Gator Metal Roofing Launches Search for North and South Carolina's Oldest Metal Roof. Homeowners, historians and preservation groups are invited to help uncover a piece of Carolina history that may have been hiding in plain sight for more than a century.
GARNER, N.C., Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Somewhere in North Carolina or South Carolina, there may be a metal roof that has survived hurricanes, thunderstorms, scorching summers, freezing winters — and generations of families living beneath it. Gator Metal Roofing wants to find it.
The Garner, North Carolina-based metal roofing company is launching "The Search for the Oldest Metal Roof in the Carolinas," a public hunt to identify what may be the oldest metal roof still protecting a home or other qualifying structure in North Carolina or South Carolina.
Gator is asking homeowners, families, historians, preservation organizations and communities across both states to search old photographs, property records, family histories and local archives for metal roofs with remarkable stories. The roof could be 75 years old. It could be 100. It could be even older. Gator believes somebody in the Carolinas may know exactly where it is.
"There are homes and buildings all across the Carolinas that have watched entire communities grow up around them," said Brian Moscarelli, General Manager of Gator Metal Roofing. "Some of those buildings are still protected by metal roofs installed generations ago. We want to find those roofs, document their stories and recognize the people who have preserved them."
A ROOF THAT MAY HAVE WITNESSED HISTORY
Imagine a metal roof installed when televisions were still a novelty, before commercial air travel became commonplace, or before automobiles filled Carolina highways. Some historic metal roofs may have endured decades of hurricanes, hailstorms, snow, summer heat and countless thunderstorms while continuing to protect the structures beneath them. Gator Metal Roofing believes those roofs deserve to be documented.
The company is inviting nominations from throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. Eligible nominations may include metal roofs on homes, barns, churches, schools, family businesses, historic buildings and other qualifying structures. Gator is especially interested in roofs with documented histories and compelling stories.
HOW OLD IS OLD?
That's exactly what Gator wants to discover. Rather than beginning the search with a predetermined age, the company wants Carolinians to show them what is out there.
Participants will be encouraged to submit photographs of the roof, the location and approximate age of the structure, any known history of the roof, and supporting information that may help establish when it was installed. Potential documentation could include historic photographs, family records, construction documents, property records, newspaper archives, insurance records or other credible evidence. Gator representatives will review nominations and investigate the most promising candidates.
The company may also consult historical records and, where appropriate, seek input from preservation or roofing experts before declaring a winner.
"We're expecting some detective work," Moscarelli said. "A homeowner may tell us, 'My grandfather said this roof was already here when he bought the farm in 1948.' That's where the story begins. Then we start looking for photographs, records and anything else that can help us determine just how old that roof really is."
GATOR WANTS THE STORY BEHIND THE ROOF
Age alone isn't the only interesting part of the search. Gator wants to hear about the people and places underneath these roofs. Perhaps the house has remained in one family for five generations. Maybe the roof protected a farmhouse through historic hurricanes. Perhaps it covers a century-old church that remains at the center of a small community. Or maybe an ordinary-looking house along a Carolina highway is hiding an extraordinary piece of American building history. Each finalist could have a story worth preserving.
Gator plans to document selected nominations through photography and video and share some of the most compelling stories discovered during the search.
NORTH CAROLINA VS. SOUTH CAROLINA
The search also raises a question Gator hopes will inspire some friendly competition: Which Carolina has the oldest metal roof?
Gator will accept nominations from both states and plans to recognize noteworthy discoveries from North Carolina and South Carolina before identifying the oldest verified qualifying roof uncovered by the search.
Communities are encouraged to get involved.
Local historical societies, preservation organizations, real estate professionals, contractors and residents who know of unusually old metal roofs are invited to nominate them or encourage the property owner to participate.
COULD IT BE MORE THAN 100 YEARS OLD?
Gator Metal Roofing isn't making any predictions. That's part of the fun. The company says it genuinely does not know what the search will uncover. "We could find a remarkable roof that's 80 years old, or somebody could call us tomorrow about a roof that's been sitting on the same building for well over a century," Moscarelli said. "We don't know the answer. That's why we're searching."
THE WINNING ROOF WILL RECEIVE A $500 AMAZON GIFT CARD
After reviewing nominations and verifying the leading candidates, Gator Metal Roofing plans to recognize the oldest qualifying metal roof discovered during the search with $500 to spend with Amazon. The company also plans to recognize the history of the winning property and the people responsible for preserving it.
Full eligibility requirements, contest/search rules, deadlines and verification procedures are available on the website: https://gatormetalroofing.com/contest/amazonshoppingspreeonus/
THINK YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS?
Gator is asking Carolinians to look up.
If you own — or know of — an unusually old home, barn, church or other structure with an old metal roof, Gator wants to hear about it. Nominations will open today and close on December 31, 2026. Participants will be able to submit nominations at: https://gatormetalroofing.com/contest/amazonshoppingspreeonus/
Submissions should include photographs, the property's location, the estimated age of the roof, the story behind the property and any available evidence that could help establish when the roof was installed.
And if you're not sure how old it is? Submit it anyway. It might be older than anyone realizes.
HELP GATOR FIND A PIECE OF CAROLINA HISTORY
Gator Metal Roofing is encouraging news organizations, historical societies, community groups and residents throughout North Carolina and South Carolina to help spread the word. Somewhere across the two states, an extraordinary old metal roof may still be quietly doing the same job it was installed to do generations ago. Gator wants to find it before its story disappears.
ABOUT GATOR METAL ROOFING
Headquartered in Garner, North Carolina, Gator Metal Roofing is a residential metal roofing company serving homeowners throughout North Carolina and South Carolina.
The company specializes in residential metal roofing and manufactures its HeatShield™ Metal Roofing Systems in Asheboro, North Carolina. In spring of 2026 energy-efficient replacement windows and patio doors were added to the company's product line.
Through "The Search for the Oldest Metal Roof in the Carolinas" Gator Metal Roofing hopes to celebrate the durability of metal roofing while helping uncover and preserve stories connected to historic homes and buildings throughout the region.
Media Contact
Nick Sedotto, Gator Metal Roofing, 1 888-202-2711, [email protected], https://gatormetalroofing.com/
SOURCE Gator Metal Roofing
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