View of Charleston, c. 1831, by Samuel Barnard (Courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery -- Mabel Brady Garvan Collection)
The Shute's Folly Beacon sheds light on activities that occur on Shute's Folly, the small island in Charleston Harbor where Castle Pinckney is located. This section takes its name from the lighthouse that was built at Castle Pinckney in 1855. The abandoned fort served as a lighthouse station and depot until 1917.*
Coastal birds, including Eastern Brown Pelicans and American Oystercatchers, call Shute's Folly home during the nesting season. Between nesting seasons, Castle Guardians volunteer regularly visit the brick-and-mortar fort to protect and maintain the site. They often perform other tasks, including flag-raising ceremonies, to recognize historic flags and events, and to honor causes.
What Flag is Flying Over Castle Pinckney?
Event Calendar
Castle Guardians regularly visit Castle Pinckney to protect and maintain the site. So, please click the event calendar icon above to check for opportunities to join them. NOTE: To participate in volunteer workdays at the site, you must be a member of the Castle Pinckney Historical Preservation Society. You must also have purchased insurance and signed a waiver.
Latest Post
Nov. 13, 2025: Cadets Raise Big Red Over Castle Pinckney for Stray Dog Society's 10th Annual Big Red Flag Raising Cruise
Nine cadets ─ members of The Citadel's Military Living History Society (CMLHS) ─ departed The Citadel's Swain Boating Center at 1 p.m. Thursday, November 13 on a special mission.
Their mission was to raise Big Red, The Citadel's Regimental Flag, above historic Castle Pinckney in Charleston Harbor for The Stray Dog Society's 10th Annual Big Red Flag Raising Cruise. More
Previous Posts
Previous posts are stored (archived) in the Lighthouse Depot.
*More on the Lighthouse at Castle Pinckney -- A yellow lightouse tower with a focal plane of 50 feet was built at Castle Pinckney in 1855 prior to the Civil War. The lighthouse, shown in the engraving published in 1861 by Harper's Weekly shortly after the war began (see engraving), had a 5th order, non-rotating Fresnel lens that permitted its light to be visible at a great distance. Castle Pinckney was transferred to the Lighthouse Board in 1878 for use as a lighthouse depot for the Sixth District, serving lighthouses from North Carolina to Florida. A new lighthouse was built at Castle Pinckney in 1880, and a third lighthouse was built to replace it in 1890 when the fort became a lighthouse station. A lighthouse depot was situated on Tradd Street in Charleston in 1916, and the lighthouse station at Castle Pinckney was deactivated in 1917.