Roanoke Colonies Research Newsletter
Volume 8, Numbers 1 & 2 (November 2002/ May 2003)

Virginia Dare Wins Out in Bridge Naming Debate
by Marshall P. Page

The Virginia Dare Memorial Bridge connecting Manns Harbor and Roanoke Island opened on August 16, 2002, when actor Andy Griffith’s vintage 1935 Packard led a local motorcade across the Croatan Sound. North Carolina Governor Mike Easley rode alongsode Griffith after dedicating the project in the name of the first English born child in America. An actress portraying Queen Elizabeth I and other cast members from The Lost Colony were in attendance, including seven-month-old Alyse Stewart as Virginia Dare.

The naming process engendered some local controversy. The Roanoke Island Historical Association, managers of The Lost Colony, petitioned Dare County officials to honor Virginia Dare after local state Senator Marc Basnight had previously refused the distinction. Andy Griffith’s name was also suggested for his long time connection to the area and the state. Other names proposed included Reginald A. Fessenden, an inventor who was the first person to transmit music by radio waves, sending them from Buxton to Roanoke Island in an experiment in 1902. He was the first to transmit both voice and music in a 1908 Christmas Eve broadcast. Opinion supported the RIHA’s recommendation of Virginia Dare, and Dare County commissioners passed a resolution “to honor the significant place her birth has given our area in the pages of history, which will remain and be remembered for generations to come.”

The same day that the county sent a resolution to the Department of Transportation in favor of Virginia Dare, the town of Manteo passed a measure nominating Captain Richard Etheridge. After fighting in the Union’s colored infantry in the Civil War, Etheridge ran the first African American-staffed life saving station in the country, at Pea Island. Some Manteo officials expressed the opinion that the “Lost Colony” was overused subject matter and that heritage in other areas was being ignored. The state DOT does not intervene in local disputes about naming. Petitions were circulated for both Dare and Etheridge in order to reach consensus, and a majority still chose Virginia Dare. All towns in Dare County adopted the original resolution with the exception of Manteo.

The 5.2-mile bridge, the longest in the state, serves as an alternate route for U.S. 64 to the Outer Banks, bypassing the town of Manteo. A new Outer Banks Visitor Center opened with the bridge on Roanoke Island as part of the $102 million project. Hopes are high that traffic will stimulate the beach economy. Residents are also provided with another hurricane evacuation route. The DOT has long-term plans to make U.S. 64 into four lanes from Manteo to Raleigh, cutting 20 to 30 minutes off of travel time.

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