Southport Magazine

Oak Island Lighthouse is a popular local attraction
Story by Kass Fincher
Bob Ahlers knows his way to the top of the Oak Island Lighthouse. He absolutely should; he’s only done it 1500 times! Ahlers is the chair of FOIL, Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse, a nonprofit organization consisting of 35 volunteers who maintain the structure and grounds of the iconic landmark.

Only five of the 35 volunteers actually guide people all the way to the top. The other volunteer guides stop on the second landing to relate a history of the lighthouse and answer questions from those less adventurous to make it to the top. I was one of those who wimped out early. I had definitely planned to climb to the top, but after climbing up two of the 60-degree slope ship’s ladders, I gave in to my inner scaredy-cat. I thought there might have been many others like me, but Ahlers assured me that I was in the minority – only one out of ten who attempt it don’t make it to the top.
Wow, I’m so ashamed.
The fact is that the tours continue to grow in numbers at this popular attraction. Last year over 5,000 people made it to the top. Those Top Tours require a four-week reservation in advance, with a maximum of 20 people per tour. In the summer – the busiest season – only Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and sometimes Sundays, are available for tours to the top. The lower landing tours are available with no reservations needed, Wednesday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. All tours are free; the lighthouse structure is totally dependent on volunteers and donations for maintenance.
Ahlers and the other tour guides have a great knowledge of the history lighthouses have played in the past and still play today. “There are two main reasons for a lighthouse,” he explained. “One is to mark the entrance to a channel; the other is to warn of danger. Because so many vessels trying to get to Wilmington were running aground on Frying Pan Shoals, they built the first one – the Cape Fear Lighthouse – in 1794 at Bald Head. The problem was they built it too close to the sea and back then they didn’t know the seas rose significantly every year. It was torn down in 1813 and soon after that they built the current Bald Head Lighthouse further inland.”
Continuing his story, Ahlers told us how the Oak Island Lighthouse came to be. “Because it was determined that the Bald Head Lighthouse was not tall enough to help keep ships off the shoals, another tower was built in 1903 on Bald Head. However, in the 1940s when they wanted to automate the lights, there was no electricity on the island; it didn’t arrive until 1978. So they decided to build the Oak Island Lighthouse. It was built in 1957; the lights were turned on in 1958. It was the next to the last lighthouse to be built in this country. The last one was in Charleston in 1962.”
The Oak Island Lighthouse was built at a cost of $110,000. It stands 153 feet tall, including five feet underground, with 24 pilings maintaining stability. It was built as a single concrete pour, with the paint colors mixed in, by a company that built silos. There is no spiral staircase, rather a series of ship ladders that total 131 steps.
The light pattern consists of four one-second flashes every 10 seconds. The original beacons were adapted from reflectors used on WWII aircraft spotlights, and at that time the lighthouse was the brightest in the country and second-brightest in the world. Over time, those lights have been replaced by improved technology. Today they are 1000-watt halogen bulbs, which last much longer but cost $200 each to replace. Officials with the Coast Guard who maintain the lighting are considering moving to LED bulbs which would be much less expensive. In 2010 the Coast Guard installed an uninterruptible power supply so the emergency lights never will go out.
In 2004, the government was interested in reducing their lighthouse operations, so the Oak Island Lighthouse was acquired by the Town of Caswell Beach. Though the Coast Guard retained the beacon responsibility as part of their navigational mission, the town needed to find people to maintain the structure. That’s when the Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse (FOIL) was formed, using strictly volunteers and running on donations only.
Ahlers laughs when he recalls how he got involved. “My wife was a town commissioner at the time, so when they discussed who could run the maintenance group, she volunteered me. She said I was retired; it would be good for me.”
In planning for their maintenance operation, Ahlers and the other members of FOIL had their share of learning to do. “The outside railing at the top is very narrow,” he mentioned. “The first time we went up there to do maintenance, we grabbed onto the railing; the whole railing shifted, it had corroded off.”
Though the lighthouse was built to withstand the prevailing south winds and the occasional hurricane, Ahlers says it can move a bit in heavy gusts. “I went up there once in a 60 mile per hour wind. When I got to the top I could feel a bit of sway – it scared the heck out of me.”
Besides their maintenance duties, Ahlers and FOIL members also are committed to sharing the history of the lighthouse through free tours.“People come down here on vacation; they have rental costs, food, kids want to do 82 things, everything else,” he says. “We thought it would be nice to offer a family outing that’s free and fun.”
Not only are the tours for families; they sometimes provide a unique venue for major life events – marriage proposals! Over 60 people have climbed to the top for that purpose, and, so far, all of the proposals were accepted.
Others have different objectives for climbing to the top. Ahlers says they have an ongoing competition to be the oldest lighthouse climber. “This year we had someone come at age 93 and climb all the way to the top. Another local guy who had climbed at 87 wouldn’t be outdone. So he came back and climbed at 93.”
Those brave people make me feel especially wimpy. Ahler says that on a clear day, you can see all the way to Holden Beach. I guess I will try to do that from the second floor landing.

The Oak Island Lighthouse relies 100% on donations for all governance, tours and maintenance activites through FOIL. FOIL is a completely volunteer organization, with no paid staff and no government funding. If you would like to make a tax deductible donation, checks can be made out to FOIL and sent to:
Friends of Oak Island Lighthouse
1100 Caswell Beach Road
Caswell Beach, NC 28465