Since this guide's original publication, the community of Manteo has undergone more changes than any other municipality in coastal North Carolina. Cruising boaters who have not visited this vibrant town within the last eight years will hardly recognize the waterfront or the downtown district. A huge condo/retail complex now overlooks the Manteo waterfront, rubbing shoulders with a deluxe three-story inn. The city docks have been completely rebuilt. Interesting shops, restaurants, and shoreside businesses of all descriptions, housed in new classical-style buildings, eagerly await the visiting cruiser. A bridge now stretches across Doughs Creek to a new park on Ice Plant Island, where the Elizabeth II calmly guards the creek's waters. What is really so striking about all this change, however, is the careful management of the development. All of the new construction has been painstakingly designed to harmonize with the town's unique architectural character. The result has been an unequivocal success, with cruisers profiting immensely.
Roanoke Island Attractions
Just across Doughs Creek from the Manteo waterfront, the Elizabeth II State Historic Site on Ice Plant Island is well worth your attention. This fascinating exhibit's star attraction is, of course, the Elizabeth II, a faithful replica of one of the ships that brought the Lost Colonists to the shores of Roanoke Island. The Elizabeth II was painstakingly built by hand on the Manteo waterfront as part of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Sir Walter Raleigh's colonies. Only traditional methods and materials were used in its construction. The opportunity to visit this remarkable replica is a chance you will not want to miss. Costumed attendants interpret the ship and its functions for visitors and add greatly to the feeling of being transported to the 17th century. Most of the time, you need only walk across the short bridge spanning Doughs Creek to visit the Elizabeth II. Occasionally, the ship is away on cruises to other North Carolina ports of call.Another attraction at the Elizabeth II park is the Outer Banks History Center. Thanks to the efforts of noted area historian David Stick and other local volunteers, visitors interested in the rich heritage of the Outer Banks will find a wealth of information at this unusual facility. According to the center's first director, Wynne Dough, as reported in Outer Banks Current, "The purpose of the Outer Banks History Center is to preserve the cultural and human heritage of the North Carolina coast and to encourage the public to become more interested in it."
The most popular attractions of Roanoke Island — Fort Raleigh, the Elizabethan Gardens, and the Lost Colony are located together 4 miles north of Manteo's waterfront.
At Fort Raleigh and the nearby visitor center and museum, you can see the unearthed remains of the colonists' original fort. The museum paints a fascinating portrait of those early colonial days. A movie and an occasional performance of period music add to the attraction.
The Elizabethan Gardens are an extravaganza of native and imported English plants. A walk through the green paths is definitely recommended for cruising boaters who have seen one too many wave. The grounds are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round. In the summer, when The Lost Colony is in production, the gardens remain open until 8 p.m.
Undoubtedly, Roanoke Island's greatest tourist attraction is The Lost Colony outdoor drama, written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green. The waterside theater has been playing to packed houses since 1937. The Lost Colony was the state's first outdoor drama, and it remains one of the best. The play is a moving narrative of the fortunes of Sir Walter Raleigh's ill-fated settlement. It is presented from June 15 to August 15 at 8:30 p.m. Advance reservations (which are recommended) can be obtained by writing to The Lost Colony, Box 40, Manteo, N.C. 27954.
Croatan and Roanoke Sounds History
Since the time of early English colonization on Roanoke Island, a fascinating change in the natural character of both sounds has come about. In colonial times, what we know today as Croatan Sound was a wide marsh penetrated by a single shallow ditch. The main deepwater channel ran through Roanoke Sound from old Roanoke Inlet, which cut through the Outer Banks east of Roanoke Island.Between 1780 and approximately 1810, the old inlet shoaled and eventually closed. Apparently, the huge drainage of the Albemarle's nine rivers was then diverted southward through the marshy area. This large volume of fresh water scoured out the one-time shallow bottom, leaving the wide and deep water that is today called Croatan Sound. Conversely, the once-deep Roanoke Sound has shoaled to 3- and 4-foot depths.
Over the years, considerable interest has been displayed in artificially reopening old Roanoke Inlet as a ready artery of commerce. One plan of note called for the building of dikes across the southern feet of Croatan and Roanoke Sounds to divert the Albemarle's drainage through the man-made cut. This plan may have worked, but adequate funds were never appropriated, and the ambitious project was not attempted.
The Lost Colony
The history of Roanoke and Croatan Sounds is inextricably interwoven with the fabled Lost Colony of Sir Walter Raleigh. Volumes have been written, and probably will yet be written, on this mysterious chapter in American history.In the late 16th century, England began an attempt to expand its influence into the New World. Sir Walter Raleigh, trusted counselor of Queen Elizabeth I, sent out an expedition in 1584 under Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe. In a search for appropriate sites of future colonization, they first touched the North Carolina coast in the vicinity of Hatteras and then moved north to what may have been Roanoke Inlet. The eventual report which the two explorers presented to Raleigh spoke of a land of plenty peopled by friendly and benevolent Indians.
So encouraged was Sir Walter by this handsome account that he launched a colonization party of 600 men under Sir Richard Grenville in April 1585. Landfall was made near Ocracoke Inlet, but the expedition eventually moved north to Roanoke Island. A settlement, Fort Raleigh, was soon constructed on the island's northern tip. In late August, Grenville returned to England, leaving 107 men under the leadership of Ralph Lane. A professional soldier, Lane apparently had no qualms about stealing supplies from the nearby Indians. The deterioration in relations was climaxed by an English raid on the main village of the Roanoke Indians and the murder of their chief.
