Bald Head Island has a very special history, and that history is especially important to us! We were married in 2003 on the steps of Old Baldy, North Carolina’s oldest standing lighthouse and one of three that once graced Bald Head Island, is only a short walk from the ferry landing. Admission to the Smith Island Museum of History allows you to climb Old Baldy’s 108 steps for an incomparable view of the island. While you’re there, take a look at the artifacts in the Smith Island Museum and learn more about Bald Head Island’s seafaring history or pick up a souvenir in the gift shop.
Did you know that Bald Head Island was home to a British fort and hospital in the Revolutionary War? That during the Civil War several Confederate gun emplacements helped secure the mouth of the river? That in the early 1900s visitors came to the island to hunt wild pigs? Find out the details of these stories and more on a Historic Tour from the Old Baldy Foundation.
The tour gives you a glimpse into the history of Bald Head Island from its first appearance on maps in the 1500s to the development of the island in the 1980s. Tours originate on the island at the ferry terminal in the harbor (for on-island guests) and from Deep Point Marina (for day visitors). Stops on the tour include the Old Boathouse located on Bald Head Creek, the foundation of the Cape Fear Light, and Captain Charlie’s Station, three lighthouse keeper’s cottages dating back to 1903. Tours last approximately 1.5 hours.