Southern Living’s teamed up with Brunswick County construction company Whitney Blair Custom Homes, developer Bald Head Island Limited, Moser Design Group Inc. and Coral Harper Interior Design, to create the Ultimate Southern Dream Home. The goal of the idea home was to create a home that was stylish, in addition to being environmentally conscious.

The Idea House, located at 204 Whale Head Way, is designed to “provide creative ideas and inspiration for visitors,” with signage and information throughout the home on specific fabric designers, artwork, furniture, and appliances.

“The strategy of how this house was designed and laid out, and how it breathes and flows with the materials I used, were designed around living freely,” designer Eric Moser said. “I hope that this house makes sense, that it flows well, that it’s comfortable, that it’s not contrived, it’s authentic.

Plenty of sitting areas, lots of porches, bold colors mixed with prints of flora and fauna make this home unique and fit perfectly on Bald Head. Lots of rattan, leaves, rich textures, and bamboo remind you that you are never very far from nature, which describes the aesthetic of the island perfectly. Another aim of the house is to draw you to the outdoors, this house has over 1,300 square feet of outdoor living space featuring porches, fire pits, and beautiful gardens.

The home features wonderful features which capture elements of the south, like a butler’s pantry, a sleeping porch, and a crofter, but includes a modern and elegant feel. The builders were also careful to incorporate authentic items into the design including a dining room floor made from 101-year-old joists salvaged from the Wilson Tobacco Company in Wilson, North Carolina.

Bald Head Island was the perfect choice for Southern Living’s Dream home, nestled between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean, Bald Head fits the definition of an “island retreat.” The island is only accessible by water. Except for police and maintenance vehicles, there are no cars on the island. Residents and visitors get around by golf cart, bike, or their own two feet.

“The Southern Living Idea House is an important marker in the island’s development,” said Charles Paul, III, CEO for Bald Head Island Limited. “It will bring great exposure to the island, but most importantly is consistent with the Mitchell Family’s legacy of sensitive land planning and architectural design in harmony with nature.”

According to the Bald Head Island website, of the island’s 12,000 acres, only 2,000 allow for development, leaving 10,000 acres of beaches, salt marsh and maritime forest protected for visitors to enjoy. The island is also rich in history, with the states oldest lighthouse, “Old Baldy,” dating back to 1817.

A portion of ticket sales from the Idea House will go toward the Old Baldy Foundation, which works to protect and maintain the 200-year-old lighthouse.

Tickets are $15 for adults, and free for children under 12. The home is open Wednesday through Saturday until Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

The home will be open weekends throughout September and October.

Story sourced from Port City Daily and Southern Living. Photos and Video from Southern Living.

The Bald Head Lighthouse, affectionately known as Old Baldy, is North Carolina’s oldest surviving lighthouse. This year marks “Old Baldy’s”  200th Birthday and there are numerous events planned over the course of this Spring and Summer to celebrate this venerable landmark of NC Coast!

The current structure is not the island’s first beacon; an earlier light, begun in 1789, was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson and was lit at the end of 1794.

This first lighthouse was constructed too close to the water, it fell victim to erosion problems and was demolished by 1813.

Old Baldy has maintained its original form and location for 200 years. The most important purpose of Old Baldy was to mark the Cape Fear River entrance for the maritime sailors.  It was never intended as a light for Frying Pan Shoals.

The 109-foot-tall Old Baldy was constructed about a mile from the ocean in 1817 to illuminate Frying Pan Shoals, a dangerous stretch of shoals that extends more than thirty nautical miles out into the Atlantic. Its light was visible for about eighteen miles, never sufficient to completely illuminate the shoals.

Old Baldy was built of soft red bricks covered with stucco.  In the early days the lighthouse keeper would white wash Old Baldy every two years. When Old Baldy was deactivated in 1935 the lighthouse was abandoned. The white wash protected the stucco. When it was discontinued large pieces of the stucco began to fall off the lighthouse.

Occasionally someone would come along and patch the lighthouse with new stucco; however, they did not use the same stucco as was used in 1817.

