Last night we put together a plan to see a couple lighthouses about 1-1/2 hours north of here, south of Wilmington NC. The Oak Island lighthouse is located on Oak Island and Old Baldy Lighthouse is located on Bald Head Island. You can drive to Oak Island Lighthouse but it is only open for two hours on Saturday. Requests for a tour were supposed to be submitted well in advance, which we did not. Old Baldy lighthouse can be toured, but it is located on an island only accessible from a ferry. So we assembled the plan and it looked like it could work.
We departed at 0730 hrs to fuel the truck before the 75 mile drive. The road was inland, not near the shore, so there was nothing to see driving up. The weather looked like it was going to cooperate at least until the afternoon. We arrived at Oak Island NC where the lighthouse was located, about 0930 hrs and it did not open until 1000 hrs. We could see the lighthouse from the distance.
My plan was to plead ignorance and see if we could possibly get a tour, or at least get Doreen's lighthouse passport stamped. Since we were early we looked around a bit and then walked across the street to the sand dunes and a board walk that led to the beach.
The Easter Bunny lurking in the brush!
The sand dunes are an eco system of their own. They are constantly shifting and changing. They are home to loggerhead turtles and many other creatures. American beach grasses, sea oats, yucca and prickly pear cactus. The roots of these plans provide an anchor for the shifting sands and stabilize the dunes. Over time, the dune grow and then more grasses grow, so the process continues. Apparently the dunes grow towards the shore. They help provide protection from storm tides and high winds. For all of these reasons they are protective of the dunes and ask visitors not to climb on them. Interesting stuff for a guy from Iowa!
Old Baldy lighthouse from a distance. We will visit there this afternoon.
Not much activity on the beach yet today.
After investigating the dunes and the beach, we headed back towards the Oak Island lighthouse as time was drawing near 1000 hrs. The volunteers had arrived and the door was open. we were one of the first to arrive and explained our situation, and as I had hoped, they were very accommodating. Outside some more volunteers had set up a makeshift gift shop, so Doreen bought another lighthouse passport as her current one only had four spots open and she found a shirt she wanted.
Inside the base of the lighthouse we were greeted by our tour guide who was from Cedar Rapids Iowa. He gave us some background on the Oak Island lighthouse and then took us up to the first level where the conversation continued. We would not be climbing to the top today and they only do that on certain days, not Saturdays.
A display inside the base of the lighthouse
Our tour guide at the first level
A view up the inside of the lighthouse
Various light bulbs and other artifacts
Reflectors from two different time periods
This lighthouse is relatively recent. It was built in 1958 to replace the old lighthouse on Bald Head Island. It is 153 feet tall and the light can be seen for 16 nautical miles. There are many things that are unique to this lighthouse. First, it is steel-reinforced concrete. It was built by a company that builds grain silos! They used a slip form system and the concrete was continuously poured , so there are no seams. Color was added to the concrete in three sections, so it is very low maintenance. Unlike other lighthouses, there is no spiral staircase. Instead they repurposed steel ships ladders from the Navy. Since it was built in recent times, it's light has always been electrically powered. There have been several evolutions of the lights, but all were electrically powered. Currently they are using LED's.
There were two other lighthouses in this area in addition to Old Baldy, that are gone: the Prices Creek lighthouse, and the Cape Fear lighthouse.
So Doreen got a tour and she got her passport stamped, and we thought we might only get a picture! Score!
We loaded up in the truck and drove about 10 miles to the Bald Head Island Ferry parking lot. The ferry tickets I purchased online last night were for a 1200 hrs ferry ride and we were early. Luckily they had space available so we were able to board 45 minutes in advance, giving us more time on the island.
Soon the ferry loaded and we were on our way for the 20 minute ride. Because of the Labor Day holiday weekend they were running two ferrys, so a huge number of people going to the island this weekend. This is a passenger ferry only - no vehicles other than golf carts are allowed on the island, similar to Mackinac Island in Michigan. Their theme is "No cars & no cares".
All sorts of ferry passengers today!
Our first view of Old Baldy from the ferry
Bald Head Island's history includes use by Native Americans, a refuge for pirates like Blackbeard in the early 1700s, and serving as a military site during the Revolutionary War (as Fort George), the Civil War (as Fort Holmes), and World War II for amphibious training. The island is famous for the Old Baldy lighthouse, North Carolina's first, and it played a role in the first amphibious assault in American history. Bald Head Island has a small year-round population, with recent figures indicating between 138 and 278 residents but the island's population can swell to approximately 5,000 people during the peak summer months when vacationers and seasonal homeowners are present.
Our goal in visiting Bald Head Island is to see Old Baldy lighthouse. Once we arrived and exited the ferry it was just a 5 minute walk to the lighthouse.
At the base of the lighthouse is what was likely the keepers quarters which is now the Smith Island Museum and where you pay the nominal fee to see the museum and climb the lighthouse.
The first lighthouse here was completed in 1794. Interesting story - the first keeper was shot during a hunting accident and his wife Rebecca was nominated to replace him and the keeper. The nomination was rejected by President Thomas Jefferson. This lighthouse was completed in 1817, so it is the oldest lighthouse still standing in North Carolina. It's purpose was to guide ships safely into the Cape Fear River and the port of Wilmington. It is stucco and brick construction and stands 110 feet tall. There are 108 steps and 5 landings with a ships ladder at the very top. It was decommissioned in 1935 and sat vacant for many years until preservation efforts were started in the 1980's. It was open to the public in 1995 by the Old Baldy Foundation.
Inside the base of Old Baldy. It needs some TLC
Doreen climbing all the way up.
Doreen heading up the steep ship's ladder at the very top!
A view from the top
We finished up the climb, 108 steps up and 108 steps back down, and then walked to a local pub for lunch and a cold one on our way back to the ferry. Prices here are very high as everything has to be ferried over and they have a corner on the market here. I had a $23 Nashville hot chicken sandwich with a $10 beer. Doreen had an $18 smashburger with a $16 margarita. But they were both good and refreshing!
Our scheduled return time was 1500 hrs but we were done and were able to return earlier. The 20 minute ride back was relaxing and it was just starting to sprinkle.
So we had a great day and got to see two lighthouses that we had not previously seen. We got back in time to see the end of the Iowa State football game and the entire Iowa game. We are here for two more days and have not figured out a game plan for them yet.
