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Bald Head Island Nc Lighthouse North Carolina Lighthouses Restoration

At the confluence of the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean lies unique Bald Head Island, an oasis from the rigors of the mainland. As you arrive on the island by boat, either passenger ferry or private yacht, you will feel the slowed pace of life awaiting its visitors. With ample acreage protected from development and miles of beautiful beaches, this place provides a pristine setting for its greatest treasure, Bald Head Lighthouse, affectionately known as Old Baldy, which rises above the surrounding live oaks and welcomes visitors to the island.

Bald Head Island is actually part of Smith Island, a collection of islands crisscrossed by creeks and inlets, and received its name from the denuded dunes on its south beach, which resemble a bald head. Extending twenty-eight miles from the southeast end of the island are Frying Pan Shoals, a collection of shifting sandbars, obscured by a thin covering of water. Early sailors dubbed the area Cape Fear, no doubt a reference to the feeling evoked when navigation near the hazardous shoals.

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 Smith, who would later become the governor of North Carolina. In 1792, Congress appropriated $4,000 to complete the lighthouse that had been started by North Carolina 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. Unfortunately, due to severe erosion along the river, the demolition of the lighthouse was ordered in 1813.

By 1817, the replacement lighthouse, “Old Baldy,” was built further inland and lit, 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. Still the oldest in North Carolina, the octagonal brick and plaster tower stands 90 feet high and was originally equipped with an array of 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.

The original keeper’s dwelling, built on the west side of Old Baldy, was eventually lost to erosion. The replacement was a 1 ½ story cottage, erected in the 1850s on the east side of the lighthouse. When this structure was destroyed by fire, a larger two-story dwelling was constructed on the same site. In 1931, this larger dwelling, which was being used as an office for the "Palmetto Island" development, was also lost to fire.

In 1836, Captain Henry D. Hunter visited the lighthouse and reported that the "keeper is an old revolutionary soldier and is unable from sickness to give the lighthouse his constant personal attention. The light, however, shows well from a distance."

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 on the shoals and served from 1854 until 1964.

In 1866, the Bald Head light was discontinued when the screw-pile Federal Point lighthouse was built eight miles upstream, near present Fort Fisher ferry landing. However, this new light was deactivated in 1879 when the New Inlet was closed, and Old Baldy returned to service. Meanwhile, requests for funds to raise the height of Old Baldy and to install a first-order lens to make it a coastal beacon were never approved.

Instead, in 1898 the Lighthouse Board approved a 159-foot, skeleton tower, 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 from 1903 to 1958, when the Oak Island Lighthouse located on the mainland became operational.

After the completion of the new Cape Fear Lighthouse, Old Baldy was reduced to a fourth-order fixed light and then decommissioned in 1935. Its Fresnel lens was removed from the tower, and from 1941 to 1958 the tower housed a radio beacon. The lighthouse was sold to a private owner in 1963. After another change of hands, the lighthouse was then given to the Old Baldy Foundation, organized to restore North Carolina’s eldest treasure.

Restoration of Bald Head Lighthouse included placing a new cooper roof on the off-center lantern room and patching up the layer of stucco that covers the brick tower. Over the years, patchwork repairs have led to the mottled look of the lighthouse. Visitors can now scale the 112 restored wooden stairs to reach the top of the tower and take in the beautiful island setting. The lighthouse was relit as an unofficial aid in 1985. A replica of the 1850s keepers cottage was finished in 2000 adjacent to the lighthouse and houses the Smith Island Museum, providing a permanent home for over 400 years worth of the region’s maritime history, including a 1908 keeper’s uniform and two lens panels from the Cape Fear Lighthouse.

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Point Lynas lighthouse for sale at £1.5m BBC News Point Lynas lighthouse near Amlwch, on Anglesey, has been put up for sale by owners Robin and Iona Beckmann who have spent 10 years restoring it. ... Lighthouse for sale, £1.5mWalesOnline all 3 news articles »

Docents run historic site for a week Chicago Tribune That's more than Mark and Marti Strehlow and the other Rock Island lighthouse docents earn. But now that lighthouses in America are automated, ... and more »

Lighthouse lovers fundraiser tour Aug. 23-24 Grand Haven Tribune AP Breaking News Video The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association will be offering lighthouse lovers a two-day lighthouse excursion on northern Lake ...

WTAQ

Federal govt. looks to unload 3 Mich. lighthouses Chicago Tribune The federal government wants to unload three Michigan lighthouses that it no longer needs, and is looking for local communities, museums or nonprofit groups ... South Haven lighthouse on pier is no longer needed, US Coast Guard saysKalamazoo Gazette - MLive.com South Haven lighthouse up for saleWWMT Tours draw crowds to lighthouseJournal Times Herald Palladium (subscription) -Interlochen Public Radio -WTAQ all 51 news articles »

» Saving pieces of the past Umpqua Post Elliott and county park staff say the state once led a PR campaign and events each year to raise awareness for Oregon lighthouses. ...

