Description: The stone marker, approximately five feet fall, commemorates the voyages to establish a British colony in the area of Roanoke Island between 1584 and 1587. The marker has an inscribed emblem at the top, a rose compass with the dates of the Roanoke voyages.

In Portsmouth, England, a "sister" plaque was dedicated on April 26, 1987, the anniversary of the date the second voyage sailed. The plaque contains the same rose compass emblem as inscribed on the Manteo marker.

Inscription:
The Manteo monument:

Emblem: ROANOKE VOYAGES / 1584 NORTH CAROLINA 1587

Below the emblem: THE ROANOKE COLONIES / FROM PLYMOUTH, ENGLAND, ON 27 APRIL 1584 / WALTER RALEIGH SENT PHILIP AMADAS AND ARTHUR BARLOWE / TO NORTH AMERICA TO EXPLORE AND PREPARE FOR ENGLISH / COLONIZATION. ON 13 JULY THEY CLAIMED LAND IN THE NAME / OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. CALLED VIRGINIA IN HER HONOR. THIS / AREA IS NOW KNOWN AS NORTH CAROLINA. IN 1585 A COLONY / UNDER GOVERNOR RALPH LANE SETTLED HERE ON / ROANOKE ISLAND, REMAINING A YEAR. IN 1587 A SECOND / COLONY UNDER GOVERNOR JOHN WHITE ESTABLISHED THE / "CITTIE OF RALEIGH" AT THE SAME SITE. THIS SETTLEMENT, / KNOWN AS RALEIGH'S "LOST COLONY," / DISAPPEARED BETWEEN 1587 AND 1590. / THIS PLAQUE UNVEILED BY H.R.H THE PRINCESS ANNE / AND BY GOVERNOR JAMES B. HUNT, JR., ON 13 JULY 1984 / COMMEMORATES THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF / SIR WALTER RALEIGH'S COLONIES.

The Portsmouth, England monument:

Emblem: ROANOKE VOYAGES / 1584 NORTH CAROLINA 1587

Below the emblem: From Portsmouth on 26th April 1587 sailed 91 men, 17 women / and 9 children as the second colony sent by / Sir Walter Raleigh to the area then called Virginia, now / NORTH CAROLINA /

There on Roanoke Island they built the 'Cittie of Raleigh', / The first English village in America. On 13 August 1587 / they baptised the Indian Manteo. On 18 August 1587 / was born Virginia Dare, the first child of English parents born in / the New World and grandaughter of Governor John White. / This colony know as Raleigh's 'Lost Colony' / disappeared between 1587 and 1590. /

On 26th April 1987, the 400th Anniversary of the sailing / of the lost colony, this plaque was unveiled by / Governor James G.Martin of North Carolina and the / Lord Mayor of Portsmouth Councillor Miss Marie Seaman.

Dedication date: 7/7/1984

Materials & Techniques: Granite

Unveiling & Dedication: The British colonization of Roanoke Island in the late 16th century has become known as the "Lost Colony" due to its failure to take hold and to its ultimate disappearance. On July 13th 1984, the three-year commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the Roanoke voyages and Lost Colony began, with ceremonies dedicating a replica of the Elizabeth which sailed from England in 1585 and a stone marker commemorating the Roanoke voyages and colonies. On the rainy and wet event day, there were some 15,000-20,000 spectators who turned out in Manteo to see Anne, Princess Royal of the United Kingdom and daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, who was on hand for the events marking the historical connection between England and America. Princess Anne and then Governor James B. Hunt were escorted across the bridge to Ice Plant Island for the dedication of the ship. The procession included bagpipers and a color guard. The bridge was also dedicated at that time as the Cora Mae Basnight Bridge. Ms. Basnight, on hand for the ceremony, played Aona, the Indian maid, from 1957 to 1982 in Paul Green's drama The Lost Colony.

At the ship's dedication, Princess Anne gave a brief address to the crowd referring to the bravery of the first colonists and the shared history between America and England. "God Save the Queen" and "The Star Spangled Banner" were both performed. Governor Hunt and Princess Anne returned to the Manteo waterfront to unveil the Roanoke Voyages Marker, although they discovered that someone had already lifted the veil when they arrived.

The U.S. Postal Service also issued a stamp commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Roanoke Voyages as part of the Manteo waterfront festivities on July 13.

In Portsmouth, England a "sister" monument was dedicated on April 26, 1987, the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the 1587 voyage. According to the monument's inscription, Governor James G. Martin of North Carolina was in attendance at the event. The monument bears the same compass inscription as the Manteo stone. In Portsmouth, England the monument is located on Broad Street.

Subject notes: The Roanoke Voyages of 1584 and 1587 were the result of Sir Walter Raleigh's attempts to found a British settlement in North America under Queen Elizabeth's grant of what became the Virginia colony, although Raleigh himself was on neither voyage. The first voyage took place in 1584 as a scouting mission by Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe, landing on the outerbanks of what is now North Carolina. In 1587, under the leadership of John White, colonists sailed from England and took up settlement at Roanoke. Virginia Dare, his granddaughter, is considered the first child born at the colony in 1587. White returned to England for provisions only to discover the disappearance of the colonists when he arrived back at Roanoke Island in 1590. The mystery of the disappearance has earned the settlement the name of "The Lost Colony."

An additional monument commemorating the colony, The Raleigh Colony/Virginia Dare Monument, is located at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site on Roanoke Island.

Location: The marker sits in the historic waterfront of Manteo on Queen Elizabeth Street.

Landscape: The marker is located next to a pedestrian pathway just steps from the water.

City: Manteo

County: Dare

Subjects: Colonial History