It was near here in the late 1500’s that the first English Settlement in the new world was attempted. However, that colony vanished with the loss of many lives after only a few years due to a lack of supplies from England and poor relations with the native peoples. Today, the historic site contains a small fort and museum to attest to that tragic effort.

On a hot August day in 2007, Roanoke Island resident and BMW motorcycle enthusiast Richard Lee as well as Mystinsky, another rider from Kill Devil Hills joined me at "The Coffee House" in Manteo for a discussion and ride around the small historic Island.  

Roanoke Island contains two small villages, Manteo and Wanchese. Both are named after Native Americans present during the first attempted English settlement of the island.

Manteo, population about 2000 was named after Chief Manteo, a friend of the first English visitors to the island. In 1584, Manteo, accompanied by another Native American named Wanchese made a round trip to London, England with English artist and colonist John White during the peak of the colony’s brief presence on the island. After the colony’s tragic disappearance, it was many years before settlers again tried to live in the tangle of swamps and woodlands that make up the island.

With the success of the settlement at Jamestown in 1607 and the passage of many years, settlers, looking for new lands began to move back into the area. They prospered by raising stock and fishing and the islands population grew slowly.

The three of us leave Manteo and ride east on Route 64 until we arrive at State Route 345. We continue south on 345 for about 5 miles until we reach the small village of Wanchese with a population of about 1500.

First settled in the 17th century during the Colonial Period, Wanchese, named after the Native American that accompanied Manteo to England, is a busy fishing village. Fishermen from the village supply much of the fresh seafood prepared by area restaurants as well as shipping the catch to areas around the nation and world.