Old Baldy, located on Bald Head Island, is considered NC's oldest standing lighthouse. It was the second light built on the island, after the first one was washed away by beach erosion. It wil be two centuries old in 2017. Surrounded by a picturesque grove of trees, the lighthouse stands today as a monument to the men and women of the Lifesaving services that preceded the coast guard.
Bald Head Island has been home to two separate lighthouses. Neither is in use now, though. The new sentry over the Cape Fear River is Oak Island. Located near a Coast Guard station, this tri-colored lighthouse is still in service today, It is one of two in-service lighthouses that does not use a black-and-white pattern on the NC coast, opting instead for three different colors of concrete.