In June 1586, Sir Francis Drake appeared off Roanoke Island and offered his aid. Perhaps goaded by the worsening situation with the Indians, Lane decided to abandon the colony. Just a few weeks later, Grenville dropped anchor nearby with three ships loaded with supplies. Finding the colonists gone, he left 15 men as a holding force and sailed again for England.
Following Lane's return to England, Sir Walter Raleigh began to prepare his most ambitious effort. A large group of men, women, and children under the governorship of John White set sail for the New World in early May 1587 and arrived at Roanoke Island in July. The plan was to retrieve the 15 men left there and move on to the southern shore of Chesapeake Bay.
Here is the first mystery of Raleigh's colony: Why didn't the colonists, after finding that the holding force had been slaughtered by mainland Indians, continue their voyage northward? Traditional accounts claim that the expedition's pilot, Simon Fernandez, refused to sail to the Chesapeake. Dr. David B. Quinn, perhaps the greatest authority on the Lost Colony, insists that the majority did indeed travel overland to the southern shore of the Chesapeake, where they were later massacred by the Powhatan Indians.
For whatever reason, at least some of the colonists reoccupied the fort built by Lane. For a time, all was well. The settlement was refurbished, crops were planted, and Virginia Dare, the first English child born in America, was delivered of Eleanor Dare on August 18. It soon became apparent, however, that not enough supplies had been sent to meet the colonists' needs before the settlement could become self-sufficient. On August 27, John White left for England to procure the needed goods.
Upon his arrival in England, White found the entire country preparing to meet the threat of the great Spanish Armada. Not even a small ship could be spared for the Roanoke colony. Finally, following Drake's brilliant victory over the Spanish, a relief force was dispatched in late August 1590, almost two years after White's return to England. The Roanoke Island fort was found abandoned. The only clue to the colony's fate was the word 'Croatoan', the Indian name for Hatteras, inscribed on a tree. Storms prevented further search, and the small fleet returned to England, leaving behind perhaps the most enduring mystery of American history.
Many theories have been advanced to explain the disappearance of the Lost Colony. Some have claimed that hostile Indians killed the inhabitants, but no bodies were found by the relief force. Charles Harry Whedbee has advanced the idea that the colonists migrated westward to the portion of the mainland separating Croatan Sound from the Alligator River. In his fascinating tale "Beechland" in Legends of the Outer Banks, Whedbee presents intriguing evidence to support his claim. The most plausible theory, however, argues that the Roanoke Island colonists traveled south to modern-day Hatteras and lived there with the friendly Croatan Indians.
The Lost Colony is remembered by an outdoor drama presented nightly during the summer months on the northern tip of Roanoke Island. This long-loved play has provided training for some fine actors, including Andy Griffith. It is fitting that the bravery and courage of those first English colonists are so well remembered.
From 1984 to 1987, Roanoke Island celebrated the 400th anniversary of the Roanoke colonies. As an integral part of this celebration, a faithful replica of the Elizabeth, one of the ships that brought the members of the Lost Colony to the New World, was built in downtown Manteo. The craft was then ensconced in an innovative theme park on Ice Plant Island, just across Doughs Creek from the Manteo waterfront. Today, cruising visitors can visit the Elizabeth II by foot from the town docks.
The Legend of Virginia Dare
Many tall tales have evolved concerning the Lost Colony. Virginia Dare is the subject of a particularly poignant story which has many variations. According to the legend, there was an attack by hostile Indians on the Roanoke colonists. Chief Manteo, returning from a fishing expedition, saw the raid in progress. By using a secret tunnel, he was able to lead all the inhabitants safely to nearby canoes. An all-night trip down the Pamlico brought the group to Manteo's village at Hatteras. There, the colonists were accepted into the tribe as brothers and sisters.The fair-skinned, blond Virginia Dare was from the beginning a wonder to the Indians. As she grew in stature and years, many braves paid court for her hand in marriage. The fair girl loved all the people, both Indians and white, but was not yet ready to choose a mate.
Chico, the tribal medicine man, was greatly smitten by the maiden's charms. Though Virginia was kind to him, it was clear that Chico's ardor was not being returned. Finally, in a fit of passion, he vowed that if she would not marry him, she would have no man. Calling upon the power of the sea nymphs, Chico lured Virginia to Roanoke Island. Stepping ashore, she assumed the form of a snow-white deer.
Soon, it was whispered that a white doe was the leader of all the deer of Roanoke Island. Wherever the remarkable creature went, all others followed. Many great hunters tried to slay the mystical creature, but no arrow seemed to find a mark. As time went by, the white doe became a legend as well as a challenge.
Finally, a great hunt was organized, and all the young braves of noble blood vowed their efforts. Many prizes and honors were to be awarded the victor. Young Wanchese, son of Chief Wanchese, who had traveled to England, had a silver-tipped arrow presented to his father by Queen Elizabeth. He believed it had magical powers and would bring him the quarry he sought.
As fate would have it, Wanchese did indeed sight the snow-white doe. Taking careful aim, he loosed his deadly missile. The silver tip succeeded where all others had failed, and the deer fell to the ground. The young brave rushed forward to claim his prize, but all joy fled as he heard the deer whisper with her last breath, faint but clear, the words "Virginia Dare."
Fanciful it may be, but this tale has survived in one form or another since the earliest recorded history of North Carolina.
