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The Keeper's Times
The Old Baldy Foundation Community Newsletter
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A Frightful Night on BHI!
Many stories have fateful endings on Bald Head Island. In 1806, Joseph Swain mortally shot the island's first lighthouse keeper during a hunting accident. Another lighthouse keeper named Devaney Jennette died atop Cape Fear Light Station over one hundred years later. Legend says the death of Theodosia Burr Alston, the daughter of Vice President Aaron Burr, occurred on Bald Head Island after a shipwreck on Frying Pan Shoals. Other legends claim pirates haunt Bald Head, perhaps the pirate ghost of Stede Bonnet.
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Join the Old Baldy Foundation for a Halloween edition of the Historic Happy Hour series featuring the fateful endings of Bald Head Island. Learn fact from fiction during this legendary evening.
Join us on the Old Baldy grounds at 5pm on Thursday, October 29th for this event! The event is free to attend and no registration is required. Please bring a beach chair or blanket to sit on, as no seating will be provided. Food and beverage will not be served to respect social distancing measures, but guests are invited to pack snacks and sips!
If you are not comfortable joining us in public or are not on the island, we will be broadcasting the event on Facebook Live! Just tune into our channel at 5pm the night of the program.
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New forum of history research, videos, organizational announcements, press, and more on the Old Baldy website
Head over to the Old Baldy website to find a new page featuring all news and happenings to stay up to date with your favorite organization. From press releases, announcements, operational changes to freshly published history research, find all things Old Baldy here!
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It is time for our annual Holiday tradition!
In conversation with the Bald Head Island Club, it was decided a reception to accompany the auction was not yet safe. That does not mean the festivities need to all be canceled! The beloved tabletop Christmas trees decorated by the island community will still be available to bid on!
Enjoy seeing the festive trees decorate throughout the club the week of Thanksgiving! Place your bid online for your favorite tree. Trees will be added throughout the week so stay tuned to find your favorite!
Bidding will end on Saturday, November 28th, at midnight. Each tree winner will be contacted and can pick their tree up at the Bald Head Island Club on Sunday, November 29th, from 10 am-12 pm or the following week at Old Baldy during operating hours. Special arrangments can be made to pick it up by contacting abby@oldbaldy.org (shipping is not available).
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Are you feeling festive? Support Old Baldy by donating your time and decor to decorate a tabletop Christmas tree for our Light Up The Holidays Christmas Tree Auction! Old Baldy will provide the tree. Please stop by the Lighthouse to pick up a tree and take it home to decorate in any theme you like. Return the decorated tree to Old Baldy by the week of Thanksgiving, and your creation will be included in the auction. All proceeds go directly to Old Baldy and its continued preservation efforts. Enjoy supporting a cause that is important to you while kicking off the Holiday season.
Email abby@oldbaldy.org with any questions or simply stop by Old Baldy to pick up a tree!
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October History Moment
The next few weeks mark the 302nd anniversary of Stede Bonnet’s trial for piracy in Charles Town, South Carolina. Bonnet, known as the “Gentleman Pirate,” was captured in the Cape Fear River on September 27, 1718, after battling South Carolinians under the command of Colonel William Rhett. After the battle, Rhett transported Bonnet and the other captured pirates to Charlestown for trial. Much of what we know about Stede Bonnet and the battle in the Cape Fear River is from the trial records printed in London in 1719.
The trial record begins with an account of the pirate battle in the Cape Fear River. Chiefly, the account is helpful for historians because it provides a timeline of events, such as when Colonel Rhett departed Charles Town for Cape Fear, when the battle occurred, and when the ensemble returned to Charles Town. Additionally, the account provides casualty statistics, stating that seven pirates were killed and five wounded, compared to twelve pirate hunters killed and eighteen wounded. The higher casualty rate amongst the pirate hunters accounts for the fact that the deck of one of their ships was tilted towards the pirates when it ran aground on a sand bar, as opposed to the pirate’s deck, which was tilted away and acted as a bulwark defense.
After describing the battle, the trial records summarizes each day’s proceedings, beginning on October 18th and concluding on December 10th when Bonnet was hanged near the modern-day Battery in Charleston. Bonnet and the pirates were tried for the crimes they committed near the Capes of Virginia, previous to arriving in the Cape Fear River in August, 1718. At the Capes of Virginia, Bonnet and his crew captured two vessels, the Fortune and Francis, taking cargo and imprisoning their crews. Both ships and the prisoners traveled with Bonnet to the Cape Fear River and were liberated by Rhett after the battle on September 27, 1718. Many of the prisoners, including each of the ships’ captains, testified against the pirates during the trail, and their testimony is recorded in this trial record. Additionally, two of the pirates turned on their former comrades and testified on behalf of the King. In the end, only one pirate, Ignatius Pell, received clemency for testifying against Bonnet and his crew. The other pirate, David Heriot, was killed after escaping custody with Stede Bonnet on October 24, 1718. Bonnet and Heriot were outlaws for several days until, once again, Colonel William Rhett caught up with the fugitives on Sullivan’s Island. During the Battle of Sullivan’s Island, Heriot was mortally shot and Bonnet eventually surrendered for the final time.
Eventually, thirty of the thirty-four defendants were found guilty and hanged for piracy. Their executions occurred below the high-tide line at White Point, where the Ashely and Cooper Rivers meet in Charleston’s modern-day Battery neighborhood. The four defendants found not-guilty were individuals who stumbled upon Stede Bonnet while the pirate was anchored in the Cape Fear River. These four individuals remained prisoners during the river battle.
Today, the Old Baldy Foundation uses the trial records of Stede Bonnet to interpret the history of pirates in the Lower Cape Fear. Over the past few months, the Old Baldy Team has been real-time tracking the final months of Stede Bonnet on social media, and the trial begins this week! On Thursday, Bonnet and his trial will be discussed at a special Halloween Historic Happy Hour.
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Thank you to our 2020 Annual Sponsors! |
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Fitz-Hugh Family
John & Kim Gottshall
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COVID-19 Operation Details
The lighthouse and museum have opened as North Carolina moved into Phase 2.5 of the reopening process. Facemask will be required, only one family/group will be allowed in the lighthouse at one time, only one family/group will be allowed in the store at one time, no cash will be accepted (only credit and debit transactions), and there will be no public restrooms available. We can't wait to see everyone safely and responsibly!
Gift Shop Hours:
Tuesday- Saturday 10-4 pm
Lighthouse and Museum Hours:
Tuesday- Saturday 10-3 pm
Only one group/family in the lighthouse or shop at one time.
No cash will be accepted- only card transactions.
Face coverings will be required.
The bathroom facilities will remain closed.
Hand sanitizer will be available for all shoppers.
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