A light was recorded here as early as 1673 at what was then known as Charles Towne colony. On May 30, 1767, the cornerstone for a new light was laid on three small islands called Middle Bay Island, and the Charles Towne light became one of ten pre-Revolutionary War lights built in the colony. In January 1790, South Carolina transferred title to the newly formed United States Government, and within a year the three islands had joined to become Morrison's, or Morris, Island. On December 30, 1860, South Carolina took possession of the lighthouse, and the Confederates later destroyed it to prevent Union armies from using it as a lookout tower. In 1873, after the Civil War, Congress approved funds for a new first order tower on Morris Island, construction began that fall, and the finished lighthouse rose 158 feet above the ocean with black and white bands. When it was first illuminated on October 1, 1876, it could be seen 19 miles out at sea. During World War II, explosions on Folly Beach from live bombs used in United States Navy training exercises caused cracks in the base of the old lighthouse. In 1962, the Sullivan's Island lighthouse became operational and the Morris Island light was extinguished. A 109-foot-tall replica of the Morris Island Lighthouse now rests upon the pedestal above.