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The Keeper's Times
The Old Baldy Foundation Community Newsletter
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Old Baldy is closed for the winter season!
The Old Baldy Foundation is currently closed for the winter season and we will reopen in March. Our staff is busy preparing and creating plans for the coming year. Although we can't be sure what 2021 has in store for us, 202o taught us valuable lessons in how to pivot in trying times and continue working to serve our community. Stay tuned to the Keeper's Times, our social media channels and website for Old Baldy updates!
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You can still shop and support
Old Baldy online while we are closed!
While operations are currently closed at Old Baldy, our online gift store remains active!
Need the perfect birthday gift for the Old Baldy lover in your family or interested in picking out a book to brush up on your coastal history? View our selection of decor, souvenirs, history books, lighthouse memorabilia, children's activities, and more on our online shop! In addition you can make a tax deducitble donation to the Old Baldy Foundation directly on this platform.
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Bidding Farewell to
Travis Gilbert
The Old Baldy Foundation has bittersweet news to share with our community as we head into 2021. Our Educator and Collections Coordinator, Travis Gilbert, will be leaving the Old Baldy Foundation to accept a position as the Executive Director of the Historic Wilmington Foundation. Though the Old Baldy Foundation is saddened to lose such an integral member of our staff, we could not be more proud that he has been honored with this prestigious position at such a
well-regarded organization.
In 2018, Travis joined the Old Baldy Foundation as the staff historian. He quickly grew to be beloved on Bald Head Island for his ability to involve and excite the community in the rich maritime history of our island paradise. We can genuinely credit Travis' work with a reinvigoration of interest and participation in the history and stories of BHI from our community along with the greater Wilmington area. Travis brought a fresh perspective to the important stories of the people who have called Bald Head home for four centuries and developed many new avenues to share these histories with the public. Also, he worked diligently to expand the Old Baldy Foundation's reach by collaborating with many other history organizations throughout the state. Because of this work, the stories of Bald Head Island and its lighthouses, lighthouse keepers, pirates, soldiers, developers, and more have become much more entwined and known when telling our state's history and its waterways throughout many communities.
While we are sad to see Travis Gilbert move on to his next venture, he will only be a short drive away in Wilmington, NC. Because of this, Travis plans to stay involved with the Old Baldy Foundation through volunteering, collaborations, and enjoying Old Baldy events and programs with the community! To everyone who has taken Travis's tour, attended his lectures, or watched his virtual history lessons, please don't fret that you will not get a chance to say goodbye or miss out on opportunities to learn more from him. As we announce upcoming programs, events, and more, we will be announcing new ways in which Travis is collaborating with Old Baldy from his new position! If you would like to send Travis a message with words of encouragement or thank him for his tireless work, he has completed at Old Baldy, respond to this edition of the Keeper's Time, and Travis will see your message.
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Career Opportunites at Old Baldy
Due to the above news about Travis Gilbert's departure from our staff, the Old Baldy Foundation is searching for a new Educator. Details on the position and duties can be found below. Interested applicants can send a resume and cover letter to director@oldbaldy.org
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We can't say goodbye to Travis without a final "History at Home" series!
Tuesday, Janurary 19th- 2pm
Travis' Favorite Things: Highlights from the Collections
Join Travis as he discusses his favorite items from the Old Baldy Foundation's Collections. Hear about the challenges the Old Baldy Foundation has overcome in professionalizing its collections, and the work yet to come in ensuring these treasures tell the story of Bald Head Island for generations to come.
Thursday, Janurary 21st at 2pm
Travis' Favorite Places: Touring Bald Head
Travis will share his favorite places of historical significance on Bald Head Island, reciting the stories that he's come to cherish over the years.
The above programs will be live on facebook and published to our youtube channel!
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January History Moment
Over the past year, the Old Baldy Foundation’s staff, with the help of other historians, delved into researching Bald Head Island lighthouse keepers and their families. Recently, one of our staff members, McAllie Givens, took our research a step further by portraying Rebecca Long for Southport Historical Society’s quarterly program, “Living Voices of the Past.” You can view the presentation in the video below.
Tending to a lighthouse took more work than just one person. During the Early Republic, one person, mainly a male, was assigned the responsibilities of lighthouse keeper. Yet, the lighthouse keeper’s family, indentured servants, and enslaved persons became unofficial assistant keepers. This is true for the Long family. Henry Long was appointed the first lighthouse keeper for the original lighthouse on Bald Head Island in 1795. Never working at a lighthouse before, Rebecca and her husband spent over a decade learning how to take care of the lighthouse together. It was no surprise when her husband died unexpectedly on October 16, 1806, that she stepped in to tend to the light. What was surprising was the support she received from several local men to be appointed the next lighthouse keeper. In the end, President Thomas Jefferson wrote, “the appointment of a woman to office is an innovation for which the public is not prepared, nor am I.” Learn more about Rebecca's story from McAllie below!
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