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The Keeper's Times
The Old Baldy Foundation Community Newsletter
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COVID-19 Reopening Details
North Carolina is in phase two of reopening the state, and the Old Baldy Foundation is thrilled to have reopened our gift shop on a regular schedule! In phase two museums and historic sites are not allowed to open. We are hopeful an announcement will be made soon with regards to moving into phase three!
Gift Shop Hours:
Monday- Saturday 10-4 pm
Sunday 11-4 pm
**Hours will extend when the lighthouse is allowed to reopen**
We are eager to move into the third phase and have safety protocol and staff ready to reopen the lighthouse and museum when allowed!
If you plan on visiting us in our gift shop as we are in phase two, please note the following safety protocol:
Only two shoppers allowed at one time in the shop
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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Virtual Historic Happy Hour
Wednesday at 5pm!
Join Old Baldy for a virtual historic happy hour on Wednesday, June 24th, at 5 pm! Liz Fuller, Vice President of the Southport Historical Society, will present on WWI in the Lower Cape Fear Region. The Lower Cape Fear Region has a rich history during the Great War, from soldiers stationed at Fort Caswell to the Spanish influenza, and even a possible German gas attack against the Cape Fear Light Station on Bald Head Island. Join the Old Baldy Foundation in exploring this history with the Southport Historical Society.
Use promo code VirtualHappyHour to sign up at no cost!
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Upcoming: 4th of July Golf Cart Parade
Please note the 4th of July Golf Cart Parade will be hosted on Friday, July 3rd, this year. Saturday is a high traffic day on the island due to rental turnovers. In discussion with the BHI Village, we determined it will be most efficient and safe to host the parade the prior day, on Friday, July 3rd, not to disrupt the wynds for travel on Saturday, July 4th.
After careful consideration and collaborations with island officials, the Old Baldy Foundation is announcing changes to the annual 4th of July Golf Cart Parade to better comply with social distancing measures. The parade is only one week past the proposed date of entering phase three in reopening the state. At this time, there are too many unknowns of when exactly phase three will start and what the regulations will be to plan the parade as usual. As many past parade-goers know, social distancing is not possible as we gather to line the carts up and then meet at the end for judging. We can not legally host a gathering of that size at this time.
We knew we could not cancel this celebration with islanders giving up so many beloved traditions due to COVID-19. We have reimaged the parade so islanders can still enjoy this beloved tradition while being responsible and safe for all attendees.
This year's parade will be held "in reverse." What this means is that all carts that enter will place their cart somewhere along the published route. The cart will stay in one place, and then the judges and spectators will then drive their carts along the route to enjoy viewing the festive decorations! This will eliminate the large gatherings at the beginning and end of the parade. Please see further details below about how the operation will work.
The route of the parade will start at the intersection of North Bald Head Wynd and Stede Bonnet. The route will continue down Stede Bonnet and will then take a right on South Bald Head Wynd. The parade will continue on South Bald Head to where it becomes West Bald Head and will end at the corner of West and North Bald Head. Carts that have entered will place their cart somewhere along this route that does not block traffic or driveways (unless it is your driveway). Spectators can safely view the festivities from their carts as they drive the route! The judges will be driving slowly, and you will be able to interact with them (from a distance of course) if you wish!
Judging will be hosted on Old Baldy's Facebook Live following the parade. All winners will be announced, and they can then come to Old Baldy to pick up their prize!
Participants will be required to clearly label their carts with their last name and name of the cart for the judges. Any cart that is decorated on the route that did not register will not be eligible for judging. Online registration will be open until the parade kicks off at 10 AM on Friday, July 3rd.
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Sum
mer long family friendly contest announced!
There is still time to join our Spirit of Bald Head contest!
Join Old Baldy for a festive competition this summer! Create or decorate a face mask inspired by BHI for a chance to win a weekend getaway on BHI this fall!
You can enter the contest as soon as today, or take your time as the deadline for entries is Sunday, August 2nd and the winners will be announced at our annual Lighthouse Day festival on Sunday, August 9th!
Contest judges will be announced in the next edition of the Keeper's Times!
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Updated Calendar of Events
With many spring and early summer events postponed, the Old Baldy Foundation has adjusted our event calendar to find new, safe and innovative ways to honor our island and it's historical significance throughout the summer season!
**This calendar is subject to change as the Old Baldy Foundation plans to adhere to any and all guidelines set by Village and State officials. **
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National Lighthouse Day Weekend
August 7-9th
The Old Baldy Foundation is pleased to be moving forward with plans to celebrate National Lighthouse Day Weekend over August 7th-9th. With many summertime festivities canceled due to COVID-19, we are thrilled to be able to move forward with these nautical celebrations! We understand some of these plans may still be required to change due to fluidity of the situation. The Old Baldy Foundation is prepared to make any changes needed for the saftey of our guests and staff, and will publish all updates in future Keeper's Times and on our website.
On Friday, August 7th, please join in with your fellow islanders for a happy hour under the stars at Old Baldy. Mingle with living historians, enjoy live music, festive cocktails, and tasty treats. Attendance will be limited to comply with current regulations, and social distancing measures will be practiced. Further details and tickets coming soon!
