“USA 🇺🇸 North Carolina ~Part 1 of 2 of our Outer Banks Adventure: Coinjock, Currituck, Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk, Devil Kill Hills, Roanoke Island/Manteo, and More!”
This would be our first get-away in The Whale, since we arrived in North Carolina, four months ago!
We knew we wanted to visit the Outer Banks again, and this time, Glamp there. We chose Church’s Island in the Currituck Sound, to make our home-base for a few weeks It was about a 4.5 hour drive day for us; further south/Swansboroa area, including stopping to fuel-up.
It took two weeks to get parts for Jonah the Bug, so we never got her back, before we left on this road trip. The shop said they will keep her till we can come get her, which was appreciated.
FUN NEWS:
We named our new Truck. We call her “Baloo” ..kind of a play on words because we lover her blue color!
So, I drove Baloo, and Daryl drove the Whale on this trip. We used to drive separate like this, after we got The Whale, because the Dodge we had back then (named Rusty) pulled our “Tiny” the trailer like a champ, but being an AWD vehicle, there is no way to flat-tow those. Then, in came Jonah, to be our tow vehicle, and we sold Rusty.
We have no plans to put a tow package set-up on Baloo, at this time, since we are taking a break from any major road travel, at this time.
The drive from Swansboro, up north, here, was quite beautiful and we enjoyed it, very much. The roads were good, too. Huge bonus these days!
For this leg of the journey; from Swansboro to Western Outer Banks Currituck, in Coinjock, and back to Swansboro, was 366 miles.
We got settled in to our site near the water, at the Outer Banks West/Currituck Sound KOA Holiday, then headed right back out; in the truck, doubling back to a BBQ place we saw, coming in. It was a big day, and we were so hungry!
The KOA 
This KOA is a seasonal location, and just opened up for Spring and Summer. It’s a nice place, and surrounded by water, on three sides.
Yummy local Pork BBQ
There was a framed newspaper article in the restaurant, indicating this was a school house, back in the day.
With our belly’s full, (and yes, we recommend this BBQ stop), we headed back to The Whale.
The weather had taken a turn, with rain and heavy winds, the day after we got here. With this change in the weather, we decided to stay at the campground to wait it out. It was the weekend, anyway, and we don’t typically adventure on weekends, if it can be avoided. We prefer weekday fun, as the crowds are less. We are very, typically retired, weekday adventurers.
Over our first weekend, The KOA had a live band/singer who was pretty good and a Shrimp Boil we wanted to get in on.
It was yummy.
Finally, after a few days of clouds and heavy winds, we got back to some sunshine. Good timing, too, since we had our plans set, to explore from Corolla, over to Roanoke Island, and all the way down, to Okaroke Island.
These locations are spread out and it takes a little planning and some time to visit; to do it right. There is so much history on the east coast, and we love it!
Though our entire trip from The Whale at our Currituck KOA campground to Roanoke and Okracoke Islands and back, totaled 319 miles; round trip, it didn’t feel like that far.
We made a lot of stops and the weather was so nice, it just made time pass, pleasantly, with the beautiful scenery making it all the more spectacular!
So, add 319 miles of Outer Bank adventuring, to our round-trip from way south in Swansboro to up north in the Outer Banks at 366 miles, gave us a grand total of 685 miles for this entire adventure!
We would do it again in a heartbeat!
While it has been common for us to double-book places, since becoming full time RV-ers, to have a home-base, whilst we explore to our hearts content, away from The Whale; all locked up and secure, this was the first time we triple-booked!
Our campground spot, near the kids has become our long-term site. We left there, for a few weeks to hit-up the Outer Banks, where we made a temporary home-base in Coinjock, then we left The Whale locked-up there, and for three days and two nights, we hit the ground running and never stopped enjoying the beautiful Outer Banks of the North Carolina Coast line!
WE HAD SO MUCH FUN in the OBX, and accomplished every stop of interest to us, that we set out to do ✅
And yes, after such a busy three days, coming back to The Whale, no matter where she is, it’s home. It feels like home and we love it. Our own big comfy bed and our comfy chairs and our good sized kitchen where we can cook good food, every time.
