The Old Baldy Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina, having survived neglect, war and weather. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and open to the public. Built in 1817, it was intended to help ships avoid ruin on Frying Pan Shoals. This historic landmark, recognizable from the Marina, is well worth a visit!
Historians believe that Native Americans used Bald Head Island in much the same way that it is used now, as a seasonal retreat. Bald Head Island may be small, but it has played a part in two American wars. During the American Revolution, it was home to Fort George, a British fort. During the Civil War, the fort was renamed and served as Fort Holmes, a Confederate base used to protect trade. The large sand bar off of Bald Head, known as Frying Pan Shoals, seasonally emerges and retreats into the sea.
Bald Head Island is a subtropical island and the northernmost point in the U.S. where sabal palms grow naturally. Influenced by the warm waters of the nearby Gulf Stream, the weather here is generally mild year-round. Bald Head is the southernmost of North Carolina’s cape islands, marked by the legendary Cape Fear. It’s also the northernmost subtropical environment on the East Coast, making it a haven for a wide array of wildlife.
