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Old Baldy, the Bald Head Light on Bald Head Island at the mouth of the Cape Fear River, is North Carolina’s oldest standing lighthouse. Built inland by 1817 to replace an earlier 1794 tower threatened by erosion, it guided ships serving Wilmington around dangerous shoals. Constructed of brick and stucco with parts reused from the first lighthouse, the 110-foot tower was first lit by keeper Sedgwick Springs. Though often considered inadequate in storms and fog, it remained important through repeated changes in coastal navigation, serving as a light and later a radio beacon until 1958. Restored afterward, it endures as a day beacon and island landmark.
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Bald Head Island, North Carolina · United States
