For his Eagle Scout project, local high school senior Dallas Smith built 10-foot-tall replica of a Topsail Island missile tower for the Missiles and More Museum.
Topsail Island’s Missiles and More Museum officially added one more replica to its repertoire in the spring of 2026 thanks to local Boy Scout Dallas Smith, who created a model of a historic missile tower from the U.S. Navy’s now-defunct Operation Bumblebee.
Right after World War II, Topsail — then an unoccupied barrier island — became a testing ground for rockets launched from a pad on the beach, while observation towers scattered across the island tracked the missiles’ trajectories. The secret program, dubbed Operation Bumblebee, was named after the notion that the missiles, like bumblebees, theoretically should not be able to fly.
“I’ve always been interested in Operation Bumblebee,” Smith says. “I pass by those towers every day, and it’s cool to know the island’s history and what it was before it became what it is today.”
The 18-year-old Topsail High School student created the 10-foot replica as a service project to earn his Eagle Scout ranking.
“To earn your Eagle rank, you have to complete a service project that will benefit the community,” Smith explains. “And the Missiles and More Museum was looking for a Boy Scout to create a rendition of a tower used in Operation Bumblebee.”
To get started, Smith met with the museum coordinator, who walked him through her plan and blueprints for the replica. Then the hands-on work began. Beyond making a project report for the Boy Scouts, Smith had to learn a lot of construction and carpentry skills to actually bring the replica to life.
“As far as building it, I had minimal knowledge,” he says. “But I had my dad and another Scout’s dad to help me too.”
From start to finish, Smith says the replica took about 120 hours to create, including planning time.
“It was definitely very challenging,” he says.
To commemorate his hard work and officially welcome the missile tower replica into the museum, the Historical Society of Topsail Island hosted a dedication ceremony May 7, which also happened to be Smith’s 18th birthday, and he spoke about the work it took to complete the project.
“Dallas demonstrated leadership, planning and execution in building the replica Bumblebee Tower,” says Museum Manager Lorraine Makey. “Now, for generations, visitors young and old can walk through, learn about the history of the Bumblebee Project and appreciate the hard work put into recreating the Telemetry Tower. … Words cannot express how grateful we are for the vision and planning he put into this project. His dedication will benefit this museum for years to come, and inspire future thinkers and builders.”
As for his next project, Smith started East Carolina University in the fall of 2026 to study nursing.
“I like helping people,” he says. “And nursing has so many choices and opportunities within it.”
Whatever is next for the Topsail Islander, he’s sure to be prepared.
SEE THE REPLICA OPERATION BUMBLEBEE TOWER
The Missiles and More Museum
Historic Assembly Building, 720 Channel Boulevard, Topsail Beach
(910) 328-8663
missilesandmoremuseum.org
