Bald Head lighthouse
Encyclopedia
Bald Head Lighthouse, known as Old Baldy, is the oldest lighthouse
still standing in North Carolina
. It is the second of three lighthouses that have been built on Bald Head Island since the 18th century to help guide ships past the dangerous shoals at the mouth of the Cape Fear river
.
, who would later become the governor of North Carolina. In 1792, Congress appropriated $4,000 to complete the lighthouse that had been started by the North Carolina Colony before becoming part of the United States. Work on the lighthouse was overseen by Abisha Woodward, who would later build two lighthouses in Connecticut
: New London
and Falkner's Island. The lighthouse, which was first activated on December 23rd 1794, directed traffic to the Cape Fear River
and the growing port of Wilmington
, located several miles upstream. In less than two decades this lighthouse was threatened due to severe erosion of the river bank. Between 1813 and 1817 funds were approved for rebuilding Bald Head Lighthouse.
The replacement lighthouse now known as "Old Baldy" was completed by 1817. Old Baldy was built further inland where it would not be threatened by shifting sands along the river for just under $16,000. A stone plaque above the entrance identifies the builder as Daniel S. Way, and the foundry for the lantern room as R. Cochran. The octagonal brick and plaster tower stands 90 feet high and was originally equipped with an array of 15 lamps and reflectors. The lantern room is offset from the center of the tower, and as technology improved, it later housed a Fresnel lens
. At its base, the tower is 36 feet wide and at its top 14 ½ feet wide, while the walls are 5 feet thick at the base and taper to 2 ½ feet at the top. The rectangular stairway leading up the inside of the tower is made of Carolina yellow pine.
Old Baldy was first lit in 1817 by its longtime keeper Sedgewick Springs, a veteran of the American Revolution
and owner of the nearby Sedgely Abby Plantation. The Bald Head Lighthouse soon proved to be inadequate especially during storms and fog.
Some problems with the Bald Head Lighthouse included its location and illumination. Positioned some four miles from the eastern end of the island and equipped with a minor light, the lighthouse was unsuccessful in guiding ships safely past Frying Pan Shoals. A lightship was therefore placed out on the shoals in 1854.
A Jones fog bell was placed near Bald Head Lighthouse in 1855. In the same year the Lighthouse Board recommended improving the light by replacing the original apparatus with a third-order Fresnel lens. It also recommended a fixed light, varied by flashes "to distinguish this light, under all circumstances, from Federal Point Light
."
Requests for funds to raise the height of Old Baldy and install a more powerful first-order lens to make it a coastal beacon were never approved. Instead, in 1898 the Lighthouse Board approved the construction a new 159-foot steel skeleton tower equipped with a first order lens named the Cape Fear Lighthouse
, to be located on the southeastern end of Bald Head Island, where it could mark the shoals. The Cape Fear Light served as a coastal beacon from 1903 to 1958.
After the construction of the Cape Fear Lighthouse Old Baldy continued to serve as an active lighthouse with a fourth-order fixed beacon until 1930 and housed a radio beacon until 1958. It was used mostly to help guide ships through the perilous Frying Pan Shoals
. After the construction of the Oak Island Lighthouse
in 1958, Old Baldy and the Cape Fear Lighthouse were both decommissioned. The Cape Fear lighthouse was demolished but Old Baldy still stands as a day beacon
and symbol of Bald Head Island. The lighthouse has been restored and is open to the public.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1975 as Bald Head Island Lighthouse.
In 1995 Jacob Arthur, grandson of Charlie Frank House, Jr. (a contributor to the lighthouse's restoration and preservation) unveiled the plaque that stands in the foyer today. This plaque commemorated the re-opening of the Old Baldy Lighthouse after years of renovations.
struck the southern North Carolina
coast on September 5, 1996, there were a few residents remaining on Bald Head Island. When wind speeds climbed past hurricane strength, many islanders fled their houses and sought shelter inside the Bald Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse suffered minimal damage. It is possibly one of the safest structures on the island; its construction of brick and plaster five feet thick, has weathered many storms and is now known to withstand at least Category 3 hurricanes.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
still standing in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. It is the second of three lighthouses that have been built on Bald Head Island since the 18th century to help guide ships past the dangerous shoals at the mouth of the Cape Fear river
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
.
History
A ten-acre site on the west side of Bald Head Island, along the banks of the Cape Fear River, was selected for North Carolina’s first lighthouse. The property was purchased from Benjamin SmithBenjamin Smith
Benjamin Smith was the 16th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1810 to 1811.Smith was born in Brunswick County, North Carolina into a socially prominent family...
, who would later become the governor of North Carolina. In 1792, Congress appropriated $4,000 to complete the lighthouse that had been started by the North Carolina Colony before becoming part of the United States. Work on the lighthouse was overseen by Abisha Woodward, who would later build two lighthouses in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
: New London
New London
-Places:In the United States:*New London, Connecticut, largest place with this name**New London County, Connecticut*New London, Indiana*New London, Iowa*New London, Maryland*New London, Minnesota*New London, Missouri*New London, New Hampshire...
and Falkner's Island. The lighthouse, which was first activated on December 23rd 1794, directed traffic to the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
and the growing port of Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, located several miles upstream. In less than two decades this lighthouse was threatened due to severe erosion of the river bank. Between 1813 and 1817 funds were approved for rebuilding Bald Head Lighthouse.
