Caching and Sightseeing in Manteo, NC 9/15/2008

We left this morning about 9:15 to drive to Manteo, NC to do some caching and some sightseeing on the way. I also had to go to CVS and pick up my prescriptions so it was really a dual trip. We stopped on the way in at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center to take a look at the deep sea fishing boats and the world record Atlantic Blue Marlin that is on display there. We left there and stopped at The Bodie Island Lighthouse which was originally built in 1837. Over the years there were many problems with the lighthouses that were built such as the first 54' lighthouse built began to lean because of a poor foundation and had to be abandoned, the second built in 1859 succumbed to the Civil War as it was blown up so it wouldn't be used by the Union as an observation post and finally in 1871 the current lighthouse was built. Early problems with flocks of geese crashing into the lens and improper grounding for electrical storms were quickly rectified with screening for the lantern and a lightning rod for the tower. There have been few other difficulties with the lighthouse itself since its completion. From the keeper’s perspective, however, there remained the problem of isolation. Bodie Island was completely undeveloped, and the closest school was in Manteo on neighboring Roanoke Island (accessible only by boat). This meant that the keeper’s wife and children lived away from the lighthouse except during the summer months, making for a lonely and trying family life most of the year. Such situations, of course, were quite common in the Lighthouse Service. Eventually, progress enabled school buses to reach the island, and the families were able to live with the keepers. The light was electrified in 1932, which ended the need for an on-site keeper. Finally, all of the light station’s property except the tower itself were transferred to the National Park Service in 1953.
Then we were on to our first cache located across the Washington Baum Bridge at the fishing pier on Roanoke Island. We found that cache quickly among the mosquitos and we were then on to our next cache located in Manteo at the Roanoke Marsh Lighthouse. The lighthouse was located in the Roanoke Island Festival Park and actually is a reproduction of a lighthouse of the same name located of Wanchese. It's an example of a screw-pile light, which were scattered along North Carolina's rivers and sounds to guide mariners in the shallow waters and around treacherous shoals. These structures were built over the water on a base of 6 or 8 metal pilings that were actually screwed into the riverbed or sound bottom in very shallow water. Original designs were six-side, but were later built with four sides and looked very much like a traditional house that would be built on land. The first screw-pile lighthouses in North Carolina were constructed prior to the Civil War. While many land-based lighthouses were located in isolated areas, nothing could compare with the isolation keepers of screw-pile lighthouses faced. The 1,000 square-foot structures included living area, office space, watch area and the lantern room. Boats were hung beneath the lighthouse and food and supplies were also stored there. We found the cache quickly hidden under the flooring foundation of the lighthouse and then we took time to look around the park and saw the American Revolution Memorial, an old schooner, the Manteo Weather Station tower, and the George Washington Creef Boathouse where they were building a wooden boat by hand.
Then we were on to another part of the park and the Stewardship Forest and a cache located behind one of the benches along the boardwalk. We walked down the boardwalk for a little ways and as you can see by the pictures it was quite a lovely spot. Next we did a puzzle cache where we had to visit the Manteo Public Library and get some information to figure out the location of the final stage. The only thing was when we got the information we needed it didn't come out into coords as all it was was a number like 381.89. We looked at the numbers and said what the heck could these be, well it finally dawned on us that they were a location in the library for a book on geocaching. Sure enough we went in and asked the librarian and she said "I know what your here for" and she showed us the general location of the section. We looked for a few minutes and finally found the book cataloged with the number we had and sure enough we opened it and it was hollow and there was a log book and some goodies inside it. Very very clever as we signed the log and replaced it and as we left told the librarian that we already had read that book so we wouldn't be checking it out and thanked her and left. Next was a cache located in a little league park along the outfield fence.
