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

Give These Men a Medal!

Photographed by Ray Gurganus, July 17, 2024

1. Give These Men a Medal! Marker

Inscription. The numbers were shameful: for 99 years, the rescue of nine people on the schooner E.S. Newman by seven brave men from the all-black Pea Island Station during a six-hour struggle against Hurricane Five had received zero official acknowledgments. While the Coast Guard christened the Cutter Pea Island in 1992, the government ignored the comprehensive recommendation for a posthumous Gold Lifesaving Medal submitted by a Coast Guard officer and two graduate students. That is, until Katie Burkart, an eighth-grader in Washington, North Carolina, wrote to President Clinton and her Congressional delegation protesting the injustice in 1995. When the Pea Island lifesavers got their due the following year, Burkart spoke at the ceremony. A minor made a major difference.

(caption) The black crewmen of Pea Island Lifesaving Service Station risked their lives almost daily from 1880 to 1947. Decades passed before anyone officially recognized their heroism.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1992.

Location. 35° 55.077′ N, 75° 42.221′ W. Marker is in Manteo, North Carolina, in Dare County. It can be reached from Airport Road near Old County Road, on the right when traveling south. On the grounds of the North Carolina Aquarium, near the waterfront. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 374 Airport Rd, 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,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the

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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. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Richard Etheridge, 1842-1900 (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Richard Etheridge, 1842-1900 (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Richard Etheridge, 1842-1900 (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Richard Etheridge, 1842-1900 (within shouting distance of this marker); A Moveable Feast (within shouting distance of this marker); A Big Deal (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Lower Lights (about 400 feet away); A Show Boat (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manteo.

Photographed by Ray Gurganus, July 17, 2024

2. Give These Men a Medal! Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 21, 2024, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 265 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 21, 2024, by Ray Gurganus of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.