Bald Head Island, historically known as Smith Island, is a village located on the east side of the Cape Fear River in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. Compared to the nearby city of Wilmington to the north, the village of Bald Head Island is small and somewhat remote. Despite its name, Bald Head Island is not an island. The historical Corncake Inlet that separated it from Kure Beach, filled in after Hurricane Floyd in 1999, and has remained closed ever since. It is accessible by ferry from the nearby town of Southport and by four-wheel drive vehicle along the beach strand from Fort Fisher to the north. Only government officials are allowed to drive the beach strand route. There are few cars on the island; instead, residents drive modified electric golf carts. Bald Head Island is nationally recognized for its sea turtle nesting activity.
The population of the village was 268 at the 2020 census. The village is part of the Wilmington metropolitan area.
The village is revered for its picturesque nature and is a popular location for vacationing. It was the primary filming location for the film Weekend at Bernie's in 1989 as well as a major location in The Butcher's Wife in 1991. "Old Baldy", its out-of-service lighthouse built in 1817, is the oldest still standing in the state.
History
Bald Head Island is tiny but 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 same redoubts served as Fort Holmes, a Confederate base of importance to shipping and smuggling.
Located at the tip of Cape Fear and residing at the convergence of the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Gulf Stream, the land mass of Bald Head Island ends, trailing off into of treacherous sand bars known as Frying Pan Shoals. In this area, large sand bars seasonally emerge from and subsequently retreat into the sea. These topographical transformations are often as rapid as they are drastic. The consensus view is that Bald Head Island emerged from one such sandbar, stabilized by a succession of plant life, leading to a permanent land mass.
Author David Stick surmises that Native Americans used Bald Head Island in much the same way that it is used now, as a seasonal retreat. Bald Head Island's creek estuaries and its abundance of shellfish were probably as attractive to Native American fishermen as they are to modern fishermen. Shellmounds found on Middle Island and Bluff Island indicate that Native Americans did visit the Smith Island complex, but disease and war killed off most of the Native American population, so it is difficult to know much about the original inhabitants.
In 1863, Confederate troops constructed a fort named Fort Holmes as part of a defensive system for the Cape Fear River Basin, although no major battles were fought in this region during the U.S. Civil War.
In 1913, the island was purchased by T.F. Boyd and renamed "Palmetto Island." Boyd subsequently built a beach boardwalk, pavilion and an eight-room hotel, before he lost the island in foreclosure due to failure to pay back taxes during the Great Depression.
Cape Fear Light
Old Baldy lighthouse, built in 1817, was not tall enough or bright enough to aid vessels trying to avoid Frying Pan Shoals in all weather conditions. To remedy the problem, a lightship was stationed on the shoals themselves in the mid-1800s. On multiple occasions the lightship broke loose and drifted freely, leaving Frying Pan Shoals without a light, or worse with a light in the wrong place. This problem was compounded when New Inlet closed and vessels were no longer able to avoid navigating around the shoals.
People from all over the world visit BHI for its birding in all season. To date over 260 species of birds have been documented on Bald Head Island, these include the white ibis, osprey, anhinga, snowy egret, great blue heron, tricolored heron, painted bunting, brown pelican, laughing gull, royal tern, and bald eagle. The Bald Head Island Conservancy offers a naturalist guided birding trip throughout the year.
Researchers from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences visit Bald Head every summer to observe and tag painted buntings.
Sea Turtles
Bald Head Island is nationally recognized for its sea turtle nesting activity. The abundance of sea turtle nests have led visitors to use the phrase, "I'm on Turtle Time", which signifies the care free (and car free) feeling of being on Bald Head Island.
Efforts to protect the habitats and activities of sea turtles on the Island date back to 1980. The Bald Head Island Conservancy has coordinated and sponsored a sea turtle protection program since 1983 and is the only non-government entity in North Carolina allowed to flipper tag nesting sea turtles. Each summer, the Conservancy funds and houses multiple interns to conduct field work for this program, under the direction of a sea turtle biologist. This internship is unique, demanding, and ultra-competitive.
Only four of the seven species of sea turtles nest on Bald Head Island. Loggerhead turtles are most common. Every season sees a few green turtles. In 2010, a leatherback turtle laid its first nest. Although rare, Bald Head has also had Kemp's ridley turtle nests, including one in 2020. These turtles are often found in different parts of the island and surrounding waters. The Kemp's ridley and loggerhead sea turtles are often found in estuarine and oceanic waters, whereas the hawksbill and leatherback sea turtles are often found in oceanic waters.
Visitors to Bald Head Island can join the Conservancy's Sea Turtle Protection Staff for a nightly Turtle Walk. After a 45-minute presentation about the renowned program and basic sea turtle biology, attendees are led to the beach to await sea turtle nestings or hatchings. The Conservancy is granted permission to conduct the Turtle Walks through a special state permit that restricts the group size to 25 Conservancy members a night.
Alligators
Alligators can be found in freshwater lagoons throughout Bald Head Island, though they can also be found laying out on the golf courses, salt marshes, or crossing the road. The Bald Head Association recently renovated the Wildlife Overlook - a lagoon where alligators are commonly seen - in September 2021 and added new improvements in November 2023.
Sightings are frequent during warmer months, though visitors are prohibited from feeding, harassing, and killing alligators. Alligators are typically harmless, but, if you encounter an alligator, it is recommended that you give it space, do not interact with it, and do not approach or follow it. The Bald Head Island Conservancy estimates that the total population on the island is about 30 - one third of which being longer than 4 feet. He earned the name "Stumpy II" because he was missing his left rear leg, which was likely a result of an interaction with another alligator.
Effects on the Environment and Wildlife
In the past decade, there has been an influx of tourism to Bald Head Island. Though good for the small island's economy, the effects of pollution and building development on wildlife and nature of the island has been the focus of recent research.
PFAS
PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, have been found in the blood of Cape Fear alligators, which were captured on Bald Head Island in 2019. because the plastics can trap heat, making the sand too hot during incubation. The temperature eggs are exposed to during this period is especially important because sea turtles have temperature-dependent sex determination, meaning this excess heat impacts the sex ratio of the population. Additionally, they help enhance wildlife biodiversity, provide aesthetic value, increase recreational opportunities, and filter pollutants.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (33.01%) is water.
There are three beaches on the island, and the northern side consists of marsh.
Demographics
2020 census
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Bald Head Island racial composition
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 243
| 90.67%
|-
!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 10
| 3.73%
|-
!scope="row"| Asian
| 1
| 0.37%
|-
!scope="row"| Other/Mixed
| 5
| 1.87%
|-
!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino
| 9
| 3.36%
|}
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 268 people, 143 households, and 87 families residing in the village.
2000 census
As of the census of Bald Head Island police officer Davina Buff Jones–first ruled a suicide but later ruled undetermined–and subsequent botched criminal investigation has been featured on popular true crime podcasts Generation Why, Southern Fried True Crime, and My Favorite Murder. As of 2022, the case still remains unsolved.
Climate
The island has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), with hot, humid summers and cool winters with crisp nights. Precipitation is high and very plentiful year round.
References
External links
- Village of Bald Head Island official website
- Bald Head InsiderInfo Area Guide
- Bald Head Island City Guide