People

Like the wind-blown live oaks that dot the landscape, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site has been shaped by people throughout history. Explore the lives of the Algonquian-speaking people who called Roanoke Island home. Delve itno the English colonizers who tried to create a new English home in the New World. Read about the freedom-seeking people who came her during the Civil War to escape the bonds of slavery. And learn about more recent history with the people who have shaped Fort Raleigh in the 20th century. Come see the diverse history of this island's people and how they helped shape the world we know today.
 
A watercolor of two Carolina Algonquin-speaking people
Carolina Algonquin

The Algonquian-speaking people thrived in the Outer Banks calling this place home before anyone else.

An oil painting of Sir Walter Raleigh
Roanoke Colonizers

Between 1584 and 1590, multitudes of English people engaged in the colonization of Roanoke Island

A black stone monument with the words First Light of Freedom. Behind is a stone wall and grass field
Freedmen Colonists

The Freedmen's Colony brough in thousands of enslaved people, members of the Army, administrators and more to create the colony.

A open-air theater overlooking a body of water. The stage is made to look like buildings
20th Century Figures

The 20th Century brought inventors, playwrights, actors, and more to Fort Raleigh and Roanoke Island

Last updated: July 11, 2024

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
1401 National Park Drive

Manteo, NC 27954

Phone:

252 473-2111

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