**Take note: while I usually take a few pictures with my iPhone on outings, I have never used my iPhone for all the pictures. This trip was the exception. While my DSLR Nikon camera is okay, my lens is shot…. Pun intended. The end of it came apart, exposing the lens, which is typically housed, inside. I tried taking pictures with it, as is, but with no way to keep the UV filter cover in place, all the photos had a blue hue to them. So, I’m in the market for another lens, but do not have one as yet. So, iPhone it is…..
The Outer Banks
North Carolina’s Outer Banks is a string of barrier Islands that begins near the Virginia State border and goes south, for 120 miles, to Ocracoke Island. Tourism is the number one industry of the Outer Banks with more than 5 million visitors each year.
Dare County covers an area of 800 square miles, of which 391 square miles is land. The elevation of Dare County is 11.3 feet. Located in the northeast section of the state, it is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean; Pamlico, Croatan, and Albemarle Sounds; and Hyde and Tyrrell Counties.
Currituck County is the northeastern-most county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The county was formed in 1668 as a precinct of Albemarle County, and later gained county status in 1739. The name is traditionally said to be an Indian word for wild geese, Coratank.
Ocracoke Island is the southernmost village within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The entire island is owned by the National Park Service, except for the village. It is the most remote inhabited island of the Outer Banks, and can be reached by ferry, from Hatteras Village, Swan Quarter or Cedar Island.
Ocracoke Island is 13 miles long, 2 miles wide and located in Hyde County.
In order for us to go north, from our OBX campground, we had to first go south, to cross the bridge; one of many bridges we would cross, to see everything we got to see. It’s the way it is, with so much water and islands.
As the crow flies, we could see the narrow, Highway 12 route’s land mass, just across the water from our Glamping spot in Coinjock. (see the blue line)
And We Were Off!!
Our focus was to begin in the Corolla area, though Cardova Beach would have been fun, too, just a bit further, north.
In Cardova Beach, one can drive vehicles on the sand, but while the rules require a 4×4 vehicle, which we have, a pricey, seasonal $50 dollar permit, plus letting air out of your tires to meet their strict and enforced guidelines, were a huge deterrent. Then of course, finding a place to air the tires back up, when off the beach.
While wild horses can been seen sometimes in this area, it’s by luck, and we didn’t care for all the rules, including the permit fee for a short hour or so of time, in our case, so we skipped it.
We have seen the wild horses on our first trip to the Outer Banks, a few years back, after we returned to the USA, after several years of traveling the world, so we were glad for that; and of course they are so cool to see.
….BTW, I will post a link on this blog series for that first trip to the OBX; back then, from a ferry out of Beaufort, to Shakleford.
We all went, as a family and enjoyed the trip, immensely! The grandkiddos made it so much more fun!
⬆️
2021
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Corolla
The community of Corolla began as a European development on American Indian hunting grounds. Tribes, including the Chowanoke and Poteskeet hunted along the barrier island. The town of Corolla was first called Jones Hill, after an early settler. It was also known as Whalehead or Currituck Beach.
Once we reached Coralla, it was all South from there, definitely doubling back through a few towns twice, but we made all our stops in sequence, from Corolla, all the way down to Ocracoke. It was perfect.
We had wonderful weather and no crowds, since the end of April, things are just finally to open back up, after winter.
Currituck Beach Lighthouse
In 1873, Congress appropriated funds for this lighthouse, and since 1875, it has kept mariners from danger; night and day.
The Keepers’ Dwelling has housed more than two dozen families, as their duties of “Lighthouse Keeper” were carried out. Today, our on-site keepers and staff continue the tradition: cleaning the lens.
The Currituck Beach Lighthouse is a first-order lighthouse, having the largest of seven Fresnel lens sizes. With a 20-second flash cycle, the light can be seen from 18 nautical miles away.
This lighthouse is 162 feet tall, has 220 steps, and it took one million bricks to build. The lighthouse became fully illuminated in 1875.
This lighthouse then, became fully automated in 1937.
