This late 19th century photo shows lighthouse keeper Enoch Ellis Howard and his wife Cordelia outside the house on the lighthouse property. Notice that the bottoms of the trees have all been painted white.
On Ocracoke and other places around the world it was once common practice to paint trees, although the practice is not as widespread nowadays. In the 1950s I remember seeing the bottom 4-6 feet of my Uncle Marvin's trees (on Howard Street) all painted white. I thought it was just for decoration, but have learned that it may protect trees (especially young trees) from insect infestation and from splitting and cracking.
I am wondering if any of our readers remember seeing painted trees when they were younger.
Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the story of Beatrice Wells, child
evangelist, who preached at Ocracoke in the late 1930s/early 1940s. You
can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news022116.htm.