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Jamestown was the first
permanent English colony in America. However, America’s true beginning was
23 years earlier, on July 4, 1584, when the English first arrived on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, foreshadowing America’s birth as a nation some 192 years later.
Before the 1607 establishment of Jamestown, Englishmen, using the Outer Banks as their base, explored as far north as present-day Portsmouth, Virginia, and as far south as present-day Bath, North Carolina, making detailed maps, recording observations of available natural resources, and recording the climate and soil composition for crop
planning, as well as analyzing the area for
metallurgy.
Richard Hakluyt’s report to Sir Walter Raleigh of Ralph Lane’s 1585 expedition was the basis for choosing the Chesapeake Bay area of Virginia as the site of the 1587 colony. For various reasons, the colonists ended up on the Outer Banks instead and fell victim to drought and retribution from hostile Indians and were never again seen by Europeans, although they left clues as to where they had gone.
Scott Dawson, historical interpreter for Roanoke Island Festival Park and author of
the forthcoming book Croatoan: Birthplace of America, says, “The 1587 colony left the word ‘Croatoan’ carved on a post. It seems likely that they would have made their way to Croatoan, which is now Buxton on Hatteras Island. In fact, the only 16th-century English artifacts found on this continent have been found at the Croatoan dig site in Hatteras.”
There is no better place to learn about these expeditions and the colonization attempts between 1584 to 1587 than on Roanoke Island, particularly at Manteo’s Roanoke Island Festival Park. The park
boasts a full day’s worth of activities for
visitors of every age and interest.
The Elizabeth II, a 69-foot working replica of a 16th-century bark, is moored opposite of downtown Manteo in Shallowbag Bay and is the centerpiece of Festival Park. Aboard ship, visitors learn firsthand about sea-going life, including cooking, sleeping and working, from fully characterized living history actors who do not step out of their 16th-century roles. Expect inquisitiveness from the actors, who use the old English language as they portray awe at our modern-day wardrobe, eyeglasses, hats, shoes and, most especially, cell phones and iPods
At the Settlement Site, Festival Park hosts a re-creation of Sir Richard Grenville’s 1585 colony, including real-life exhibitions of 16th-century blacksmithing, wood-working, camp life and the Elizabethan military. Adjacent to this is the Elizabethan Life Area, where visitors learn about English life in the 1500s, including games, manners, etiquette and popular dances of the day.
The park also includes the interactive Roanoke Adventure Museum, which traces more than 400 years of Outer Banks history. Visitors are encouraged to don 16th-century costumes and step back in time to imagine how it would have felt to be among the first explorers of the New World, preceding even the Jamestown colony.
The Legend of Two Path is a 45-minute movie offered in the park’s film theater,
and it reveals a great deal about the way the early English explorations affected the native
residents of the Outer Banks. The film
follows the friendships of three real Native Americans – Manteo, Wanchese and Skico (also known as Two Path).
In 1584 Manteo and Wanchese journeyed to England with Captains Arthur Barlowe and Philip Amadas. They returned home in 1585, bringing with them vastly differing views of England. Manteo was impressed by the novel way of life with houses made of stone, the English mannerisms and Elizabethan clothing. Wanchese was appalled by the filthiness of the city, the lack of harmony with nature and a leader who did not live among her people.
Within weeks of their return, hundreds
of Native Americans died from diseases that they referred to as the “invisible arrows.”
Many others died when Lane’s soldiers attacked various native villages. Manteo remained friends with the English, while Wanchese became their bitter enemy following the execution of his father.
Skico recognized the two paths that were dividing the native tribes and aptly stated, “Whether you repel or embrace the English, the people must not be divided … There
will be no more fighting among our people … We are all brothers.”
“The Legend of Two Path is a docu-drama used by the staff to help educate visitors on
the history of America’s real beginnings,” says Doug Duenow, museum technician in charge of technical aspects of the theater space at Festival Park. “It shows, very effectively, what happens when two cultures come together. Choices are made, new relationships are formed, including both friends and enemies.”
While Festival Park offers a great history lesson, it offers much more than that. Children are especially fond of the Summer Children’s Performance Series, with shows at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday from June 26 through August 3. Admission is included with general ticket purchase.
World-class entertainment is offered by
the North Carolina School of the Arts in the Outdoor Pavilion and Film Theater Tuesday through Saturday at 8 p.m. from June 26 through August 4. These performances are free.
The Outer Banks History Center is located in the park and is an archive of vital information administered by the North Carolina State Archives, including 100,000 manuscripts, 35,000 photographs, 30,000 books, 1,500
periodicals, maps dating from 1584, microfilm records, oral recordings and original art work. The reading room is free and open to the
public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. and can be contacted by dialing
(252) 473-2655.
Festival Park is also the home of an art gallery that features a new exhibit every month. And the park includes a quarter-mile boardwalk along the water, where visitors can view some of the species that take advantage of Roanoke Island’s status as a bird sanctuary. The on-site Museum Store carries a variety of educational toys, books, souvenirs, music, tea sets and other historically inspired treasures.
Admission fees of $8 for adults and $5 for kids ages 6 to 18 (children age 5 and younger are admitted free) allow visitors to enjoy all the park has to offer. Tickets are good for two consecutive days. You can save 20 percent on a combined admission pass to Roanoke Island Festival Park and The Elizabethan Gardens with the “Park and Gardens Pass.” It costs is $13 for adults and $9 for youth ages 6 to 18. The Park and Gardens Pass may be purchased at either location.
To get to Roanoke Island Festival Park, take U.S. Highway 158 South from Kitty Hawk or N.C. Highway 12 North from Hatteras to U.S. Highway 64 / 264 East onto Roanoke Island and into the town of Manteo. Turn right onto Budleigh Street, passing through the heart of historic downtown Manteo ending at Queen Elizabeth Avenue, where you will turn left. Following the blue sign for the Elizabeth II, Festival Park and
the History Center, turn right onto the small bridge to enter the ample parking lot of Roanoke Island Festival Park.
Take advantage of this parking lot, and after your visit to Festival Park, cross back
over the bridge on foot to downtown Manteo. There you can enjoy the waterfront
boardwalk, playground, Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, N.C. Maritime Museum,
numerous restaurants for all budgets, and
more than 40 retail shops.
For more information about Roanoke Island Festival Park call (252) 475-1506
or (252) 475-1500 or visit their website at www.roanokeisland.com.
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