April 8, 2008 - Beaufort, SC

Today we drove to Beaufort. We decided to stay here because it was a central location for us to see the Hunting Island Lighthouse. The RV park was named Tuck In the Wood Campground and it was literally tucked back into the woods. The office was a 1986 Winnebago. We drove out to Hunting Island Lighthouse located in a state park. The original lighthouse was built in 1859 and after two years the civil war put out the light. In 1875 the lighthouse was rebuilt with a tower that was in sections so it could be taken apart quickly and moved elsewhere. When erosion threatened in 1885, the lighthouse was moved inland about a mile. We walked behind the lighthouse and out onto the beach. We started walking along the beach searching for sea shells. We found two large Welk Shells (look like a conch shell) and several other unique shells. It was fun to search for different type shells.

We drove back into the town of Beaufort passing docks filled with shrimp boats. In town we could drive around and see many old churches and houses. One church we stopped at was the St. Helena’s Episcopal Church. St. Helena’s Parish was established in 1712. The church was erected in 1724. We walked through the cemetery. It was interesting reading the head stones that were dated back to the 1700-1800s.