In January, 1865 the Confederate forces disabled Old Baldy prior to losing control of the Cape Fear River in the battle at Fort Fisher.

In the early 1900s the Bald Head light was downgraded to a low-intensity, steady light and was finally discontinued in 1935.

From 1941 to 1958 Old Baldy produced a radio beacon to direct ships into the Cape Fear River channel in times of fog and bad weather.

Today Old Baldy looks like a patch work quilt of different stuccos.  In 1817 Old Baldy was completely white.

The original fixed light was powered by 15 lamps. It was built as a parabolic reflector with hollow wick lamps, fueled by whale oil, and arranged on a metal rack.

Over the years, Old Baldy’s light has changed as a signal. In 1834, a new lighting mechanism was installed to flash red with a 30-second delay.

During the Civil War, the light was temporarily darkened and was relit in 1879. In 1893, the flashing light of Old Baldy was changed to white and new lamps were installed.

In 1903, Old Baldy became a fourth order fixed light when the Cape Fear Lighthouse Station was activated.

Old Baldy was kept as an active light station by the government until 1935, and was even used as a radio beacon in World War II. In 1988, the historic light was relit but no longer serves as an “official” navigational aid.

Old Baldy remained in private ownership until 1985, even as it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Then 1985 the Mitchell Family created The Old Baldy Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, and donated the lighthouse and its surrounding grounds to the foundation.

Since then the foundation has never ceased in it’s efforts to maintain this piece of history that was left to them and has also worked to educate visitors from all over the world.

Old Baldy has become an icon for Bald Head Island as well as for the State of North Carolina.

With more than 28,000 visitors coming to see it every year, the foundation has estimated that roughly 50 percent of visitors are coming  to the island just for the day.

While important for its historical significance, Old Baldy is also loads of fun to visit. Visitors to Old Baldy are able to up climb to the top during the certain seasons, and then spend the rest of their time enjoying the shops, restaurants and the beautiful island that she overlooks.

There are many events planned for the public to be able to participate in the 200th birthday celebrations for the lighthouse.

The foundation is having festivities throughout the year, beginning with the Old Baldy Birthday Party on April 15.

Old Baldy 200th Birthday Celebration Calendar of Events

 

For More Information Visit www.OldBaldy.org

 

Buy the Old Baldy Lighthouse Print by Artist Miller Pope

Save 20% on for the Month of April! 

Enter Promo Code: APRIL20 at Checkout.

$9.95 – $79.95

 

As the weather is warming up in eastern NC, coastal anglers are itching to be fishing.

Flounder are available to be fished throughout the region, however these anglers need to know that the fishing regulations for Flounder along North Carolina’s coast have changed.

 

According to the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, the recreational bag limit for flounder is going to decrease from six to four fish per person, per day. This new regulation was effective starting on March 1.

This bag limit reduction is necessary to comply with requirements of Addendum XXVIII to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s Summer Flounder, Scub, and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan.

In August 2016, the board approved a 30% reduction on catch limits for both commercial and recreational summer flounder fisheries. This reduction was in response to a 2016 stock assessment update that indicated flounder are experiencing over-fishing, but are not over-fished.

For specific recreational flounder regulations see Proclamation FF-4-2017.
Because North Carolina manages its recreational fishery for all species of flounder with the same size and bag limits, the changes will apply to all recreational flounder fishing in all estuarine and ocean waters. The overall commercial summer flounder quota has already been reduced by 30 percent, establishing the 2017 North Carolina commercial summer flounder quota to 1.6 million pounds, according to a news release.

Failure to implement the reduced bag limit would result in default management measures of a 20-inch size limit, a two-fish bag limit, and a fishing season from July 1 through Aug. 31.

The recreational size limit for Flounder remains at 15 inches. To get size and bag limits for other fish species, see the N.C. Recreational Coastal Waters Guide for Sports Fishermen. For a mobile guide you can click here, or you can download the Fishing Rules app.

Read all about flounder and see our flounder recipes here!