BALD HEAD ISLAND, N.C. — Capt. Charles Norton Swan lived his dream life on this island, lighting the lamp to put the new Cape Fear Lighthouse into service in 1903 and then running the Cape Fear Light Station for the next 30 years.

Today's Bald Head Island visitors can temporarily live like "Cap'n Charlie," thanks to three renovated lighthouse keeper cottages available for rental.

Lynn Seldon (ENLARGE)

Bald Head Lighthouse ('Old Baldy') was built in 1817 and is North Carolina's oldest standing lighthouse.

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The three wood-frame dwellings overlooking the wide beach were built in the early 1900s, with one housing Cap'n Charlie and his family and the others occupied by his two assistants.

"The lighthouse keeper cottages are symbolic of Bald Head Island's rich and unique history," says Kent Mitchell, president and CEO of Bald Head Island Limited. "Our motivation in renovating them was to restore and preserve the character of the homes, providing guests with a firsthand opportunity to experience the island's history for themselves."

Everything you need

The cottages, on the southeastern end of Bald Head Island, make for a truly unusual place to stay. They've been renovated and furnished with all modern conveniences, including a gourmet kitchen with top-end appliances, cable television, telephone and a peaceful porch and deck overlooking the wide dunes and beach.

Visitors will also enjoy many black-and-white photos of Cap'n Charlie and the island, including a print of the cottages and lighthouse from the early 1900s.

After arriving by ferry, cottage guests and their luggage take a tram along Federal Road, which was once an island-long railway. Trains shuttled the metal trusses used to build Cap'n Charlie's Cape Fear Lighthouse. Once the rails were abandoned, Cap'n Charlie and his crew used the route to reach their lighthouse and cottages from their creekside boathouse (which still stands and is called Old Boat House on most Bald Head maps).

Just before arrival at the cottages, the tram driver will point out the old concrete pilings where Cape Fear Lighthouse once stood, as well as the office and retail shop for the Bald Head Island Conservancy.

Each cottage comes with a four-person golf cart to make exploring the island easier. Renters also receive temporary membership to the nearby Shoals Club and access to the pool, beach club and dining.

Most cottage guests quickly locate Maritime Market a mile or so down Federal Road. Here, gourmet meats, fresh seafood and a huge wine selection can make for a tasty time back in the cottage's kitchen. Other dining options are the River Pilot Cafe and Eb & Flo's Steambar.

The cottages also apparently come with their own ghosts — or at least ghost stories — that Cap'n Charlie delighted in detailing before his death in 1964. One ghost story involves Theodosia Burr Alston, who disappeared off the North Carolina coast when her boat was attacked by pirates as she was on her way to visit her father, Aaron Burr. Another is of a redhaired woman often referred to as Mrs. Cloden, who died of starvation in one of the cottages after being shipwrecked on the island. A third ghost apparently appears as a dapper man in a pinstripe suit.

Museum memorabilia

Thanks to preservation and research efforts, much of the history of lighthouses on the island can be explored by visitors.

North Carolina's first lighthouse was built on the island in 1796. In 1817, it was replaced a short distance away by Bald Head Lighthouse ("Old Baldy"), which was then replaced by Cap'n Charlie's Cape Fear Lighthouse in 1903. When the Oak Island Lighthouse was activated in 1958, the Cape Fear Lighthouse was torn down. Old Baldy is the state's oldest standing lighthouse.

After a night in one of the cottages, the best place to continue exploring lighthouse history is along the banks of Bald Head Creek, in the shadow of Old Baldy. The Smith Island Museum of History is here in a reconstructed 1 1/2-story lighthouse keeper's cottage from the 1850s, one of three once located around Old Baldy.

The small museum features an eclectic collection of Smith Island (Bald Head's former name) memorabilia, including Cap'n Charlie's pocket watch, a Lighthouse Service engineer's uniform and several Civil War artifacts.

From the museum, it's a short stroll to Old Baldy, where a circular wooden staircase leads 108 steps to the lighthouse's lantern room and a great view of Bald Head Island and the entire Smith Island complex.

The Old Baldy Foundation also runs fascinating Bald Head Island historic tours that Cap'n Charlie would certainly have loved. Along with entrance to the museum and Old Baldy, the tour includes a stop at the pilings from the Cape Fear Lighthouse and anecdotes about Cap'n Charlie's life on the island.

If Charlie Swan could see the cottage renovations and activity around his old homeplace, he'd probably beam as brightly as his old lighthouse once did nearby.

• Getting there: Bald Head Island, N.C., is reached by ferry from the charming coastal town of Southport (also well worth exploration).
• Driving: Southport is about 435 miles, about seven hours, from downtown Atlanta.
• Flying: The closest airport is in Wilmington, about 45 minutes from Southport. Delta Air Lines has nonstop flights from Atlanta. Expect to pay about $450 nonstop, or about $100 less for one-stop service on other airlines.
• About the cottages: Named for Capt. Charles Norton Swan, two cottages, Capt. Charlie's I and Capt. Charlie's III, each feature three bedrooms and two bathrooms, sleeping up to six people. Capt. Charlie's II offers two bedrooms and one bathroom, sleeping four. The renovated lighthouse cottages are rented on a weekly basis, from Friday to Friday, but they also may occasionally be available for shorter periods. To rent, call 1-800-973-8309 or visit www.baldheadisland.com. Each cottage has its own pricing structure and rates vary with the season (spring, fall and winter are less expensive). Expect to pay about $2,000-$3,000 per week, except in high summer, when rates run $3,600-$4,300. Other properties are also available for rent.
• Information: Smith Island Museum of History and Old Baldy: 910-457-7481, www.oldbaldy.org. For historic tour reservations, call 910-457-5003.