On Saturday, August 8th, at 2 pm, our annual duck race kicks off! All summer, we have been selling ducks on the Old Baldy web store for $10! Each person who bought a duck will have an entry in the race. Whoever owns the duck that crosses the finish line first will win $500! You do not need to be present at the race to win. However, we invite all to watch the ducks race down the Bald Head Creek.
On Sunday, August 9th, our annual National Lighthouse Day Festival and Run for the Light takes place! Join us on Sunday afternoon to do some shopping from a selected group of local food purveyors who will be set up on the lighthouse grounds. Take home some freshly caught seafood and local produce to enjoy in your BHI home. Jules BBQ will be available during the festival along with cold beer, water, and sodas! At 6 pm, dust off your running shoes as our annual Run for the Light will kick-off. More information on the race below!
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Run for the Light- Sunday, August 9th
The Run for the Light course is a scenic run near coastal dunes and through the maritime forest on Bald Head Island, NC. The whole course features an all-asphalt surface, with splits and water at the 1-, 3- and 5-mile marks. This event is perfect to showcase some of North Carolina’s most beautiful beaches and beach cities – it will be one to mark off your bucket list!
Run a 10K, 5K, or 1-mile fun and take home some excellent race swag, including a tee-shirt, headlamp, free beer, signature medal, and more!
Social Distancing but want to join the fun? Not on the island August 9th but want to dust off your running shoes? Join us for the race virtually. Race swag can be picked up or mailed to you!
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New Activity:
History Hunters!
With the lighthouse still closed to the public, Old Baldy staff wanted to offer another option to get our island community involved in the rich maritime history of our area!
Every Tuesday during the summer, a new edition of "History Hunters on BHI" will be published on our website. Anyone can download the puzzle and start hunting for the treasure! The puzzle is filled with historical facts unique to our area.
When you complete the puzzle, a clue will be revealed with the location of a hidden treasure. Once you know the location, you can head off to the area- if you are the first to find it bring the treasure to the Old Baldy Gift Shop for a special prize!
**Once someone finds the treasures and brings it to Old Baldy- we will post on our website and Facebook that that specifics weeks treasure has been found**
**Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on history hunters**
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History Moment
This history moment this month is reasearched and written by Old Baldy collections associate McAllie Givens, who holds a Masters in Public History from UNCW!
Unknown to many, Old Baldy’s familiar exterior changed appearances throughout its tenure within the U.S. Lighthouse Service. The exterior of the tower changed from black, to white, to the mottled tones one sees today. Old Baldy was not the only lighthouse built between 1816 and 1817 in the Cape Fear Region. The first of three Federal Point Lighthouses was also being constructed just nine miles north of Old Baldy, where the remains of Fort Fisher stand today. While Old Baldy guided ships at sea into the Cape Fear River through Old Inlet, the Federal Point Lighthouses helped mariners to locate New Inlet, an alternate route into the Port of Wilmington that allowed southbound ships to avoid the dangerous Frying Pan Shoals.
With the construction of several lighthouses in the region, it was critical to distinguish each lighthouse from another. Surprisingly, the U.S. Lighthouse Service’s proposal to build Old Baldy did not specify Old Baldy be painted a color, but denotes the outside should have a rough plaster. However, the proposal did mention that the keeper’s dwelling be whitewashed. The earliest suggestion of painting Old Baldy is found in 1818 correspondence written by members of the U.S. Lighthouse Service discussing if Old Baldy needed to be painted. By 1822, the 10th edition of the
American Coast Pilot
, reported that Old Baldy was painted black “in order to distinguish it from the light-house on Federal Point,” which was painted white.
By 1880, the Army Corps of Engineers closed New Inlet and rendered the third Federal Point Lighthouse useless, consequently, the Lighthouse Service reactivated Old Baldy. Not needing to distinguish anymore between Old Baldy and the Federal Point Lighthouses, the U.S. Lighthouse Service once again discussed painting Old Baldy in 1885. By 1886, Lighthouse officials described the exterior of Old Baldy as white. In the years to follow, the U.S. Lighthouse Service whitewashed Old Baldy regularly. In 1935, when the U.S. Lighthouse Service permanently decommissioned Old Baldy, she was left to her own fate.
No longer under the auspice of the Federal Government, Old Baldy was not cared for in the decades to follow. Since the exterior of Old Baldy was always painted, black or white, when used by the Federal Government, the color of the stucco did not matter when it was being repaired. Lacking regular exterior painting and general upkeep, weathering caused patches of stucco to become visible. No records have been found regarding work done on the exterior of the lighthouse between 1935 and when the Old Baldy Foundation repaired the exterior of the lighthouse in 1990. The 1990 exterior repairs were completed by Contractor Specialties based out of Mantua, Ohio. While the original plan was to match the new stucco with the existing stucco, the sample stucco was not given enough time to cure and dry in order to reveal its final color. This caused the exterior to have a more mottled, rather than uniform, appearance. Between 2016 and 2017, International Chimney Corporation based out of Buffalo, NY, repaired any unsound stucco in preparation for the 200th anniversary of Old Baldy.
The mottled tone exterior of Old Baldy today is a 20th-century snapshot. Preservation efforts of the Old Baldy Foundation solidified the external state as was in 1990. This trademark appearance captures a point in time after Old Baldy was left to the forces of mother nature for over 60 years. The next time you are standing in front of Old Baldy close your eyes and imagine it being painted black.
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Thank you to our 2020 Annual Sponsors!
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