A Visit to Old Baldy

The first thing you see
 as you approach Bald Head Island is this lighthouse.
It is affectionately know by locals as "Old Baldy".

While it is of brick construction
it is covered in a stucco like plaster to protect the mortar
 and bricks from the weather.
 The plaster coating may look like mud but it serves a valuable
purpose and the age of the lighthouse bears testament to that.
 The lighthouse was built in 1817 just after the War of 1812.
It guided ships into the Cape Fear River until a new lighthouse
 was built on an island just south of the channel that is easier to get to.
 While the Cape Fear River is easy to traverse,
 and deep enough for the largest ships to enter,
the notorious Frying Pan Shoals guard the entrance from the Atlantic.
 The lighthouses make it safe to enter.

There are one hundred and eight steps to the top.

In this photo you can see the depth of the walls
 and the construction materials used,
red brick and mortar probably two feet thick.

A long way down!

This is the marina village and where we stayed while on the island.
In the background is Southport, North Carolina
 and the Cape Fear River.

This view is to the South to Southwest
over the channel leading into the river.

The island has beautiful beaches all along the east,
south and northeast sides
but the rest is surrounded by marsh and a tidal creek.
This creek was a playground for kayaks,
paddle boards and outboards.

A closer look at the marina.
This was just one of many communities of sorts on the island.
 It is huge.

Headed back down now,
did I say there were one hundred and eight steps?
The steps were so small that I had to go down sideways
 because my foot would not fit on the tread any other way.
 These steps were not built for my size eleven and half feet!

Safely down and you can see the walls
 just got thicker and thicker the further you went down.

This was the generator shack,
when the light was finally electrified
the power came from a generator stored in this building.
 I'll bet the Keeper was happy the first day they cranked up this power!
One guy was the Keeper on this light for thirty seven years
while it was oil fired.
Can you imagine the conditions
 and loneliness of being out here that long alone?
 How about all those steps every time you had to go up?

This is a recreation of the Keepers cottage and kitchen.
 Ginny wanted to take this table home with us,,,

During the time this light was used
the Keepers were Navy civilian employees.
Being such they had to meet certain requirements
 such as wearing a uniform.
 Thankfully there was someone somewhere
with a little common sense
 so the times they were required to where the outfit picture
 were spelled out in detail.
What you can't tell from this picture is how small this uniform was.
 Ginny could not fit into much less me.