Astounding views, seclusion make Lighthouse Inlet appealing new park
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Michael Morton of James Island glances back while fishing at the northeast end of Folly Beach, a scenic, semi-secluded spot formerly known as the Old Coast Guard Base and on track to become a county park called Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve.
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Betty Tarnowski of Folly Beach, who for five years has made regular 'turtle patrols' on the island's northeast end, checks a loggerhead turtle nest that she previously marked. Turtle nests are common at this portion of the island, making protection of the endangered wildlife necessary, Tarnowski said.
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Jim Roberts (left) snaps pictures of his fiancee, Katie Piontek, while on revetment rocks at the east end of Folly Beach. The Charlotte couple were visiting Folly for the first time. They were impressed by the beauty and atmosphere they found, especially at the island's less busy northeast end.
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Toting a water bottle on a very hot August day, Folly Beach turtle patroller Betty Tarnowski approaches Lighthouse Inlet, which separates Folly and Morris islands. Folly Beach's best view of the Morris Island Lighthouse can be found here.
Gazing at astounding views while absorbing the sounds of crashing waves and calling seabirds, it's hard to believe this serene spot at the northeastern end of Folly Island is so well-connected to war and bloodshed.
People have been coming to this site for decades to relax, fish, crab or just walk the shore in solitude. And now the 80-plus acres across a narrow waterway from the Morris Island lighthouse is getting official recognition: It is being transformed to a park by the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission and is now named Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve.
The commission has owned the site, formerly known as the Old Coast Guard Base, since 1989 and plans to maintain it as a passive sanctuary.
It's not yet known when construction will begin, but plans include boardwalk trails, a parking area and open shelters from which nature and the sight of the Morris Island Lighthouse can be appreciated. A large bird feeding area from which ornithological studies can be conducted is planned as is signage to direct visitors to the best fishing areas and to the park's greatest assets: the sites with the most impressive views.
Much of the current park site is marked by signs as off-limits, but a mostly paved trail from the road to the beach accommodates visitors who want to enjoy the beach. The site is somewhat beyond the hustle and bustle of the island's popular beaches and commercial district. Folly Beach Mayor Carl Beckmann said it's one of his favorite escapes.
Julie Hensley, director of the commission's Planning Division, said that while it's hoped the park will continue to serve those seeking some peace and quiet, the park is also envisioned as a centerpiece in a master plan for historic battlefield parks on Folly Island and Morris Island.
A master plan dating to 2007 calls for passive parks at the northeastern end of Folly Island and at Cummings Point on Morris Island.
"Both properties are geographically and historically related to one another," necessitating simultaneous master planning for them," Hensley said.
The Folly park also fits well with commission's role in preserving the iconic Morris Island Lighthouse, she said.
Hensley said planned signage will illuminate the park's rich history, which dates to the Colonial era as well as pivotal roles in the Civil War. The site remained militarily significant until after World War II.
According to www.follysurfcam.com/follybeach/history, on Sept. 9, 1696, Folly Island was given as a royal grant to William Rivers. The land changed hands multiple times, and before the Civil War was secluded from the civilization and control of Charleston government and known as Coffin Land. The island earned a reputation as a hideout for pirates, with minimal interference from Charleston, and the few adventurous people of the island basically governed themselves.
In the Civil War, Folly, which was then described as "a fascinating, strange and uninhabitable jungle-like place," became a campground from which Union forces eventually launched the siege of Charleston, the Web site indicates.
Folly Beach City Council last month unanimously enacted ordinances, recommended by wildlife experts, intended to better protect the park site's birds and loggerhead turtles, which have been making homes or nests, or both, at the park site long before any people were around.
The new law bans dogs from the park. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species biologist Melissa Bimbi, in a recent presentation to council, said that even if they are only behaving playfully, dogs harm nesting and migrating birds when they chase or otherwise frighten them.
Beckmann said the city intends to enforce its new and older laws. The park has long attracted youths and others who party there after dark, build fires and camp out, and Beckmann said the city hopes to put a stop to that.
"We are going back and forth on patrols there, and (the S.C. Department of Natural Resources) is starting patrols there," Beckmann said. He predicted that a few arrests made for fires and for camping will have a dampening effect on those activities.
Several rather large concrete foundations remain from former Coast Guard buildings no longer standing at the site.
The foundations are proving to be attractions to graffiti artists. Beckmann said the foundations probably will be removed eventually.
Beckmann said he's eager to see the park developed, and hopes the commission can keep its long-range plans to launch boat tours from the Folly River side of Folly Island. Beckmann said Folly and the commission both had wanted to include Long Island, an undisturbed marsh island targeted for preservation that is adjacent to Folly, in park plans.
But Long Island is privately held and officials were unable to arrange its purchase, Beckmann said.
Reach Edward C. Fennell at efennell@postandcourier.com or 937-5560.
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