The remains of Fort Holmes are located on a very exclusive island called Bald Head at the mouth of the Cape Fear River near Wilmington, NC. I doubt that poor folk like us would even be allowed to visit.
The September 22nd Wilmington Star-News reports that beach nourishment is needed on the island to rebuild the beaches. Over 150 feet of beach has been lost. It is expected to cost $17 million and will involve 2 million cubic ponds of material and take four months.
Cars are not allowed and folks get around on modified golf carts.
The lighthouse is called "Old Baldy and is the oldest standing lighthouse in the country, built in 1817. During the American Revolution a British Fort Gregg was on the island. During the Civil War, the Confederates built Fort Holmes to protect the mouth of the river.
At one time, Bald Head Island was really an island, but since Hurricane Floyd in 1999, shoals have connected it.
Confederate Fort Holmes stretches from the lighthouse to the southwest tip of the island. It was made of earth reinforced with palmetto and oak logs. Guns were mounted in four batteries on the east side.
More to Come. --Old B-Runner
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