Jones Hill Life-Saving Station
While North Carolina was not the first to receive life-saving stations, two disastrous shipwrecks, about two months apart, helped shape the service.
The USS Huron was only 200 yards off the beach at Nags Head, when it ran aground, during a storm in November 1877.
The United States Life-Saving Service was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian efforts, to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers.
It began in 1848, and ultimately merged with the Revenue Cutter Service to then form the United States Coast Guard, in 1915.
The first life-saving stations were built in Massachusetts, and grew from there, out of great need.
These early stations all depended on volunteer crews, often poorly trained and undependable. Then, many of the stations fell into disrepair.
Through the years, efforts were made to improve discipline and operations. Though some progress was made, it was obvious that direct government involvement was needed. It came in 1871, when Sumner I. Kimball was appointed Chief of the Treasury Department’s Revenue Marine Division.
Kimball was able to convince Congress to allot $200,000 to operate stations and employ full-time crews. Kimball instituted a six-man crew, built new stations, and drew up formal regulations, with standards of performance.
North Carolina’s first seven stations were built in 1874, at Jones Hill (later re-named Whaleshead, then Currituck Beach), Caffey’s Inlet, Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Bodie’s Island, Chicamacomico, and Little Kinnakeet. These stations were only manned during the active season, December-March.
The Life-Saving Service was not without its problems in these early years. The stations were spread too far apart and though many of the early surfmen went on to have distinguished careers, the stations also had their fair share of men not suited to the rigors of lifesaving. It would take several years to weed them all out.
It took two major maritime disasters off the coast of the Outer Banks, before the Life-Saving Service would receive an overhaul. The first was the disaster of the USS Huron, afore mentioned, which wrecked on November 24, 1877, a mere three miles from the Nags Head Life-Saving Station. Since the station’s season hadn’t started, it was closed and locked up. A total of 103 lives were lost in this disaster.
The second was the shipwreck of the Metropolis, on January 31, 1878. Though surfmen from the life-Saving stations responded, the distance between the stations, as well as errors made by the surfmen, resulted in the loss of 85 lives.
As a result of these disasters, an act was passed by Congress on June 18, 1878, authorizing an additional 30 stations be built around the country. Eleven of these stations were designated for the North Carolina. The active season was extended to September 1-May 1. It was later extended again to August 1-May 31.
In hopes of attracting more qualified people, the keeper’s salary was increased and they were given the power of inspectors of customs.
Despite these early growing pains, the Life-Saving Service became an honored way of life on the Outer Banks, and it is an important part of the local heritage.
By the time the U.S. Life-Saving Service merged with the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, to form the U.S. Coast Guard in January 1915, North Carolina was home to a total of 29 stations. Among these stations was the Pea Island Life-Saving Station, which housed the nation’s only all black crew.
Corolla’s history is truly an interesting one that goes back hundreds of years, well before the area became known for endless beaches, picturesque dunes, and relaxation.
The Native American tribes that resided on the Currituck mainland used the northern barrier island for hunting and fishing grounds. Because of the abundance of geese that stopped on the barrier island to feed, as they headed south each fall, the Native Americans named the island “Currituck,” meaning “land of the wild goose.”
The Europeans that began to settle in the area later, applied the word Currituck to not only the island, but the county, the sound, and the two inlets.
Until the early 1800’s, Corolla was only accessible by boat, and few early European settlers chose to reside on the barrier island; most residing on the mainland.
By the mid-1800’s, a few tiny communities popped up along the northern Outer Banks, which included Poyners Hill (between Corolla and Duck), Wash Woods, Seagull, and Jones Hill (where Corolla now lies).
The early residents of Corolla and the northern Outer Banks lived a rugged and modest lifestyle that included fishing, hunting, gardening, raising livestock, and recycling items that washed ashore from shipwrecks. A few also worked as hunting and fishing guides for wealthy sportsmen, from the north.
Residents traveled by boat to the mainland every so often, to sell fish and waterfowl, and to pick up supplies and see friends.
In 1873, construction began on the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, which was finished and lit for the first time, in December of 1875.
