In 1848 the United States Lighthouse Service established a light station to guide ships over the Charleston Bar. The site selected was on Sullivan’s Island at the entrance to Charleston Harbor.

The station was destroyed at the outbreak of the War Between the States. After the surrender of the Confederate forces in Charleston, a temporary light was set up to mark the channel near the sunken wreck of the ironclad USS Weehawken. It was placed on a skeleton tower on the roof of a private house on Sullivan’s Island. This was supplemented by a lightship over the wreck itself.
Range lights were built upon Fort Moultrie in 1872 with the front range light on the fort’s parapet. The station included keeper’s quarters. The lightship was removed at this time.

In 1878, the front beacon was moved to the earthen works of the fort. A year later, the wooden tower was raised six feet and a lower level was built of brick to serve as an oil room. The front range light went through several additional transitions; in 1883, it was painted red and in 1886, it was moved 12 feet to the west because of the shifting location of the bar.

Finally in 1899, the rear range light was discontinued and replaced by two front range lights. The lights were extinguished and removed on an unknown date.