The replacement lighthouse now known as "Old Baldy" was completed by 1817. Old Baldy was built further inland where it would not be threatened by shifting sands along the river for just under $16,000. A stone plaque above the entrance identifies the builder as Daniel S. Way, and the foundry for the lantern room as R. Cochran. The octagonal brick and plaster tower stands 90 feet high and was originally equipped with an array of 15 lamps and reflectors. The lantern room is offset from the center of the tower, and as technology improved, it later housed a Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
. At its base, the tower is 36 feet wide and at its top 14 ½ feet wide, while the walls are 5 feet thick at the base and taper to 2 ½ feet at the top. The rectangular stairway leading up the inside of the tower is made of Carolina yellow pine.
Old Baldy was first lit in 1817 by its longtime keeper Sedgewick Springs, a veteran of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and owner of the nearby Sedgely Abby Plantation. The Bald Head Lighthouse soon proved to be inadequate especially during storms and fog.
Some problems with the Bald Head Lighthouse included its location and illumination. Positioned some four miles from the eastern end of the island and equipped with a minor light, the lighthouse was unsuccessful in guiding ships safely past Frying Pan Shoals. A lightship was therefore placed out on the shoals in 1854.
A Jones fog bell was placed near Bald Head Lighthouse in 1855. In the same year the Lighthouse Board recommended improving the light by replacing the original apparatus with a third-order Fresnel lens. It also recommended a fixed light, varied by flashes "to distinguish this light, under all circumstances, from Federal Point Light
Federal Point Light
Federal Point Light was a lighthouse at Federal Point near Kure Beach in New Hanover County, North Carolina. It was an active light from about 1866 to around 1879....
."
Requests for funds to raise the height of Old Baldy and install a more powerful first-order lens to make it a coastal beacon were never approved. Instead, in 1898 the Lighthouse Board approved the construction a new 159-foot steel skeleton tower equipped with a first order lens named the Cape Fear Lighthouse
Cape Fear Lighthouse
Cape Fear Lighthouse was built in 1903, replacing the Bald Head Lighthouse as the main navigation aid for Cape Fear and the Frying Pan Shoals off the coast of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It stood near the cape on Bald Head Island. It was a steel skeleton frame lighthouse, as opposed to the...
, to be located on the southeastern end of Bald Head Island, where it could mark the shoals. The Cape Fear Light served as a coastal beacon from 1903 to 1958.
After the construction of the Cape Fear Lighthouse Old Baldy continued to serve as an active lighthouse with a fourth-order fixed beacon until 1930 and housed a radio beacon until 1958. It was used mostly to help guide ships through the perilous Frying Pan Shoals
Frying Pan Shoals
The Frying Pan Shoals are a long, shifting area of shoals off the coast of Cape Fear in North Carolina, United States. The shoals have been a hazard to ships in the area since the beginning of European exploration of the area; the area is littered with shipwrecks. The southern edge of the shoals...
. After the construction of the Oak Island Lighthouse
Oak Island lighthouse
The Oak Island Lighthouse is currently part of the United States Coast Guard station on Oak Island in North Carolina.-History:Being completed in 1958, the Oak Island Lighthouse is one of the newest lighthouses in the United States. It is made from concrete and stands 169 feet tall...
in 1958, Old Baldy and the Cape Fear Lighthouse were both decommissioned. The Cape Fear lighthouse was demolished but Old Baldy still stands as a day beacon
Day beacon
A day beacon is an unlighted nautical sea mark. Typically, day beacons mark channels whose key points are marked by lighted buoys. Day beacons may also mark smaller navigable routes in their entirety. They are the most common aid to nautical navigation in shallow water as they are relatively...
and symbol of Bald Head Island. The lighthouse has been restored and is open to the public.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1975 as Bald Head Island Lighthouse.
In 1995 Jacob Arthur, grandson of Charlie Frank House, Jr. (a contributor to the lighthouse's restoration and preservation) unveiled the plaque that stands in the foyer today. This plaque commemorated the re-opening of the Old Baldy Lighthouse after years of renovations.
Smith Island Museum of History
The Old Baldy Foundation operates Old Baldy and the adjacent Smith Island Museum of History, which is located in a replica of one of the original lighthouse keeper's quarters from the 1850s and features period furnishings, lighthouse artifacts including parts of the lens from the Cape Fear Lighthouse, and exhibits about the history of Old Baldy and the island.Hurricane Fran
When Hurricane FranHurricane Fran
Hurricane Fran was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season that made landfall near Cape Fear in North Carolina at Category 3 strength. Throughout the eastern United States, early statistics on Fran reported 27 deaths and $3.2 billion in damage...
struck the southern North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
coast on September 5, 1996, there were a few residents remaining on Bald Head Island. When wind speeds climbed past hurricane strength, many islanders fled their houses and sought shelter inside the Bald Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse suffered minimal damage. It is possibly one of the safest structures on the island; its construction of brick and plaster five feet thick, has weathered many storms and is now known to withstand at least Category 3 hurricanes.