The US Life-Saving Service established the Jones Hill Life-Saving Station in 1974 (later known as the Currituck Beach Life-Saving Station) just east of the Currituck Lighthouse. Seven local men were responsible for living in and manning the station from December through March, while their families lived nearby in the village. This station was one of the seven original life-saving stations across the Outer Banks.
Whalehead Mansion is in Corolla and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s a gorgeous 1920s mansion that has been fully restored, and a visit will take you back in time.
A wealthy couple, Edward Collings Knight Jr and his wife, Marie Louise, built the mansion as a hunting lodge, because Marie Louis was not allowed in many male-only hunting clubs. Today, you can see it as it was in its glory.
Rumor has it that the Whalehead Mansion is haunted, so you may even smell Edward’s cigar smoke in the dining room.
The Knight’s spent the majority of the mid-20s building their dream home, with architectural features that paid homage to Pennsylvania farmhouse and French-Canadian country, but which most modern visitors recognize as the 1920s style of Art Nouveau.
Structurally, the majority of materials had to be shipped in to Corolla to complete the 21,000 square foot structure, which included five chimneys and was easily the largest residence that the northern Outer Banks had ever seen.
Despite its grand size, the true achievements in design were arguably the little details, and the new home featured curved rooflines, ornamental chimneys, striking paint colors, Tiffany lighting, distinctive porches, and all the little touches that made it distinctively unique to its era. Even today, the Whalehead in Historic Corolla is considered one of the best standing representations of Art Nouveau ornamentation in the country, making it a must-stop for Great Gatsby lovers everywhere.
The end result was a decadent home that the family was tremendously proud of, and for a few years, they lived the beach life in style with miles of privately owned beaches that spanned from the ocean to the Currituck Sound, with no other neighbors except for a small community of villagers. The Knights were the first to get electricity.
Unfortunately, the Knights did not enjoy their carefully built home for long, as both passed away, in 1936. After their deaths, the Whalehead in Historic Corolla served a number of purposes that were well outside of the realm of luxury that the Knights originally intended, through war time, then abandonment, and disrepair.
Luckily, in 1992, Currituck County was able to purchase the property, and secure public sound access as well as one of the region’s greatest treasures. By 1994, the county was able to acquire 39 acres which included the original residence, the lighthouse, and acres of waterfront property. Renovations to the house began In 1999 to make it a focal point of the new park, and by 2002, the restoration was complete, and the Whalehead in Historic Corolla was back to its original grandeur.
We would have enjoyed the tour, but the no-pictures-allowed is never fun us, so we moved on.
The northern regions of the Outer Banks proved exceptional hunting grounds for geese, ducks, and a number of other migratory waterfowl, and the information was spread around the wealthy 1920s circles leading to a minor but gradual popularity of the otherwise deserted area.
(In other words, there’s a reason why the nearby town of Duck is named “Duck).”
Duck
Duck, a town on the Outer Banks, earned its name at the turn of the 20th century, thanks to the popularity of duck hunting in the Currituck and Albemarle Sounds.
The Town of Duck is absolutely unique, and is the one town on the Outer Banks that has truly retained a quaint “village” feeling.
We especially loved the most notable features of Duck; being the fabulous soundside boardwalk. It runs over a half mile, with several shops and places to eat.
We were there in the later morning, but we hear its a “locals favorite” spot to watch the sun set over the sound.
Each order is served hot and fresh. So good!
After we left Duck, we drove through Kitty Hawk and on to Kill Devil Hills, to visit the Wright Brother’s National Memorial.
Kitty Hawk
Before European explorers discovered the Outer Banks and its’ surrounding areas, it’s estimated that Native Americans occupied the area of Kitty Hawk for many years, before. Algonquin speaking tribes called this area home. The natives gave the town the name of Chickenhauk, originally.
Kill Devil Hills
This would be our last stop of the day, before getting something to eat and in to a motel for the evening, in this interestingly named town of Kill Devils Hill. More on that name, later.
Wright Brothers National Monument
We have a free pass for all National Parks and Memorials in the USA, so if you do not, there is a fee per car.
