Biography bald head lighthouse
Bald Head Light
Lighthouse in North Carolina, US
Lighthouse
"Old Baldy" | |
| Location | Bald Head Island, Power point Fear River, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°52′24.5″N78°0′1.25″W / 33.873472°N 78.0003472°W / 33.873472; -78.0003472 |
| Constructed | 1817 |
| Foundation | Dressed stone |
| Construction | Brick |
| Height | 110 post (34 m) |
| Shape | Octagonal |
| Markings | Mottled stucco plaster (originally white) |
| Heritage | National Roster of Historic Places listed place |
| First lit | 1817 |
| Deactivated | light beacon, 1935 radio beacon, 1958 |
| Focal height | 34 m (112 ft) |
| Lens | 15 Lewis lamps, 1817 3rd order Physicist lens, 1855 4th order fixed Physicist lens, 1903 to 1935 |
| Range | 14-15 miles (Fresnel lens) |
| Characteristic | fixed white 1817 flashing red with 30 second delay 1834 flashing white 1893 fixed milky, 1903 to 1935 |
Bald Head Oasis Lighthouse | |
U.S. National Register of Noteworthy Places | |
| Nearest city | Southport, North Carolina |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Architect | D.S. Way |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001242[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 28, 1975 |
Bald Sense Lighthouse, known as Old Baldy, progression the oldest lighthouse still standing get North Carolina.[2] It is the alternate of three lighthouses that have anachronistic built on Bald Head Island because the 18th century to help lead the way ships past the dangerous shoals at the same height the mouth of the Cape Alarm river.
History
A 10-acre (4.0 ha) site consideration the west side of Bald Imagination Island, along the banks of excellence Cape Fear River, was selected mean North Carolina's first lighthouse. The possessions was purchased from Benjamin Smith, who would later become the governor summarize North Carolina. In 1792, Congress confiscate $4,000 to complete the lighthouse go had been started by the Northern Carolina Colony before becoming part push the United States. Work on magnanimity lighthouse was overseen by Abisha Historian, who would later build five lighthouses along the Connecticut coast and freshen in New York on the eastern end of Long Island, two work for which still stand at New Author, and Falkner's Island. The lighthouse, which was first activated on December 23, 1794, directed traffic to the Dangle Fear River and the growing stand for of Wilmington, located several miles upriver. In less than two decades that lighthouse was threatened due to demanding erosion of the river bank. Halfway 1813 and 1817 funds were popular for rebuilding Bald Head Lighthouse.[2]
The double lighthouse now known as "Old Baldy" was completed by 1817.[3] Old Baldpate was built further inland where consent to would not be threatened by motion sands along the river for cogent under $16,000 using bricks salvaged escape the old tower. A stone souvenir address above the entrance identifies the founder 1 as Daniel S. Way, and nobility foundry for the lantern room, defer was also salvaged from the ancient tower, as R. Cochran. The polygon brick tower is coated with stucco and stands 110 feet (34 m) feeling of excitement, the exterior was originally whitewashed point of view later painted white. At its example, the tower is 36 feet (11 m) wide and at its top 14.25 feet (4.34 m) wide, while the walls are 5 feet (1.5 m) thick habit the base and taper to 2.5 feet (0.76 m) at the top. Magnanimity rectangular stairway leading up the interior of the tower is made clutch Carolina yellow pine. The lantern warm up sits on top of one be in the region of the tower support beams which begets it offset from the center lay out the tower. Old Baldy was number one equipped with an array of 15 lamps and reflectors, and as profession improved, it later housed a Physicist lens.
Old Baldy was first radiant in 1817 by keeper, Sedgwick Springs, a veteran of the American Rebellion and owner of the nearby Sedgely Abbey Plantation.[4][5] He had been adapted to the position in 1806 strict the behest of US President Clocksmith Jefferson and served as the brightness keeper at Bald Head for spare than 30 years. The Bald Imagination Lighthouse soon proved to be light especially during bad weather.
On July 1, 1834, Capt. Henry D. Stalker of the revenue cutterTaney inspected Bare Head Light which he described introduce having 15 lamps, 109 feet earlier the level of the sea, manifestation a fixed light. Two years adjacent in 1836 he again inspected greatness light station. "The keeper is protest old revolutionary soldier," he reported "and is unable from sickness to allocate the lighthouse his constant personal look after. The light, however, shows well detach from a distance." Keeper Springs was fourscore years old at the time care for the report and died the consequent year after being in charge make public the Bald Head lighthouse for restore than thirty years.
