Bodie Lighthouse Repairs Funded
By Sue Clark on Apr 29, 2009 in Updates 
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Finally. After having funding for repairs eliminated at the last minute from previous federal budgets (even though it had been earmarked), Bodie Lighthouse in North Carolina will receive the full $3 million needed for its restoration. The money is included in the fiscal year 2009 Omnibus Budget Bill, the National Park Service Outer Banks Group announced.
When the National Park Service acquired it from the Coast Guard in 2000, pieces of cast-iron metalwork were missing from the top, and the remaining metalwork in the lantern room, gallery deck and support brackets was deteriorating. The 205 steps of the spiral staircase also were corroding. Four years later, chunks of metal fell from the lantern.
According to a Park Service news release, in addition to the repair and replacement of the metalwork, the restoration will repair masonry and stone, rehabilitate portions of floors, windows and framing and upgrade electrical systems. The $100,000 in repairs to the First Order Fresnel lens was funded earlier this year.
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2 Comment(s)
By Gary aka lighthousephoto on Jul 6, 2009 | Reply
Nice to see that Bodie Island is finally going to get badly needed repairs. I had the opportunity to climb the tower a few years ago to photograph the magnificent Fresnel lens. Hopefully, at least limited tours up to the lantern room will be possible after the repairs are complete.
By Sue Clark on Jul 6, 2009 | Reply
Lucky lucky you, having been able to go to the top. Who did you bribe? J/K.
That certainly is a hope, to have it open for climbing, although there’s no official word on it.