In late July, One Summer Pictures, LLC, the production company behind the upcoming Hallmark movie “One Summer,” made a substantial donation of $10,000 to the Old Baldy Foundation in support of our ongoing mission to preserve North Carolina's oldest lighthouse! This significant contribution helps Old Baldy recuperate from the financial implications of closing our doors in the summer of 2020 to comply with COVID-19 restrictions. Being the caretakers for a 200-year-old structure

Old Baldy Lighthouse stands tall, personifying over 200 years of Bald Head Island History. Tens of thousands of visitors travel to Old Baldy every year to experience this cultural treasure. The Old Baldy Foundation is proud to present a series of events and programs that bring our region's rich history to life. These programs are not possible with the generous support of our sponsors. We entered 2021 trepidatiously, not knowing what was ahead as we prepared for programs and e

The Old Baldy Foundation Board of Directors governs all the decisions of current and future operations of the organization. As the Old Baldy Foundation continues to grow, we have three new board members that bring a variety of knowledge and experience to assist in all aspects of leadership at Old Baldy. Meet our new board members! The Old Baldy Foundation welcomes Mrs. Kristin Henson as a new Board Member. Originally from Arizona, Kristin comes to us after a career in Space S

The rich history of Bald Head Island has had a revival of interest over the previous few years as the Old Baldy Foundation has grown! Much of this interest can be attested to a growing staff dedicated to sharing the many stories and histories of Bald Head Island and the Cape Fear. Many of our readers know, our last educator Travis Gilbert has moved onto a new career opportunity. With his departure, a search began to fill this integral position within our organization, and can

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. Durin

As we prepare for a fresh start in 2021 with new projects, staff members, exhibits, virtual learning events, and more, we wanted to take a moment and reflect on the work completed in 2020. Old Baldy staff has prepared an Annual Report to present to the community and our supporters. The report displays the duties our team passionately does to fulfill the Old Baldy Foundation's mission of preserving the Old Baldy Lighthouse on Bald Head Island, NC, and promoting and educating a

As a tumultuous 2020 closed, the Old Baldy Foundation has reason to look to a brighter 2021. The organization is humbled to announce that we have been awarded a grant for $750,000 from the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office as part of their Hurricane Florence and Michael Emergency Supplemental Historic Preservation Fund (ESHPF) Hurricane Disaster Relief Subgrants program. The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), administered by the National Park Service, provided

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 offer at such a well-regarded organ

An exploration of the LV-115 by Old Baldy Visitor Services and Collections Associate McAllie Givens. Off the southeastern point of Bald Head Island where Cape Fear is formed lies the Frying Pan Shoals, an innocuously named thirty-mile stretch of shallow sandbars that, without the help of navigational aids, proved deadly to mariners for centuries. These constantly changing shoals, considered part of the Graveyard of the Atlantic, off the coast of North Carolina, became the las

In this segment we want to give our supporters an inside look at our efforts to interpret over four centuries of history from the Cape Fear region and the behind the scenes work that accompanies our mission. This past summer, the Old Baldy Foundation started construction on a long-planned project of installing a new roof on Keeper's Cottage on our campus. Many of our summer visitors may have seen workers milling about to complete this undertaking. We wanted to feature this pr

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 Charles Town for trial. Much of what we know about Stede Bonnet and the battle in the Cape Fear River is from th

The Old Baldy Foundation relies heavily on sponsors' support to fulfill our mission-based work of historic preservation and educational outreach! Our sponsors' financial support allows our staff members to facilitate educational programming to students, community members, history enthusiasts, and more on over four centuries of history on Bald Head Island. Today's sponsor spotlight features a long time Old Baldy sponsor whose support was crucial in the formation of our organiz

Old Baldy staff member McAllie Givens explores the history that caused the lighthouse's unique appearance.

The Old Baldy Foundation relies heavily on sponsors' support to fulfill our mission-based work of historic preservation and educational outreach! Our sponsors' financial support allows our staff members to facilitate educational programming to students, community members, history enthusiasts, and more on over four centuries of history on Bald Head Island. In today's sponsor spotlight, we will highlight a long time Old Baldy supporter, Henson Building Corporation! Owners Steve

No lighthouse keeper is more iconic to Bald Head Island than Capt'n Charlie! His keeper's cottage remains today as a remodeled destination for vacationers who want a historic flair to their accommodations. Old Baldy staff members Travis Gilbert and McAllie Givens offer a more in-depth look into the life and work of this BHI legend! #MeetTheKeeper's #Lighthouse #MaritimeHistory #OldBaldyLighthouse #ThisPlaceMatters #BaldHeadIsland #HistoryAtHome

The Shelter Series presented by Preservation NC is an exploration of shelters that have provided covers for North Carolinians for generations. Preservation NC has chosen this topic as shelter has become more central to our lives in the times of COVID-19. Their series will look at how shelters throughout the state have told historical stories of different cultures, time periods, diversity and more. The Old Baldy Foundation's historian Travis Gilbert will lead a webinar in this

The Old Baldy Foundation was thrilled to debut a new exhibit located inside the oil house adjacent to the Old Baldy Lighthouse for 2020! Due to COVID-19, this exhibit has sat vacant as business operations were halted. As Old Baldy and the Smith Island Museum of History have reopened according to North Carolina phase 2.5 regulations, our new exhibit is open to the public to view! Follow the pathways along the Old Baldy campus to find the oil house which neighbors the lighthous

In this video installment of "Meet the Keepers," Old Baldy Foundation Visitor Services & Collections Associate, McAllie Givens, and summer intern Annamaria Haden, discuss the history of Keeper Thomas Mann Thompson, Sr.! #MeetTheKeeper's #Lighthouse #MaritimeHistory #OldBaldyLighthouse #ThisPlaceMatters #BaldHeadIsland #HistoryAtHome

All of our loyal "The Keeper's Times" subscribers have been reading regular updates about an ever-evolving series of postponements and cancellations of regularly scheduled operations, programs, and special events. We wanted to check in with an in-depth look at the challenges COVID-19 has presented in operating a museum and historic site along with insights about what the Old Baldy Foundation has been doing to fulfill its mission of historic preservation and educational outrea