Event Details:

• Location: Old Baldy Lighthouse, Bald Head Island

• Ticket Price: $15 (Includes Beer, Wine, and Entry to the Event)

​​

Upcoming Event Dates

• March 17, 2026, 4:30PM: Speaker: Stephen Humphreys  The Battlefield as a Bridge: Veterans in Conflict Archaeology – American Veterans Archaeological Recovery (AVAR) uses battlefields and conflict sites to help military veterans transition into careers in professional archaeology. In this presentation, Stephen Humphreys will discuss how and why these sites are important for the veteran community and how veterans can benefit from careers in this discipline. Stephen co-founded AVAR in 2016 and has served as CEO since that time. He is the Principal Investigator of the AVAR Conflict Archaeology School–Camden and Finding Medina Projects, has directed fieldwork on numerous Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recoveries, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Center for Integrative Research in Conflict Archaeology. A National Geographic Explorer, Stephen has directed and participated in archaeological projects in Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, the United Kingdom, Sicily, and the United States. He holds a Ph.D. in Archaeology from Durham University, as well as an MA in Archaeology and Biblical Studies and an MA in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to his graduate studies, Stephen was a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

• May 19, 2026, 4:30PM: Speaker: Aida Havel  -  A Snapshot of Herbert Bamber: The First Known Photographer of the Outer Banks Lighthouses - Learn about Herbert Bamber, his camera, and his extraordinary life of service to the Lighthouse Establishment as he traveled America documenting lighthouses in the late 19th century presented by Aida Havel of Havel Research Associates. Aida and her husband John Havel have devoted over two decades to researching the history of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, and are board members of the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society. They live in Salvo on Hatteras Island.

• June 23, 2026, 4:30PM: Speaker: Emily Farmer  -  The fall of 1804 saw the end of the Spanish ship, La Rosa de Bilbao, off the south coast of North Carolina, marking the beginning of a curious chain of events surrounding the suspicious circumstances that led to the vessel’s demise. The mystery encompassing this vessel continued when, in 1987, a site dubbed the “Baldhead Rudder Wreck” was discovered at the mouth of the Cape Fear River by a private research group working out of Southport, North Carolina. The main feature was a large rudder blade that was extracted from the site, with the investigators proposing that it belonged to the Spanish vessel La Rosa de Bilbao. This identification, however, shows a strong tendency towards Ruling Theory, relying heavily on early reports and assumptions rather than a thorough analysis of the archaeological evidence, with no concrete evidence having been found to yet support this identification. By critically reevaluating the material culture, historical context of the wreck, and characteristics of the rudder from a ship construction perspective, this research aimed to determine whether the shipwreck truly matches the identity previously assigned to it or if it might, in fact, belong to a different vessel entirely.

• July 28, 2026, 5:30PM: Speaker: To Be Announced Details for our July Historic Happy Hour will be announced soon.

• August 18, 2026, 5:30PM: Speaker: Dr. Kimberly Sherman  Dr. Kimberly Sherman will return to Historic Happy Hour to present on Thomas Peters. Additional details on the lecture will be announced soon.

• September 2026, 4:30PM: Speaker and date to be announced

• October 2026, 4:30PM: Speaker and date to be announced