Near Manteo in Dare County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

English Explorers' Earthwork

— Fort Raleigh National Historic Site —

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 18, 2021

1. English Explorers' Earthwork Marker

Inscription. European expeditions in the late 1500s commonly constructed small defensive structures. Soldiers built these earthworks by digging ditches and the forming walls from the removed soil. Ralph Lane, a fortifications export, led the 1585 English expedition. At this spot, Lane busied his men with constructing such an earthwork. You can see the reconstruction of his structure in front of you.

The purpose of the earthwork is unknown. You can see that its small size would not have provided nearly enough space for the numbers of 1585 explorers, let alone the more than one hundred settlers that arrived two years later. Documentation shows the settlers lived in a palisaded fort, which has not yet been found.

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Exploration • Forts and Castles • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1585.

Location. 35° 56.293′ N, 75° 42.542′ W. Marker is near Manteo, North Carolina, in Dare County. It can be reached from Fort Raleigh Road 0.4 miles north of U.S. 64, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located within the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Manteo NC 27954, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Coastal Plain and on the Outer Banks.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Reconstructed Past (a few steps from this marker); Exploring the Unknown (a few steps from this marker); Thomas Hariot Trail (a few steps from this marker); Science in the New World (a few steps from this marker); History Comes Alive (within shouting distance of this marker); Join the Exploration Party (within shouting distance of this marker); Cora Mae Basnight (within shouting distance of this marker); The New Fort in Virginia / Virginia Dare (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manteo.

Also see . . . Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. National Park Service (Submitted on January 22, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 18, 2021

2. English Explorers' Earthwork Marker

Fort Raleigh National Historic Site image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 18, 2021

3. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 862 times since then and 38 times this year. Last updated on December 16, 2023, by Sean C Bath of Silver Spring, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 22, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.