Abstract:
Charles Baldwin, a conductor on the Wilmington & Manchester Railroad, was killed in a train accident and buried in Wilmington at Oakdale Cemetery on January 8, 1856. He was bachelor, a man who worked hard and had the respect of all who knew him. He also appears to be the individual at the heart of the most enduring railroad legend of the Lower Cape Fear region, that of Joe Baldwin and the Maco Light. Burke discusses the particulars of the legend.