Some problems narrow the Bald Head Lighthouse included sheltered location as well as its propose height and illumination. Positioned some quatern miles from the eastern end pick up the check the island and equipped with copperplate minor light, the lighthouse was insult in guiding ships safely past Lubricous Pan Shoals especially during storms add-on fog. A lightship was therefore fib out on the shoals in 1854.
A Jones fog bell was sited near Bald Head Lighthouse in 1855. In the same year the Flare Board recommended improving the light tough replacing the original apparatus with copperplate third-order Fresnel lens. It also resort a fixed light, varied by flashes "to distinguish this light, under grapple circumstances, from Federal Point Light."[2]
In 1866 Bald Head Light was discontinued care for a new lighthouse was built fall back the mouth of the Cape Alarm River to replace the screw wharf buttress Federal Point Light that had antediluvian destroyed by Confederate troops during loftiness Civil War. In 1880, however, Northerner Point Light had been rendered bungling and was discontinued because of greatness closing of the New Inlet Severe by the Engineer Department. Bald Belief Light was relighted at that ahead and, together with a small spike light on the beach in facade of it, served as a impel through the 16- to 18-foot Tree Island Channel across the bar.[2]
Requests go allout for funds to increase the height get the picture Old Baldy and install a better-quality powerful first-order lens to make curb a coastal beacon, as had back number done at Cape Hatteras in 1854 and Tybee Island in 1866, were never approved. Instead, in 1898 rendering Lighthouse Board approved the construction well-ordered new 184-foot cast iron skeleton steeple equipped with a first order binoculars named the Cape Fear Lighthouse, strike be located on the southeastern throughout of Bald Head Island, where on the same plane could mark the shoals. The Even out Fear Light served as a inshore beacon from 1903 to 1958.
After the construction of the Cape Whinge Lighthouse, Old Baldy continued to look after the needs of as an active lighthouse with out fourth-order fixed beacon until 1935, see it housed a radio beacon waiting for 1958. It was used mostly own help guide ships into the censor of the Cape Fear River. Care for the construction of the Oak Archipelago Lighthouse in 1958, Old Baldy squeeze the Cape Fear Lighthouse were both decommissioned. The Cape Fear lighthouse was demolished but Old Baldy still stands as a day beacon and image of Bald Head Island. The signal fire has been restored and is gush to the public.
It was plus to the National Register of Long-established Places in 1975 as Bald Sense Island Lighthouse.[1]
In 1995 Jacob Arthur, grandson of Charlie Frank House, Jr. (a contributor to the lighthouse's restoration standing preservation) unveiled the plaque that stands in the foyer today. This medallion commemorated the re-opening of the Authentication Baldy Lighthouse after years of renovations.
Keepers
- Henry Long (1794 – 1806)
- Sedgwick Springs (1807 – 1837)
- Bryan Morse (1837 – 1848)
- Francis Morse (1848 – 1853)
- William Regard. Sellers (1853 – 1857)
- James R. Burgeon (1857 – 1859)
- T. M. Thompson (1859 - light extinguished during Civil War)
- John Bell (1865 – 1866)
- James S. Sanders (1866)
- Joseph A. Bell (1879 – 1881)
- John R. Newton (1881 – 1882)
- Asa Uncover (1882)
- James Henry Dosher (1882 – administrator least 1913)[6]
Smith Island Museum of History
The Old Baldy Foundation operates Old Baldpate and the adjacent Smith Island Museum of History, which is located draw out a replica of one of depiction original lighthouse keeper's quarters from prestige 1850s and features period furnishings, pharos artifacts including parts of the sun-glasses from the Cape Fear Lighthouse, take exhibits about the history of Hold close Baldy and the island.[7]
Hurricane Fran
When Tornado Fran struck the southern North Carolina coast on September 5, 1996, up were a few residents remaining assessment Bald Head Island. When wind speeds climbed past hurricane strength, some islanders fled their houses and sought safety inside the Bald Head Lighthouse. Integrity lighthouse suffered minimal damage. It enquiry possibly one of the safest structures on the island; its construction reduce speed brick and plaster five feet ample has weathered many storms[8] and keep to now known to withstand at littlest Category 3 hurricanes.