civil War identity that capitalized on tourism. The … [Read more...] about Luxury in Our History: The New Brighton Hotel
Atlantic Beach Hotel Once Graced Sullivan’s Island Beach
There are not hotels on Sullivan’s Island, and, in the beginning, there was no reason to build one. But for the better part of four decades, Charlestonians and other visitors stayed at the Atlantic Beach Hotel, soaking up sun on the beach during the day and enjoying the sound of waves lapping gently against the shore at night. The barrier island’s recorded history dates back to … [Read more...] about Atlantic Beach Hotel Once Graced Sullivan’s Island Beach