The town was founded and developed on the site of the Wright brothers’ first controlled, powered airplane flights on December 17, 1903, chosen for its good winds. It was commemorated by the Wright Brothers National Memorial, which was dedicated in 1932.
Wind, sand, and a dream of flight, brought Wilbur and Orville Wright to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina where, after four years of scientific experimentation, they achieved the first successful airplane flight, on December 17, 1903.
With courage and perseverance, these self-taught engineers relied on teamwork and application of the scientific process. What they achieved, changed our world forever.
On December 17, 1903 a Sculpture representation was erected, which shows the moments of that first flight.
It is located on the south side of Kill Devil Hill, this is a please-touch sculpture.
Wright Brothers Visitor Center
This newly-renovated National Historic Landmark, built in 1960, is the perfect place to stop to receive information about the park, and learn about the Wright brothers’ story, by exploring their new, interactive exhibits.
Reconstructed 1903 Camp Buildings
Built on the location, where Wilbur and Orville lived, whilst experimenting in the Outer Banks, the reconstructed hangar and living quarters offer a glimpse of what camp life was like, for the Wrights, in 1903.
First Flight Boulder and Flight Line
This is where Orville and Wilbur first took flight.
The Wright Brothers Monument is a 60-foot-tall, Art Deco style, granite monument, that sits atop Big Kill Devil Hill; the primary location of the brothers’ glider experiments.
With a $213,000 budget, construction began on the monument, in 1928, with the laying of the cornerstone during the 25th anniversary of the first flight.
After Big Kill Devil Hill, which shifted continuously, due to wind and weather was stabilized by the Quartermaster’s Corps in 1929, the construction began, in earnest.
The Memorial was great, and glad we could see where aviation began, which we are very glad for, since traveling the world was made much easier for us, by air-o-plane.
We had a very big day by this time and we searched for some grub. What a disappointment in our choice, though. It all looked good, and we’ve never been to a Mongolian BBQ we didn’t love, but all sauces and oils were watered down, and the noodles were spaghetti like… not Mongolian. Flavorless, at best….”Khan’s Mongolian Grill:” we do not recommend
Now, it was time to get a room for the night, after a lousy dinner, in this interesting named town.
We picked a basic stay for a decent price, no perks unless it’s hot enough to enjoy the un-heated pool, which in April, that would be a no for us; at John Yancey. The beach was next to this hotel, but timing was not great for enjoying that.
Our room was clean and served our needs. $85 with continental breakfast provided, which we did not try. I’m not a morning fan of food and Daryl brought his own, in our cooler.
The next day, we were up ‘n at’em, because we had more miles to drive and much more to see, and we were excited to get going!
The sun continued to shine and temperatures were in the mid 70’s.
How did Kill Devil Hills get its name?
One legend states that when cargo ships wrecked, carrying their goods; such as Rum from tropical locations, said Rum washed up onto the sand hills, where the local population would always gather what they could find, whenever shipwrecks occurred. They found the Rum and imbibed; saying the drink was strong enough “to kill the devil.”
We would continue on Highway 12, south, through Nags Head, but divert west, soon after, to take a fun side trip over to Roanoke Island. It wasn’t far, and easy with a nice bridge.
What a beautiful island, not to be missed, and we saw another cool lighthouse!
Nags Head
The history of Nags Head is relatively obscure, before the 1830s. Historians believe that the area was first populated by small clusters of Native Americans, and later by small settlements of sustenance farmers and fishermen.
By the 19th century, however, the region was developing a small but devout fan base of wealthy visitors who set up ramshackle beach cottages, close to present day Jockey’s Ridge State Park.
These cottages were later transformed to aristocratic beach homes, and by the 1950s, the area was hopping with a fishing pier and even a renowned casino.
Unlike other regions of the Outer Banks that didn’t really experience a development boom until the latter half of the 1900s, Nags Head remained steadily popular for well over a century.
What’s in The Name?
According to the legend, land pirates, also known as “bankers,” who lived in the area, in the 1700’s, would hang a lantern on the neck of an old horse; a “nag,” and walk the horse up and down the tallest natural sand dune on the East Coast, which is now known as Jockey’s Ridge State Park.
