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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.

Ridgefield and New Fairfield creations in "Festival of Lighthouses ... Danbury News Times, CT - 21 hours ago By Susan Tuz When Nick Parker's daughters heard he wasn't going to enter the "Festival of Lighthouses" contest at Maritime Aquarium this year, ...

Taking over Whaleback @Drop head:ALF gains ownership of local ... Foster's Daily Democrat, NH - Nov 19, 2008 "We think all lighthouses are historical. For Whaleback, you almost feel like you can touch it from land, but yet it's just out of reach, so people have ... Whaleback Lighthouse gets new owner York Weekly all 2 news articles

Holiday Deals Frenzy Prompts Online Art Retailer to Offer Free ... MarketWatch - Nov 18, 2008 "People come from all over the world to Maine to see our beautiful historic lighthouses -- which also represent hope, vision and strength and they want ...

Calgary Herald

Be moral in tough times, Manning challenges U of A grads Canada.com, Canada - Nov 20, 2008 "We need men and women equipped by their training with high ethical standards to serve as ethical beacons and lighthouses," Manning said as he accepted an ... Manning uses honour to push higher education Calgary Herald all 2 news articles

Tired of those gloomy winter days already? Zanesville Times Recorder, OH - Nov 16, 2008 Connected by a series of bridges, visitors can drive to most of the islands to visit lighthouses, wild horses, beaches and much, much more. ...

Holiday lights to adorn Montauk lighthouse Newsday, NY - 1 hour ago BY BILL BLEYER | bill.bleyer@newsday.com For 211 years, the Montauk Point Lighthouse has displayed just one light -- the navigation beacon atop the tower. ...

Holiday Deals Frenzy Prompts Online Art Retailer to Offer Free ... International Business Times, NY - Nov 18, 2008 "People come from all over the world to Maine to see our beautifulhistoric lighthouses -- which also represent hope, vision and strength andthey want ...

Mattituck Inlet Marina seeks expansion The Suffolk Times, NY - Nov 13, 2008 Representatives of East End Lighthouses asked the Town Board to assume ownership of Latimer Reef lighthouse, located north of Fishers Island in the Fishers ... The public water conundrum Suffolk Times all 2 news articles

The Independent Weekly

Come January The Independent Weekly, NC - Nov 19, 2008 Lone sprigs of parsley loom as lighthouses for sharp-eyed deer. Along the roadside, silhouettes of once-vibrant stalks of corn now resemble the Emperor's ...

Barents Observer

Russia removed radioactive lighthouses from Arctic coast Barents Observer, Russia - Nov 11, 2008 In the course of summer, Russia removed another 46 strontium-fuelled lighthouses from the coast of the White Sea and the Barents and Kara Seas. ...

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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.

Tired of those gloomy winter days already? Zanesville Times Recorder, OH - 6 hours ago Connected by a series of bridges, visitors can drive to most of the islands to visit lighthouses, wild horses, beaches and much, much more. ...

Mattituck Inlet Marina seeks expansion The Suffolk Times, NY - Nov 13, 2008 Representatives of East End Lighthouses asked the Town Board to assume ownership of Latimer Reef lighthouse, located north of Fishers Island in the Fishers ... The public water conundrum Suffolk Times all 2 news articles

Barents Observer

Russia removed radioactive lighthouses from Arctic coast Barents Observer, Russia - Nov 11, 2008 In the course of summer, Russia removed another 46 strontium-fuelled lighthouses from the coast of the White Sea and the Barents and Kara Seas. ...

Taking a Chance The Times, South Africa - Nov 8, 2008 There is something rather romantic about lighthouses. If you sit on the beach at night at Beira, as we did as children when we used to camp at the Club ...

Decorators make light work of a rough job Times Online, UK - Nov 13, 2008 Trevose Painters perch 100ft in the air to put the final touches to a new coat of paint on the Trevose Head lighthouse near Padstow, Cornwall. ...

Green Island lighthouses to be conserved News.gov.hk, Hong Kong - Nov 6, 2008 The Green Island lighthouse compound has been declared a monument under the Antiquities & Monuments Ordinance. The Development Bureau said the compound ... Lighthouse declared a monument South China Morning Post (subscription) all 2 news articles

HK Green Island lighthouse compound declared a monument Xinhua, China - Nov 6, 2008 7 (Xinhua) -- The Green Island lighthouse compound has been declared a monument under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance, a spokesman for the ...

Lighthouse climb will boost nonprofit agency Colts Neck News Transcript, NJ - Nov 11, 2008 Johnathan Holmes, 23, of Mahwah, has committed to climb New Jersey's 11 public lighthouses in an effort to raise awareness and funds for LADACIN Network. ...

Nautical inspiration The Sun Daily, Malaysia - Nov 9, 2008 The unusual decagonal watch case design is reminiscent of the 10-sided cast iron lanterns used in lighthouses in the mid to late 1800s to guide mariners ...

Mystic’s Pizza Truck: Chris Owens plays with cooking fire TheDay, CT - Nov 13, 2008 Now 41, he said he’sa grown-up version of that 6-year-old, who has restored a sailboat, currently helps to restore lighthouses, owns a pizza restaurant, ...

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