The Bald Head Lighthouse is located on Bald Island off the coast of Southport, NC. The first lighthouse built here in 1794 suffered severe erosion and it was replaced in 1817. Old Baldy, as it is affectionately known to the locals, is the State's oldest lighthouse. Unlike the other NC lights, Old Baldy is octagonal in shape. It stands 90-feet high and was built of brick. The exterior was plastered to provide the tower with an off-white as a day-mark. In 1855 a third-order Fresnel lens replaced the series of lanterns and reflectors previously used to provide the light.
In 1935 the lighthouse was decommissioned and later sold to a private owner in 1963. Years later, it was donated to the Old Baldy Foundation. In the early 1990's the lighthouse underwent restoration.
Bald Head Island is a private residential community which is accessible only by passenger ferry. I regret not having time to make the ferry trip when I visited here in 2000. Although the light was inactive the lighthouse was open for tours. I took this picture using a 500mm lens with 2X coupler.
2 comments:
We need to revisit this one. Hope you do.
Hi Richard. I appreciate your comment. Someday, maybe I'll have the opportunity to revisit this lighthouse and make the ferry trip to get closer.
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