Jockey’s Ridge State Park has a rich history dating back thousands of years. The park’s namesake, Jockey’s Ridge, is a massive dune formed over millions of years by the wind and the sea. It is home to the tallest living dune system, on the East Coast.
It is believed that Native American tribes lived in the area as far back as 3,000 BC and used the dune as a lookout point for hunting and fishing.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the dune became a landmark for mariners traveling along the coast of North Carolina. It was used as a navigational aid, and sailors often called it “Jockey’s Hill” or “Jockey’s Ridge.”
In the 1970s, residents formed the “People to Preserve Jockey’s Ridge” organization to protect the dune from development. In 1975, North Carolina purchased the land and designated it as a state park.
Jennette’s Pier
The original landmark pier structure paved the way for predecessors, that now line the North Carolina coast.
Unfortunately, Jennette’s Pier had taken a beating from hurricanes and nor’easters. Isabel was responsible for severe flooding, massive beach erosion, and the destruction of 540-feet of Jennette’s Pier. The storm completely devastated the landmark structure.
After the damage was assessed, the North Carolina Aquariums division, North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue, and local officials and legislators worked together to plan a more permanent rebuild of Jennette’s Pier. But unfortunately, hurricanes aren’t going to stop occurring, and it’s not very cost-effective to keep rebuilding the structure after a storm.
The group agreed on a plan to rebuild Jennette’s Pier into an all-concrete, 1,000-foot-long center for fishing, special events, and educational programs.
Construction on the 25 million dollar structure began in 2009, and was completed about two years later, with a grand opening ceremony on May 21, 2011.
Roanoke Island
Manteo
First, a few facts about Manteo:
Located on Roanoke Island, Manteo is one of the most historically rich towns on the Outer Banks!
1. Manteo Is The Birthplace Of Virginia Dare 
Virginia Dare was the first English child born on Roanoke Island on August 18th, 1587.
Born to Ananias Dare and Eleanor White, Virginia is known as the First English Child born in the New World. She was also a part of the colony, known now, as The Lost Colony.
2. It’s Also Home To The Lost Colony
The colony of 1587 is now historically known as the Lost Colony. This group of 117 men, women, and children arrived to Roanoke Island to establish a permanent English settlement.
The start of the Anglo-Spanish war left the colony without replenishment of essential supplies. When ships came 3 years later, to bring the much needed supplies, they found that the colony had vanished and their site had been abandoned.
The mystery of the colony still remains to this day. The Lost Colony is now a play that has been running on the Outer Banks in Manteo for 81 years, making it the longest running outdoor drama in the country.
3. The Town is Named After A Native American Chief 
Manteo was a Native American Croatan Indian who was a chief of his tribe on Roanoke Island.
Manteo befriended the English explorers and colonists who became known as the people of the Lost Colony.
No one knows if Manteo went with the abandoned settlement, and details of his death are still unknown. The Town of Manteo was named after the chief in 1873.
4. It’s One Of The Oldest Communities In North Carolina
Since its establishment in 1873, Manteo is one of the oldest towns in North Carolina.
A lot of the original family names like Daniels, Etheridge, Meekins, and Tillett still remain, and are prominent around Manteo and the Outer Banks.
5. Andy Griffith used To Call Manteo Home
Star of The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock, Andy Griffith was a Manteo local, until his death in 2012.
Andy Griffith was a major part of the Lost Colony Outdoor Drama, for many years.
In 2010, Brad Paisley filmed a music video on the OBX for his song “Waitin’ On A Woman,” which Andy Griffith made an appearance in.
Andy Griffith was born in Mount Airy, NC and died in his home on the north end of Roanoke Island, on July 3, 2012. You could often see Mr. Griffith around town at the grocery store, Island Pharmacy, and Owens’ Restaurant.
The Elizabethan Gardens
Our first stop on Roanoke Island was Elizabethan Gardens. What a show place and it was worth the entrance fee of around $11 per person.
Incidentally, this island is quite small, so it matters little, where you begin your exploring. Everything to see is right next to each other.
