Off the Beaten Path

Little-Known Monuments and Memorials of our Coast

Any traveler to the Outer Banks knows famous landmarks such as the Wright Brothers National Memorial, but there are so many other monuments off the beaten path that even locals cannot place where they are or how they came to be. Who knew there were so many monuments and markers in our midst?

Cora Mae Basnight Bridge (above)

A royal denizen of Manteo’s history and cultural heritage, Cora Mae Basnight is honored in numerous ways on Roanoke Island. A Manteo native, Basnight played the comic role of Native American Agona in The Lost Colony for twenty-five years. The Cora Mae Basnight house is found on Agona Street which is naturally named for the role she made famous. In 1979 she was honored with a Distinguished Service Award from the Roanoke Island Historical Association and in 1982, her final season with The Lost Colony, Governor Jim Hunt recognized Basnight’s contributions to American theater. In 1984, on the 400th anniversary of the colonization of Roanoke Island, the bridge connecting Manteo to the Roanoke Island Festival Park was dedicated and named in her honor.

Jarvisburg Colored School

Opened in Powells Point in 1867, the Jarvisburg Colored School served the population of newly freed slaves. In 1894, it was moved to Jarvisburg from its original location after the gift of a half-acre of land. The school was among twelve public schools in Currituck that educated the almost six hundred students from the black community. In 1950, a single school was built to serve all students, and the Jarvisburg School was purchased by the Corinth Baptist Church and used for church and Mason activities until it fell into disrepair. In 1998, efforts began to save the school, and in 2003 the Historic Jarvisburg Colored School Association began work in earnest to raise funds and preserve the building now located along Highway 158 in Currituck.

Wright Brothers Obelisk

Before erecting the famous monolith that pierces the Kill Devil Hills skyline, a different monument was dedicated to the ground-breaking aviation work of the Wright brothers. In 1921, Captain William Tate and several local residents, raised $210 to place a five-foot tall obelisk in Kitty Hawk to mark the location where the Wright brothers assembled and tested their glider. After sustaining damage from the elements, the original obelisk was refurbished and moved to the foyer of the Kitty Hawk Town Hall; a replica on Moor Shore Drive in Kitty Hawk stands today to commemorate the brothers’ site for glider construction.

Monument to a Century of Flight

A hidden gem, snuggled amongst the trees and behind the Welcome Center in Kitty Hawk, is the shining and dazzling Monument to a Century of Flight. Designed by local artist Glenn Eure and built with help from two East Carolina University sculptors and professors, the magnificent monument is a multi-layered tribute to aviation. Fourteen stainless steel pylons shaped like wings and pointing to the sky stand in a 120-foot circle symbolizing the distance traveled during the Wright brothers’ first flight. On each pylon are granite panels engraved with 100 significant moments from the first 100 years of flight.

 

FDR Plaque at Waterside Theater

Almost hidden at the back of Manteo’s Waterside Theater and placed amid flowers and bushes is a granite plaque commemorating the 1937 visit of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The plaque, located where his seat was positioned during The Lost Colony performance, reveals that the President had, not only an excellent view of the performance, but of the Roanoke Sound, as well. Prior to the performance, Roosevelt gave a speech reasserting his belief of the American system of democracy which began with the early voyages of European pilgrims to North America. “But most of the people who came in the early days to America—the men, the women and the children- came hither seeking something very different, seeking an opportunity which they could not find in their homes of the old world,” said Roosevelt.

First Flight Wind Turbine

Almost blending in with the stadium lights on First Flight Middle School’s campus is a lone wind turbine. Erected in 2011, the 55-foot Skystream was part of an initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy, known as the Wind for Schools Project. Looking to educate an up-and-coming workforce about wind potential, a curriculum was established that could incorporate wind energy data and concepts. The turbine streams data via internet into the classroom; math and science students then collect and analyze data and predict correlations between weather energy and power-generated carbon offset. A few yards away sits an almost 100-foot meteorological tower that provides wind data for the entire region and has been used by government officials, wind energy investors, and the general public. Along with FFMS, turbines were also installed at the Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal Studies, the Edenton and Manteo campuses of the College of the Albemarle, and J.P. Knapp High School in Currituck.

All-Black Coast Guard Memorial

On the grounds of the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, off to the side on a shaded path, stands a four foot granite monument to the all-black crews of the U.S. Coast Guard lifesaving station on Pea Island. Dedicated in 1990 for the Coast Guard’s bicentennial, the monument bears a bronze plaque with an inscription honoring the crews. At the top is a bas-relief image of the three-masted schooner, E.S. Newman. In 1896, Richard Etheridge, the first African American to be in charge of the station, led his lifesaving crew to rescue the Newman, which was two miles offshore. The monument marks his resting place.

J.D. Dave Driskill Plaque

Aviation pioneer J.D. “Dave” Driskill is honored with a plaque in front of the Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo. America’s first licensed helicopter pilot, Driskill flew hundreds of flights along the Outer Banks in the 1930s for the National Park Service; later in his career, he flew tours for the Roanoke Island Flying Service. Dubbed the ‘Re-Discoverer of the Outer Banks,’ it is said that the Wright brothers brought aviation to the world, but Dave Driskill brought aviation to the Outer Banks. He was killed in 1949 when a helicopter he was test piloting suffered a catastrophic failure.

Civil Air Patrol Memorial

Also located at the Dare County Regional Airport is a marker honoring the members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) who served during World War II. Male and female civilian pilots from all over North Carolina served at CAP Base 16, located in Manteo; North Carolina’s first Civil Air Patrol base, it was funded by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Most pilots flew missions over the Atlantic coastal waters, from Norfolk to Ocracoke inlet, searching for any lurking German U-Boats, while some assisted on the ground with administration. Only two pilots were lost on a mission: Frank M. Cook of Concord, NC, and Julian L. Cooper of Nash, NC, in 1942. ♦

Meaghan Beasley learned more about the Outer Banks while writing this article than she has in the last twelve years living here (e.g. there’s an airport in Manteo). She now realizes she needs to get out more and enjoy the rich heritage of our area.