Historic firsts along Manteo, North Carolina’s Line of Freedom

By Lori Bruton
Jan. 19, 2023

During a fall trip to the Outer Banks, the Manteo Historic Walking Tour made the history of the area feel vivid and close. Retired police chief Francis D’Ambra guided the group through the inviting streets of Manteo, bringing forward stories that showed how much of the country’s development connects to this small area.

The source article includes several attributed remarks from Francis D’Ambra, whose perspective centers on the Line of Freedom, the Outer Banks’ concentration of historic firsts, the movement of formerly enslaved people toward safety on Roanoke Island, and the sense of pride he feels in sharing more than 400 years of American freedom history with visitors.

Few Outer Banks history tours communicate the region’s importance as powerfully as D’Ambra’s. The walk is both informative and enjoyable, set against the beauty of Manteo, which locals pronounce without the t.

A major part of the tour’s story is the first light of freedom. During the Civil War era, before the capture of Roanoke Island, African American slaves seeking freedom attempted to reach the North. From Mann’s Harbor, they could see the Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse in the Croatan Sound channel. That light helped guide them toward Haven Creek, where Roanoke Island offered a safe haven. Fort Raleigh National Park includes a monument explaining the first light of freedom.

Roanoke Island later became the site of the Freedmen’s Colony, a refuge for formerly enslaved people pursuing freedom. In 1863, General Ambrose Burnside of the Union Army established the first Freedmen Colony in the United States here.

Visitors may already know the Outer Banks for two famous firsts: the first English settlement in the New World and the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk by the Wright brothers. The tour shows that many other notable firsts are also tied to the area, including:

• First moonshine capital of the world
• First English child born here
• First stop on the underground railroad
• First in boat building
• First African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion church established here by Andrew Cartwright, formerly enslaved, known as The Freedom Church

The Line of Freedom points to an unusual concentration of American history. Within ten miles, D’Ambra connects visitors to firsts spanning from the late 16th century through modern history, including the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

Another important first is Captain Richard Etheridge, the first African American keeper of the Lifesaving Station in the United States, who served with an entirely African American crew. They rescued the crew of the E.S. Newman after it went down near Pea Island, and they earned bronze stars for their lifesaving work. The crew members were formerly enslaved people and descendants of the Freedmen Colony of Roanoke Island. Captain Etheridge led the first lifesaving station, the organization now known as the United States Coast Guard. A statue of Captain Etheridge holds a bronze oar pointing toward Pea Island.

These stories form part of the broader American story. In the place where history was made, visitors can make memories of their own by exploring the Outer Banks’ many firsts and beginning the journey with D’Ambra.

Category

History & Heritage

Author

Lori Bruton

Lori is an inspirational writer, published book author, ghostwriter, blogger, and speaker who is branching into food and travel writing.

Her work has appeared in Foodie Flashpacker, with forthcoming stories for Wander With Wonder, Trip Savvy, and Travel By Vacation Rental. Her website is loribruton.com.