Old Baldy Foundation – Bringing Home the Light
The Fresnel Lens

NEWS FLASH – The Old Baldy Foundation has just purchased much of the First Order Fresnel Lens that once was the heart of the Cape Fear Lighthouse on Bald Head Island. The prisms and metal structure pieces have all been safely packed and moved by barge to a storage facility on Bald Head Island. There they will be preserved, restored, and ultimately displayed on the island.

From 1903 to 1958 a powerful light shone out from Bald Head Island over Frying Pan Shoals from the Cape Fear Lighthouse to warn mariners of the dangerous shallows. Today, all that remains of this lighthouse are the cement footings. Built in 1902 and first lighted on August 31, 1903, the Cape Fear Lighthouse always held a First Order Fresnel Lens to focus the light out to sea. However Bald Head Island was not the first destination for the magnificent lens after its manufacture in France by the Henry-Lepaute Lens Works. The U.S. Lighthouse Service had an exhibit at the 1903 World’s Fair which was held in St. Louis to celebrate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. The lens appears to have been planned as one of the highlights of the exhibit but, because the opening of the World’s Fair was delayed until April 1904, it would only have been on display in the days preceding the official opening.

A First Order Fresnel Lens, such as the one installed at the top of the Cape Fear Lighthouse, was the largest lens made and was designed for coastal locations where the light had to shine far out to sea. Lighthouses are recognized during the day by their style of construction and painted patterns. At night they are recognized by their flash pattern and light color. According to the 1912 Department of Commerce and Labor “Light List Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States” the Cape Fear Lighthouse flashed for 2.3 seconds, eclipsed for 7.7 repeating every 10 seconds for 6 flashes per minute, white light, 160,000 candlepower, visible for 19 nautical miles.

When the Oak Island Lighthouse was built in 1958 the Cape Fear Lighthouse was demolished. However the First Order Fresnel Lens was salvaged and in 1968 came to Labriola’s Antique Shop on Oleander Drive in Wilmington, NC. From there both individual prisms and some of the bull’s eye panels were sold piece by piece. In recent years some of the individuals who purchased prisms from the shop have generously donated them to the Old Baldy Foundation. If you have one of the missing pieces or know someone who might please contact Ann Mills, Executive Director of the Old Baldy Foundation, at 910-457-7481.