Keeper of the light
Written by Vickie McIntyre I Photos by Jeffrey Keefer
Every evening just before sunset the Harbour Town Lighthouse comes to life, sending illumination across the water to Daufuskie Island and beyond.
Though sailors no longer need to rely on this method of guidance, lighthouse keeper Nadia Wagner says, “I hope the story of the lighthouse never fades.”
She’s doing her part to ensure that never happens.
“When Charles Fraser had the idea to build a lighthouse back in the late 60s, people thought he was nuts,” laughs Wagner. “But he had a vision and wanted something special to commemorate Harbour Town.”
With nearly 250,000 visitors last year and some eight million over the past 29 years, “Fraser’s Folly” has evolved into more than an iconic landmark. Wagner credits Charles Fraser, William Whalley and Mark King for making that happen.
The lighthouse is a replica of the Darwen Tower in Lancashire, England, and Fraser chose William Whalley of Whalley Construction Company, a grandson of the man who built the lighthouse in England, to commence construction in 1969.
One year later the lighthouse opened, just in time for the second annual Heritage Classic.
For years the structure remained unattended until property manager Mark King decided to open a gift shop at the top of the landmark in 1994. He tapped Nadia Wagner, an employee at the Quarter Deck at the time, to manage the shop and supervise the lighthouse.
“Mark wanted to create a unique experience where visitors from all over the world could enjoy the view and maybe take a little memento home,” says Wagner, adding that the two of them made numerous trips up the 114 steps to fill the space with T-shirts, coffee mugs and other souvenirs.
More and more tourists came, but sales from the shop weren’t enough to keep pace with maintaining the lighthouse. Renovations during the fall of 1998 expanded the top floor to accommodate more people and merchandise.
As business improved, questions about the island’s history surfaced, so Wagner created a fact sheet to distribute, while also noting requests for specific souvenirs.
By April 2001, King and Wagner made the decision to turn the lighthouse into a museum, charging $1 admission while also adding Christmas ornaments, local arts and crafts and nautical memorabilia to the store.
“At the end of that year,” says Wagner, “we paid all of the bills and with a portion of what was left over, we started putting money back into the lighthouse to make it better so the next year our visitors would have something more to see.”
Today the lighthouse boasts 10 landings, featuring various artifacts and historical accounts of the area’s development, starting with the Yemassee Indians and winding through the plantation era and beyond to the island’s ties with golf and tennis.
Items on display include Civil War bottles excavated from Port Royal Plantation, an official “Play Club” used to drive the first ball of many Heritage tournaments, a pair of Stan Smith’s designed tennis shoes, and an American flag with 47 stars.
Seven years ago the lighthouse partnered with the USCG and the local Coast Guard Auxiliary to open a first-of-its-kind Official Coast Guard Museum Exhibit that occupies the top three landings and features a 16-foot hand-built scale model of the “Eagle,” a historic 295-foot cutter that serves as a seagoing classroom for Coast Guard cadets.
But it’s the handmade replica of the Fourth Order Fresnel lens, created by Florida artist and engineer Dan Spinella, that draws top billing.
The lens, which resembles a giant beehive and magnifies light across the water for 13 to 15 miles, says Wagner, “is very special to us, and we’ve been working with Florida Artworks for almost eight years, start to finish.”
The grand debut happened last April, and, yes, Wagner is responsible for climbing into the rafters and keeping the lens clean.
The many hats Wagner wears as lighthouse keeper include business manager, museum and shop director as well as employee supervisor.
Her favorite aspect of the job is interacting with visitors.
“It means so much to me because I’ve worked here almost three decades. I’ve seen kids come in who are now bringing their kids and grandkids,” says Wagner.
Over the years she’s greeted newlyweds, consoled widows, and read to kids who love to choose books from the first-floor Maritime Gift Galley. She’s answered questions about everything from Charles Fraser to restaurant recommendations.
More than once she’s had to forbid a tipsy visitor from climbing the stairs.
Recently, a man showed up, producing a photo of himself as a boy standing with Wagner at the top of landing after losing his first tooth.
The lighthouse has also hosted hundreds of weddings, engagements and private parties.
“Our mission is to create unforgettable memories,” says Wagner, who proudly mentions that thousands of dollars have gone to support charities like the USCG Auxiliary and the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research, which receives all proceeds from the sale of fine art photographs by local artist Jeff Keefer of The Vivid Gallery.
Before turning to greet another group of visitors, a beaming Wagner exclaims, “The lighthouse means so much to so many — I just hope that the light I send out is as special as I feel.”