Shine for Lighthouse? Wall Street Journal The three lighthouses in question are being offered for sale by the federal government, which is seeking owners willing to take the money-burning ... Government giving away lighthousesWashington Post (blog) Awesome Auction Opportunity of the Day: These Three Lighthouses!Curbed (blog) all 4 news articles »

New Lighthouse Project Plan Unveiled Westbury Times Lighthouses are commonly viewed as the marker for seamen to find the coast during storms, add a bit of personality to an island and to serve as a beacon of ... and more »

Divers inspect ailing Del. lighthouse Delmarva Daily Times The damage was so bad the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation ceased running summer tours at Harbor of Refuge, and the organization is looking at ... and more »

Door County, Wis., is home to lighthouses, cherries and more St. Louis Post-Dispatch Views of the 1869 Cana Island Lighthouse, one of the most visited sites in Door County. The catwalk at the top of the tower affords spectacular views of the ...

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 Sailing Lessons Carolina   Bald Head Island NC Lighthouse  Cape Hatteras Lighthouse  Oak Island Lighthouse  Bodie Island Lighthouse  North Carolina Lighthouses  Cape Lookout Lighthouse  Ocracoke Lighthouse  Roanoke River Lighthouse  Cape Fear Lighthouse  Currituck Beach Lighthouse  Prices Creek Lighthouse  sailing alantic 

   Links 

Bald Head Island Nc Lighthouse North Carolina Lighthouses Restoration

At the confluence of the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean lies unique Bald Head Island, an oasis from the rigors of the mainland. As you arrive on the island by boat, either passenger ferry or private yacht, you will feel the slowed pace of life awaiting its visitors. With ample acreage protected from development and miles of beautiful beaches, this place provides a pristine setting for its greatest treasure, Bald Head Lighthouse, affectionately known as Old Baldy, which rises above the surrounding live oaks and welcomes visitors to the island.

Bald Head Island is actually part of Smith Island, a collection of islands crisscrossed by creeks and inlets, and received its name from the denuded dunes on its south beach, which resemble a bald head. Extending twenty-eight miles from the southeast end of the island are Frying Pan Shoals, a collection of shifting sandbars, obscured by a thin covering of water. Early sailors dubbed the area Cape Fear, no doubt a reference to the feeling evoked when navigation near the hazardous shoals.

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 Smith, who would later become the governor of North Carolina. In 1792, Congress appropriated $4,000 to complete the lighthouse that had been started by North Carolina 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. Unfortunately, due to severe erosion along the river, the demolition of the lighthouse was ordered in 1813.

By 1817, the replacement lighthouse, “Old Baldy,” was built further inland and lit, 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. Still the oldest in North Carolina, the octagonal brick and plaster tower stands 90 feet high and was originally equipped with an array of 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.

The original keeper’s dwelling, built on the west side of Old Baldy, was eventually lost to erosion. The replacement was a 1 ½ story cottage, erected in the 1850s on the east side of the lighthouse. When this structure was destroyed by fire, a larger two-story dwelling was constructed on the same site. In 1931, this larger dwelling, which was being used as an office for the "Palmetto Island" development, was also lost to fire.

In 1836, Captain Henry D. Hunter visited the lighthouse and reported that the "keeper is an old revolutionary soldier and is unable from sickness to give the lighthouse his constant personal attention. The light, however, shows well from a distance."

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 on the shoals and served from 1854 until 1964.

In 1866, the Bald Head light was discontinued when the screw-pile Federal Point lighthouse was built eight miles upstream, near present Fort Fisher ferry landing. However, this new light was deactivated in 1879 when the New Inlet was closed, and Old Baldy returned to service. Meanwhile, requests for funds to raise the height of Old Baldy and to install a first-order lens to make it a coastal beacon were never approved.

Instead, in 1898 the Lighthouse Board approved a 159-foot, skeleton tower, 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 from 1903 to 1958, when the Oak Island Lighthouse located on the mainland became operational.

After the completion of the new Cape Fear Lighthouse, Old Baldy was reduced to a fourth-order fixed light and then decommissioned in 1935. Its Fresnel lens was removed from the tower, and from 1941 to 1958 the tower housed a radio beacon. The lighthouse was sold to a private owner in 1963. After another change of hands, the lighthouse was then given to the Old Baldy Foundation, organized to restore North Carolina’s eldest treasure.

Restoration of Bald Head Lighthouse included placing a new cooper roof on the off-center lantern room and patching up the layer of stucco that covers the brick tower. Over the years, patchwork repairs have led to the mottled look of the lighthouse. Visitors can now scale the 112 restored wooden stairs to reach the top of the tower and take in the beautiful island setting. The lighthouse was relit as an unofficial aid in 1985. A replica of the 1850s keepers cottage was finished in 2000 adjacent to the lighthouse and houses the Smith Island Museum, providing a permanent home for over 400 years worth of the region’s maritime history, including a 1908 keeper’s uniform and two lens panels from the Cape Fear Lighthouse.