In 1950, Mrs. Charles Cannon, wife of the North Carolina philanthropist; Mrs. Inglis Fletcher, a North Carolinian and noted historian and author; and Sir Evelyn Wrench, Founder of the English Speaking Union, and Lady Wrench, were visiting Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and The Lost Colony outdoor drama on Roanoke Island. The idea came to them to ask The Garden Club of North Carolina, a non-profit organization of 17,000 women, to sponsor a two-acre garden on a ten-acre tract adjoining Fort Raleigh National Park. It was their thinking that the creation of a cultural attraction such as a garden would enhance the value of this area as a permanent memorial to Sir Walter Raleigh’s lost colonists.
The matter was presented to The Garden Club at its annual meeting in 1951, at which time the organization voted to build such a garden on property, leased for ninety-nine years, from the Roanoke Island Historical Association.
The original goal was modest, two-acre garden, which was to typify the kind of garden a successful colonist might have built on Roanoke Island had the colonization succeeded.
We left the Gardens, and just drove around this island, oo-hing an ahh-ing at all the charming homes and properties. We then headed for the grounds of Fort Raleigh.
This is a picture I got off the internet of where it is said, Andy Griffith lived on Roanoke Island; and also where he passed away, at the age of 86.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site protects and preserves known portions of England’s first New World settlements, from 1584 to 1590. This site also preserves the cultural heritage of the Native Americans, European Americans and African Americans, who have lived on Roanoke Island.
The Fort is a monument to England’s first agrarian colony and its encounters with the Carolina Algonquians.
Fort Raleigh preserves the history of all the men, women, and children, including Virginia Dare, the first English baby born in the New World, who vanished, without a trace, causing the new name to become: The Lost Colony.
A drawing of what the Fort would have looked like in its day, on these same grounds.
In 1587, Raleigh sent out a group of 100 colonists, from England, under John White. White then returned to England to procure more supplies, but the war with Spain delayed his return to Roanoke.
By the time he finally returned in August 1590, everyone had vanished.
While the fate of these colonists remains a mystery, the reasons for the settlement’s failure do not. The failure of the Roanoke Colony was largely due to John White’s inability to resupply the colony quickly, and its unfortunate location near Algonquians whom the previous Roanoke colony had alienated.
No other bodies were found at the settlement, according to John White’s reports, after his 1590 return. It is highly believed, to this day, the colonists left for another location, in search of food.
A man by the name of Scott Dawson, authored a book titled “The Lost Colony and Hatteras Island.” It details the belief that Dawson has held for years, based on the research he has conducted and the artifacts he has uncovered: that the colonists lived with the native people in the 16th century.
“They were never lost,” Dawson told the Associated Press. “The mystery is over.”
Dawson and a team of archaeologists, historians, botanists, geologists and others have conducted digs on small plots in Buxton and Frisco, (near Hattaras) North Carolina, for 11 years.
Mark Horton, a professor and archaeologist from England’s University of Bristol leads the project. Henry Wright, professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan, is the project’s expert on native history.
Researchers have found thousands of artifacts showing a mix of English and native life, roughly four-to-six feet deep in the soil. Parts of swords, rings, writing slates, gun parts and glass are in the same layer of soil as indigenous pottery and arrowheads.
Some of those discoveries are on display at the Hatteras library. The rest are in storage.
In addition to the archaeology, Dawson cites written records: John White reflected on finding the writing on the post, “I greatly joyed that I had found a certain token of their being at Croatoan, where Manteo was born ….” Manteo was a tribe member who travelled with earlier expeditions and was baptized a Christian on Roanoke Island.
A bad storm and a near mutiny kept White from ever reaching Hatteras, though. He returned to England without ever seeing his colony again.
Dawson also points to documents from the English colony of Jamestown that show the Roanoke colony did leave their camp to live with their native friends. And more than a century later, English explorer John Lawson found natives with blue eyes who recounted they had ancestors who could “speak out of a book,” Lawson wrote.
Dawson maintains the evidence shows the colony left Roanoke Island with the Croatoans to settle on Hatteras Island. They thrived, ate well, had mixed families and endured for generations.
