New owners and plans for a historic light tower off Brunswick County's coast have been revealed.
A new light is on the horizon following the changing of hands for Frying Pan Tower in July 2026. With the future of the former light tower on the line, a group of friends seeks to uphold its legacy.
The tower, now returned to its original name 'Frying Pan Shoals Light Station,' is a decommissioned United States Coast Guard lighthouse located 32 miles in federal waters off the coast of North Carolina on Frying Pan Shoals. Designed from offshore drilling platforms, the station is only a steel platform approximately 80 feet above water with four legs driven into the seabed, according to the Frying Pan Shoals Light Station website.
The lighthouse sits off Bald Head Island and was designed in 1964 to safeguard vessels navigating shallow waters around the shoals. However, according to the Light Station website, federal authorities first established a floating light at shoals as a lightship station in 1854 - before the Coast Guard existed.
It retired as a formal Coast Guard Light Station in 1992 and has since been used for marine science and more.
The tower, formally known as Frying Pan Tower, became privately owned in 2010 when Richard Neal, FPTower Inc. Executive Director, purchased the property at auction from the United States government. FPTower Inc., a nonprofit organization, received donation of ownership in 2025 and used the tower for research and restoration projects, Neal previously told the StarNews.
In July 2026, the organization announced it entered into an agreement to transfer Frying Pan Tower to another private ownership.
Though the legal settlement involved nondisclosure agreements, the secret is out.
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About the new owners
"As soon as the helicopter landed, I was hooked," co-owner Dallas Fountain said. "It's that magical."
Now, a group of less than 10 friends share ownership over the historic tower, Fountain said. Most of the owners have been involved with the station since 2018, said Fountain, noting a few live in the Wilmington area.
Asked who all is involved in the ownership, Fountain said some of the owners prefer to remain unnamed and remain in the background. However, Fountain said they have received a lot of help from the community.
"Everybody is so generous, everybody offers, everybody wants to help and that's very enlightening, there are a lot of good people in this world," Fountain said.
Restoration planning underway
Frying Pan Shoals Light Station will continue to be restored and updated, said Fountain. The owners hope to return it to its original beauty and find any missing pieces.
"We would love to turn it into a museum piece to commemorate and celebrate the Coast Guard, it's such a cool piece of history... We want it to be as original as possible," Fountain said.
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According to a Frying Pan Shoals Light Station Facebook post, the station's original 1963 Coast Guard drawings are being used as the restoration's reference documents.
"We're past the longevity of what it was designed for," Fountain said. "But if we keep going, hopefully we can get it to last for future generations."
Between the age of the structure and the conditions of the area, there are several big projects to get the property where the owners want it.
"We got our work cut out for us, but we're up for it," Fountain said.
Other projects and upgrades
Giving back and educating the community are two pillars of the Light Station mission, Fountain said.
Multiple projects are underway at the Light Station, including the installment of public WiFi, an ADSB antenna, a helipad camera and new 4k resolution underwater cameras. The owners are also working with the North Carolina Maritime Museum at Southport to make a display featuring the camera view and additional items, Fountain said.
"At some point, you'll be able to see the whales, you'll be able to see helicopters, planes," Fountain said, noting the antenna picked up a plane flying in Tennessee during testing.
Once installed, free WiFi will be publicly accessible around the tower for boaters at least a mile out, Fountain said. The underwater cameras are to be online this fall, Fountain added.
"We want it to be a place for all of the coast of North Carolina, it's everybody's, it's not just ours," Fountain said.
The Davis Weather Station, located on the towering platform, is back up and operating, Fountain said. People can access the weather station data using the Weatherlink Davis app.
The owners also plan to expand the artificial reefs in the area and install anchor buoys to better protect and support wildlife.
Welcoming visitors again
Under previous owners, people have been able to visit and spend the night at the old lighthouse.
The owners are working to return the station's visitor program, but no date has been announced for when the program will begin.
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Weather and tides are unpredictable, which causes some inconsistency with visitor booking, Fountain explained. With the owners currently using a personal helicopter, Fountain said they are in the process of obtaining a special certification to hire high-tide helicopters for bringing visitors to and from the station when seas are too rough.
The goal is to make the station safe for visitors and start offering boat trips within the next month, with helicopter trips starting in the fall, Fountain said. Owners have not decided on visitation and rental price points yet. While it will not be cheap, the owners are working to make price points somewhat affordable.
"It's not cheap to keep the tower from rusting away," Fountain added.
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Savanna Tenenoff covers Brunswick County for the StarNews. Reach her at.