Point Lynas lighthouse for sale at £1.5m BBC News Point Lynas lighthouse near Amlwch, on Anglesey, has been put up for sale by owners Robin and Iona Beckmann who have spent 10 years restoring it. ... Lighthouse for sale, £1.5mWalesOnline all 2 news articles »

Docents run historic site for a week Chicago Tribune That's more than Mark and Marti Strehlow and the other Rock Island lighthouse docents earn. But now that lighthouses in America are automated, ... and more »

WTAQ

Federal govt. looks to unload 3 Mich. lighthouses Chicago Tribune The federal government wants to unload three Michigan lighthouses that it no longer needs, and is looking for local communities, museums or nonprofit groups ... South Haven lighthouse on pier is no longer needed, US Coast Guard saysKalamazoo Gazette - MLive.com South Haven lighthouse up for saleWWMT South Haven has its eyes on lighthouseHerald Palladium (subscription) Journal Times -Interlochen Public Radio -WTAQ all 51 news articles »

Australia's iconic lighthouses Australian Geographic Why play keeper for a night in one of these historic Australian lighthouses. AS THE ROMANTIC SYMBOLS of the nation's rich maritime history, lighthouses have ...

Divers inspect ailing Del. lighthouse Delmarva Daily Times The damage was so bad the Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation ceased running summer tours at Harbor of Refuge, and the organization is looking at ... and more »

Shine for Lighthouse? Wall Street Journal The three lighthouses in question are being offered for sale by the federal government, which is seeking owners willing to take the money-burning ... Government giving away lighthousesWashington Post (blog) Awesome Auction Opportunity of the Day: These Three Lighthouses!Curbed (blog) all 4 news articles »

Teen saved after dramatic fall from WAIKIKI cliffs Chinook Observer The cliffs between North Head and Cape Disappointment lighthouses are deceptively enticing, starting with a gentle slope that has lured many into ...

Meet Isle of Man's lighthouse family Isle of Man Today A NEW book will be a beacon of hope for anyone interested in the Island's lighthouses. Lighthouses of the Isle of Man and North West ... and more »

Door County, Wis., is home to lighthouses, cherries and more St. Louis Post-Dispatch Views of the 1869 Cana Island Lighthouse, one of the most visited sites in Door County. The catwalk at the top of the tower affords spectacular views of the ...

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Peninsula in Lake Michigan makes lovely summer retreat Pittsburgh Post Gazette One of the many lighthouses erected along Door Country's perimeter to guide passing vessels in Lake Michigan. ... and more »

Common Misspellings include actualy alsot, aslo adn, anbd anohter attension beatiful, beautyfull becamae becomeing, becomming bedore, befoer, befor beng boaut bu collecton competion, completetion congreso constatn coudl, sould decomissioned demolision delevopment, developement, develpment, devolopement doub eearly eigth eiter equiped erested evenhtually, eventally, eventially, eventualy fedral, fedral fiel feat, fet, fete firt, firts forte foundary fouth fomr, frome furuther, futher gouvener, governer ahev, ahve, haev, hvae, hvea heighth, heigth, hieght, hieght, hieght hstory howver includng, incuding, inlcuding it's jstu lead, leaded lief maked amke, mkae, mkea anme, naem, nmae noeth, noth nowe orded orginal, origional orginally, origanaly, originall, originaly, originially, originnally, origionally, orignally, orignially permanant, permenant peronal, personel palce privte reseived, resieved, recived, recieved referrence, refference refrence relpacement ressemble returnd revolutionar smae sevice severeal sould smoe, soem sourth staes sotry, sotyr, stopry, stoyr, stroy stucture, sturcture sorrounding, surounding, surrouding tkae technnology, technolgy taht, tath, thast, thgat, thta, thyat hten, tghe, ther, thge, tjhe thne htis, thsi, tihs trafic twpo unforetunately, unfortunatley, unfortunatly, unfourtunately untied inofficial, unoffical unsuccesful, unsuccessfull, unsucesful, unsucessful, unsucessfull untill unsed vistors wass, weas, ws warter vell wehn, whn hwihc, whcih, whic, whihc, whlch, wich hwile iwll, wille, wiull owrk, wokr, wrok owudl, woudl yatch eyars, eyasr, yeasr, yeras, yersa
 Sailing Lessons Carolina   Bald Head Island NC Lighthouse  Cape Hatteras Lighthouse  Oak Island Lighthouse  Bodie Island Lighthouse  North Carolina Lighthouses  Cape Lookout Lighthouse  Ocracoke Lighthouse  Roanoke River Lighthouse  Cape Fear Lighthouse  Currituck Beach Lighthouse  Prices Creek Lighthouse  sailing alantic