July History Moment
Hurricane havoc on Bald Head goes back centuries
When Tropical Storm Elsa brushed past the area last week, it was barely bothersome enough to shake visitors out of their beach daze.
But the cyclical arrival of storms from the tropics carry with them an annual reminder that Bald Head Island might as well have a bullseye on it when it comes to hurricanes. Just last year, a tornado spawned by Hurricane Isaias’ wrath spun its way across the island, claiming several roofs and a night of sleep for residents. For others, the devastation of Hurricane Florence in 2018 is still being felt.
Hurricanes are a reality of living in this neck of the woods, so to speak. But a few have cut deeper than others, particularly the storm of 1761.
Going back centuries, it’s tough to know specific details on hurricanes. Modern-day meteorological technology was centuries away from invention in the early days of the Cape Fear, so wind speed, rain totals and forecasted tracks aren’t available. Hurricanes didn’t even start getting consistent names until the 1950s.
Instead, it was the damage they left behind that made the history books, and that is certainly true of the 1761 storm. Arriving in September of that year, the storm was powerful enough that its winds and storm surge opened a new inlet into the Cape Fear River, north of Bald Head and south of Fort Fisher. It was a storm that, in hindsight, gave new meaning to the term “force of nature.”
But it wasn’t just the storm that would have an impact. For more than a century, New Inlet would cause all sorts of headaches for the still-developing Cape Fear region. Before the end of the century, the impacts of a new inlet would have already been felt on Bald Head. The water coming downriver now had a new outlet into the ocean, a divergence that changed the hydrology of the mouth of the Cape Fear River and caused new areas of shoaling and erosion.
On the northwestern side of the island, erosion caused by the introduction of New Inlet is widely considered to be what ultimately led to the removal of the first lighthouse built on the island, which was taken down in 1813 out of fear the earth would be eaten right out from under it. The lighthouse, also the first built in North Carolina, had only been completed 19 years earlier.
During the Civil War, the inlet would also play a key role in toppling the Confederacy’s supremacy in the region. Although several forts were built to defend against any Union advance up the river to the port in Wilmington (Fort Holmes on Bald Head, Fort Caswell on Caswell Beach, Fort Johnston in Southport and Fort Anderson in Winnabow), the inlet would help the Union bypass most of them. By 1864, Union recognized it could focus its attack on Fort Fisher and, should it prove successful, access the river through the newer northern entrance and push toward Wilmington -- all without ever having to strike Holmes, Caswell and Johnston. It would take two attempts, but in January 1865, Fort Fisher fell to the Union and forts like Holmes and Caswell were quickly abandoned, as they were behind enemy lines.
New Inlet had a hand in changing the tide of the war, all because of a storm that blew through a century earlier.The inlet Mother Nature had carved out of the river was closed by man in 1880, in an effort to reverse its impacts after the region took stock following the war.
But for more than a century, it stood as a reminder of how hurricanes can leave a mark that doesn’t wash away so easily. As we head into the peak of another season, it’s a timeless lesson we can all stand to remember.
In September, join the Old Baldy Foundation and North Carolina hurricane historian Jay Barnes for a special Historic Happy Hour to learn more about the 1761 hurricane and others that impacted the region. Check back next month for more information on the event.
Above photo courtesy of NOAA