In addition to the artifacts, the team found round post holes, where natives constructed their homes that sat just 25 to 60 feet away from square post holes, made by English during the same period.
“They were in the Indian village surrounded by long houses,” Dawson said.
“It’s not unlikely that one group might have gone up the Chesapeake, up the Albemarle,” adds Horton. “But I’m pretty confident one group at least, probably the pretty substantial part, came out to Hatteras Island.”
And to Dawson, that is the most important finding.
“You’re robbing an entire nation of people of their history by pretending Croatoan is a mystery on a tree,” said Dawson. “These were a people that mattered a lot.”
This memorial commemorates the freedom that formerly enslaved people found on Roanoke Island, during the American Civil War, and the experimental freedmen’s colony that existed on the island.
The memorial is also part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
The monument to Virginia Dare and the Roanoke colony was dedicated by the Roanoke Island Memorial Association on November 24, 1896.
This stone monument is the first official commemoration on-site. It is not the gravesite of Virginia Dare; as the location of her remains are unknown
We left this site, feeling a little heavy in the heart. The hardships endured by these brave colonists is hard to fathom, and their disappearance, so publicity, unexplained. I’d like to believe they left the fort to find food, which they did, and then thrived.
We drove around some more, after leaving Fort Raleigh and headed for the lighthouse.
Here, we were trying to get close to a Tall Ship I read about. We did not succeed in seeing it, since it was around a bend, but it was a nice walk, with pretty views from the town park.
Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse
Stretching out 40 yards, and tucked into Shallowbag Bay, is the location of the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse.
The lighthouse looks more like a small coastal cottage, with its white exterior accented with black shutters and a brick-red roof. Capping the lighthouse is a Fresnel lens, reaching out 2’ wide and up 4’ tall.
From the weathered deck boards at the lighthouse, comes a never-ending views of the beautiful Roanoke Sound.
Two other lighthouses, built in the 1800s, carried the Roanoke Marshes Light name, but were lost or abandoned due to extensive and neglected repairs and a compromised foundation from the challenges of its environment.
The current Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse is a replica of the third lighthouse to carry that same name, constructed in 1877 on the southern end of the Croatan Sound in the village of Wanchese, on Roanoke Island.
Local sailors and fisherman could find safe passage to the island with help from this little light. As time went by and modern navigational tools evolved, the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1955 and sold to a private owner. That lighthouse was lost to the sound when an attempt was made to move it to private property.
The current Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse on site, today, was completed and dedicated on September 25, 2004, along with the neighboring George Washington Creef Boathouse.
The screw-pile lighthouse is filled with educational and historical exhibits, including a Fresnel lens dating back to the 1800s loaned to the Town of Manteo, by the US Coast Guard. This little lighthouse may be small in stature, but it is a big part of the local maritime history.
From here, on the boardwalk of the lighthouse, we could see the Tall Ship; the Elizabeth II we were looking for.
The ship, or rather ships, that the Elizabeth II was modeled after, are like the sailing vessels that were sent to Roanoke Island in 1584 and 1587, respectively; to the New World.
At the time, Tudor-era queen Elizabeth I was trying to keep up with the New World exploration achievements of Spain, which had been sending vessels to and from the Americans, for nearly 100 years.
Spain had already conquered and settled the South American portions of the New World, so Elizabeth I turned her attention further north, to the modern day United States.
A settlement commandeered by Sir Walter Raleigh was sent to initially set-up a colony in the southern Outer Banks, (near Ocracoke and Hatteras Islands), but after a bout with bad weather and a bit of misdirection, the colonists settled, instead, on Roanoke Island.
We were quite satisfied with this visit to the little island, with a big punch. There were even some scenes that took us back to our travels in Maine. It reminded us of our trips there, and we do love us some Maine!
We left Roanoke Island and headed back to Hwy 12, to continue our way, south. We had much more to see!
Click the link below, to see Part 2 of this 2 Part Blog Series, of our Outer Banks Adventure:
Archive Blog Posts of Our Country Visits
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About Us
Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More