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The first stop on the tour will be
the Old Baldy Lighthouse which is easily visible from the ferry
landing. (Click here to see a video
on the lighthouse!!) The reason Bald Head Island Lighthouse was
located at the Cape Fear is because of the many treacherous sandbars that
are located off its shore. Frying Pan Shoals is an extension of sandbars
that reaches thirty miles into the Atlantic. The mouth of the Cape Fear
River contains both Bald Head Shoals and Jay Bird Shoals. The construction
of a lighthouse was critical to warn mariners about the dangers of
sandbars near the Cape Fear. Although Old Baldy is the oldest standing
lighthouse in North Carolina, it was not the first lighthouse on Bald Head
Island. The first lighthouse was constructed in 1795 and the builders were
instructed to place it as close to the Cape Fear as possible. The
lighthouse succumbed to erosion less than two decades later. Congress
appropriated $15,000 for the construction of a new lighthouse that was to
be built further inland.
Old Baldy was
sufficient for warning mariners about Bald Head Shoals and Jay Bird
Shoals, but the light was not powerful enough to warn about Frying Pan
Shoals. The Cape Fear Lighthouse was commissioned in 1895 and was to be
located at the eastern end of the island. The new lighthouse was active in
1902 and had an 18-½ mile radius. Old Baldy remained active until 1935.
Captain Charlie tended the Cape Fear Lighthouse and he lived in a cottage
on the dune ridge of south beach. The Cape Fear lighthouse remained active
until 1958 when it was demolished after the construction of the Oak Island
Lighthouse. Now all that remains of the Cape Fear Lighthouse is the
generator building and the original foundation. Old Baldy is open to the
public and the torchroom offers several stunning views of the island.
The grounds of Old Baldy are also where
the Village of Bald Head Island
municipal Center is located. Bald Head Island has an elected mayor, and
three village council members who appropriate tax revenue to fund the
police, fire, public works, and other departments. The village Post Office
and Chapel are also located on the lighthouse grounds.
Post Office
Chapel |
Old Baldy
Captain Charlie's cottage on south beach
Views from the torchroom:
Bald Head Shoals
Creek
Marina
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