Ocracoke Light to Get New Paint Job

This historical and world-famous landmark was built in 1823 and can be visited, though not climbed, year-round. Its whitewashed tower stands at 75 feet, and it is the oldest operating lighthouse in North Carolina. The light beam, which is projected by a Fourth Order Fresnel Lens, is constant and can be seen 14 miles out to sea.

Now, after 193 years of steady operation, there’s about to be a big change. No, the lighthouse is not being decommissioned or moved. It is, however, getting a new paint job! But this time, it will be completed in something other than solid white.

Following in the footsteps of the Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island light stations, Ocracoke will now have a pattern. The public has been asked to submit ideas for the lighthouse’s new paint job! All plans must include detailed pattern and paint color ideas, and must also be drawn to scale.

“We’re looking to make this lighthouse as unique as the people who live on and visit the island,” said National Parks and Recreation Service Headperson Hal Combe. “And, to be quite honest, it’s just time for a change. The Bodie Island Lighthouse has a long history of disputed spelling and pronunciation, which have gained the lighthouse attention, and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was moved…MOVED! That was quite a victory of modern engineering if you ask me. But, I digress. Now, those of us with the National Parks and Recreation Service feel it’s time for the Ocracoke Lighthouse to have a little fun and get a little attention.”

Anyone can submit pattern and color ideas, but they must be mathematically plausible.

“We can’t just hoist people up there to paint a pattern that won’t be even. If we wanted to do that we’d secure a bunch of toddlers on rigging and give them an unlimited amount of paint and paintbrushes. We have a duty to make the final product look professional. The Ocracoke Lighthouse doesn’t have to be done like every other lighthouse out there, but it needs to be practical,” Combe explained, “It needs to have a certain je ne sais quoi about it. There’s a reason the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is so recognized, so that proves simple works.”

Headperson Combe stressed the importance of making this lighthouse more obvious to the public.

“Sometimes, when it’s really overcast outside, you can’t even see the lighthouse, which really is a shame. The goal of the National Parks and Recreation Service is to really make it pop. The Cape Hatteras and Bodie Island lighthouses are both so tall, so they naturally stick out. They would probably stick out no matter the pattern or color or colors simply because of their height, but we’re hoping that with this project we can prove that, to some extent, size really doesn’t matter.” Combe pressed on, stating, “We literally have a blank, circular canvas. We couldn’t ask for a better situation, really; it is just absolutely perfect.”

Are you mathematically, artistically, and creatively inclined? This project is just the one for you! You can start submitting entries on April 1, 2016 to the National Parks and Recreation Service via email, fax, Pony mail, or through the good ole US Postal Service. The deadline for submissions is February 29, 2017. Contest entries will be available for public online viewing and voting beginning on March 1, 2017. The winner will be announced April 1, 2017.