History Lesson Comes Alive
for Local Fourth Graders
Thanks to the Lighthouse Learners program offered by the Old Baldy Foundation, local school children were treated to a trip to Bald Head Island recently — a trip into the past via a ferry ride and a climb to the top of Old Baldy Lighthouse. The Lighthouse Learners Program allows hundreds of local school children to actually experience the 191-year-old lighthouse up close and personal in addition to reading about it in their history books.
For many of the children it was their first trip to the island and to the historic lighthouse — the oldest in the state — that many of them can see every day from the Southport waterfront. Making the visit even more special, Bald Head Island Limited provided an extra ferry to accommodate the large number of students, who were accompanied by their teachers and several parents.
"It is the largest school group we host each year," said Ann Mills, executive director of the Old Baldy Foundation. Volunteers from the community and Old Baldy Foundation staff members helped with activities including games, tours of the grounds, and shopping in the museum gift shop. In addition to their climb to the top of Old Baldy, the students also visited the overlook marking the site of Fort Holmes, the Civil War earthworks whose partial remains are still visible in certain areas of the island.
The program was first suggested when the staff of the Old Baldy Foundation visited the school and learned that a majority of its students had never visited the lighthouse. "It seemed like a good opportunity for the Bald Head Island community to share this wonderful resource with the students of Southport," said Ann. "All fourth-grade students in North Carolina study the state's history, including lighthouses."
Since the program began, many individuals and organizations have donated money to help sponsor the trip. This year's trip was sponsored by the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society. To learn more about the Lighthouse Learners program or the Old Baldy Foundation call 1-910-457-7481 or visit www.oldbaldy.org.
