Fort Lyttelton (Beaufort County, South Carolina)
Beaufort County · South Carolina
History & Significance
Governor William Henry Lyttelton, engineer Henry Bouquet, and Emanuel Hess inspected the site in August 1757, and Hess subsequently presented plans for a fort to be built on Spanish Point on Port Royal River. Construction of the tabby fort began in 1758 and was completed in 1764.
Both Fort Lyttelton and Fort Marion were designed as naval fortifications with the primary function of protecting the river approach to Beaufort. When Fort Frederick was abandoned, the new and more formidable tabby fort named Fort Lyttelton was built upriver at Spanish Point and was used through the Revolutionary War.
The fort first saw action during the Battle of Port Royal Island on February 3, 1779, when patriot forces garrisoned there spiked their cannons to prevent the fort from falling to British forces aboard H.M.S. Vigilant. The fort was rebuilt in 1807 and renamed Fort Marion.
During the 18th and early 19th centuries the land was primarily used for military purposes; in the late 19th century it entered the phosphate period, and shipbuilding became important in the early 20th century. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 13, 1979.
Key Facts
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lyttelton_Site
- http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/beaufort/S10817707028/index.htm
- https://bdcbcl.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/fort-lyttelton/
- https://www.ccpl.org/charleston-time-machine/rise-charlestons-horn-work-part-1
- https://www.beaufortcountysc.gov/council/comprehensive-plan/documents/2010-comprehensive-plan-documents/chapter-2-history.pdf
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