Our next cache was a multi-cache where we had to find the first cache that had the coords to the final stage in it. The first stage was a piece of pine tree with a hollowed out end and a small bison tube in it and the coords were inside. We went to the final stage and found it quickly as it was located on a historical site where the Battle of Roanoke Island was held during the Civil War. The opening phase of what came to be called the Burnside Expedition, the Battle of Roanoke Island was an amphibious operation of the American Civil War, fought on 7–8 February 1862 in the North Carolina Sounds a short distance south of the Virginia border. The attacking force consisted of a flotilla of gunboats of the United States Navy drawn from the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, commanded by Flag Officer Louis M. Goldsborough, a separate group of gunboats under United States Army control, and an Army division led by Brigadier General Ambrose E. Burnside. The defenders were a group of gunboats from the Confederate States Navy, termed the Mosquito Fleet, under Captain William F. Lynch, and about 2000 Confederate soldiers commanded locally by Brigadier General Henry A. Wise. The defense was augmented by four forts facing on the water approaches to the island, and two outlying batteries. At the time of the battle, Wise was hospitalized, so leadership fell to his second in command, Colonel H. M. Shaw. The first day of the battle was spent mostly in a gun duel between the Federal gunboats and the forts on shore, with occasional contributions from the Mosquito Fleet. Rather late in the day, Burnside's soldiers came ashore unopposed; they were accompanied by six howitzers manned by sailors. As it was too late to fight, the invaders went into camp for the night. On the second day, 8 February, the Union soldiers advanced, but were stopped by an artillery battery and accompanying infantry in the center of the island. Although the Rebels thought that their line was safely anchored in impenetrable swamps, they were flanked on both sides and their soldiers were driven back to refuge in the forts. The forts were taken in reverse, however. With no way for his men to escape, Col. Shaw surrendered in order to avoid pointless bloodshed. It was only a 2 day battle and the Condererates were outnumbered 10,000 to 3,000. The Confederate losses were 23 killed, 58 wounded, 62 missing and 2,500 captured. The Union losses were 37 killed, 214 wounded and 13 missing. Roanoke Island remained in Federal control for the rest of the Civil War. Immediately after the battle, the Federal gunboats passed the now-silent Confederate forts into Albemarle Sound, and destroyed what was left of the Mosquito Fleet at the Battle of Elizabeth City.
On our way back from the site of the Naval Battle we stopped at the Fort Raleigh National Park. We stopped and saw the First Light of Freedom a memorial to the fight for freedom for the slaves and the National Underground Railroad. This statue was quite a site as it was black marble with white etching and as you can see was lovely. We also saw the Elizabethan Gardens which are special gardens, which are a memorial to the first English colonists who came to North America in 1584-1587 and “walked away through the dark forest into history”. For here and nowhere else, Sir Walter Raleigh made initial attempts to colonize the New World under Queen Elizabeth I. The Elizabethan Gardens, located on this same site which the colonists first landed, is full of history and beauty in this tranquil setting on the shores of Roanoke Island. You can take a self-guided tour of Shakespeare's Herb Garden, the Queen's Rose Garden, meandering paths amidst blooming bulbs, azaleas and camellias, and the formal sunken knot garden. The Elizabethan Gardens also is home to an impressive collection of old and new statuary such as an antique Italian fountain in the sunken garden; a stunning marble statue of Virginia Dare; and the newest statue, a bronze likeness of Elizabeth I, the largest of it's kind in the world.
Then on our way back into Manteo we stopped for a cache located along a nature trail which we found quickly. Our last cache was located near the Manteo Airport and the Aquarium along a path in the woods. We drove back into CVS and picked up my prescriptions and stopped a McDonalds to pick up lunch. We stopped at the fishing pier we were at earlier and ate lunch and then drove back to the coach. I showered and Mom did our logs and I also took a nap. It was dinner time by then so we ate and went to DQ, earlier tonight than the night before, and got ice cream. I watched the Monday Night Football game between the Cowboys-Eagles and finally fell asleep about 11:30. Well guys it's time to say until tomorrow and we love you all. Mom & Dad


Picture List:1,2,3-Roanoke Marshes Lighthouse, 4,5-Manteo Weather Tower, 6,7,8,9-George Washington Creef Boathouse and the wooden boat being built, 10,11,12,13,14-Roanoke Island Festival Park, 15,16-American Revolution Memorial, 17-Schooner, 18-Slave marker for the former slaves buried within these grounds, 19,20,21,22,23,24-Stewardship Forest and boardwalk, 25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36-The Elizabethan Gardens....in pictures 30,33,34 if you look closely you can see many many beautiful butterflies, 37,38,39-Historical Markers at Fort Raleigh #37 is Bondage, #38 is Deliverance, #39 is The Promised Land and all these relate to the end of slavery in this area, 40-The First Light of Freedom...National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom......former slaves give thanks by the creek's edge at the site of the island......"If you can cross the creek to Roanoke Island , you will find 'safe haven'", 41-The Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island 1862-1867 historical marker, 42-Roanoke Island historical marker regarding the first light of freedom, 43,44-Fort Raleigh sign and visitors center, 45,46,47,48,49-Mt Olivet United Methodist Church and look at the beautiful stained glass doors and windows, 50-Naval Battle of Roanoke Island historical marker, 51,52,53,54-NC Sound where the battle occurred, 55-Roanoke Island marker, 56-R.A. Fressenden historical marker, 57-Fort Blanchard historical marker, 58-Lobster pots ready to go at the pier, 59-Pea island marker, 60-Bonner Bridge on a lovely day, 61,62-Bodie Island Lighthouse, 63,64,65-Oregon Inlet, NC Coast Guard Station, 66,67-World record Atlantic Blue Marlin 1142 lbs, 68,69,70,71-Oregon Inlet Fishing Center.