Thursday, September 21, 2017

COROLLA NORTH CAROLINA TRIP - 5TH DAY - 9-5-17 - PART 3 - THE LOST COLONY


Corolla, North Carolina Trip - Fifth Day - Part 3
Sunrise
Wright Brothers' Memorial
The Lost Colony
Tuesday, September 5th, 2017



We drove to The Lost Colony in Manteo and looked around the visitor center.  It was a small building but very interesting.  



The story of The Lost Colony is as follows: 

"In 1587, 117 English men, women and children came ashore  on Roanoke Island, to establish a permanent English settlement in the New World.  Just three years later, in 1590, when English ships returned to bring supplies, they found the island deserted with no sign of the colonists.  After nearly 450 years, the mystery of what happened to the colonists remains unsolved."



The above map shows where the colonists came from in London.  If you enlarge it you will be able to make out several places marked with an 'x'.



There was a room inside the visitor center with original paneling from the 1500's, portraits on the walls of Elizabeth I.   As you may know, the State of Virginia was named in her honor.  She was also known as the "Virgin Queen".



and 
Sir Walter Raleigh.  



The photo below explains where the paneling in the room came from.


  
In part it reads:

"The fancy decorative wood was likely crafted in 1585 and was originally installed in Heronden Hall in Kent, England.  The paneling was brought to America in 1926 by wealthy newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst to furnish his legendary castle in San Simeon, California.  The National Park Service purchased the paneling from his estate in the 1960s."



I am always interested in anything to do with Walter Raleigh.  His half-brother was Humphrey Gilbert and the Gilberts still live in Compton Castle, in the village of Compton, Devonshire, England.  I was very familiar with the Castle as it was close to my home and I passed by many times, on my way to any number of places.  My father years ago worked for a friend he knew from his police days, a solicitor (lawyer here).  When we all moved to Devon this friend got in touch with Dad and asked if he would be interested in helping him as he set up a practice. He had also moved to Devon, not too far from where we lived.  Dad worked at this practice for many years after he retired from the police force, even after his friend retired and the practice was sold.  Dad stayed on until his early 70s.  One of those Gilbert descendents was a Queen's Counsel and in my father's line of work, he got to know him.  In fact this very nice man came to Dad's funeral, which my sister and I appreciated immensely.  It showed us what a truly good person he was, and I will always think of him kindly.  My Dad was an excellent judge of character and he liked and respected him.  So, every time I see anything to do with Walter Raleigh, I think of my Dad and the connection he had to one of Raleigh's half-brother's.  A six degrees kind of thing going on, except not with Kevin Bacon but with a half brother of Sir Walter Raleigh?  You can click on the last link to see what the heck I am talking about.  Anyhoo, on with The Lost Colony and that beautifully paneled room.



The old wooden paneling, wooden carvings over the fireplace, even the pattern of bricks inside the fireplace,  I found it all very interesting.   I also enjoyed looking at the framed pictures, and the ceiling, all truly remarkable.


















We browsed around the gift shop before we left, and Gregg bought a book telling the story of the Lost Colony.  I also bought a little rag doll representing Virginia Dare, the first baby to be born in the New World.  The date was August 18th, 1587, at Roanoke Island in colonial Virginia (present-day North Carolina).  I also purchased a few postcards.  



We didn't stay long as it was getting late, and we were rather tired after our enjoyable but very long day.  I have a feeling we will be visiting again.  We liked this area and we are thinking of coming down again, perhaps next year.  If we do, we will see the well-known Lost Colony play.  



It is described as "America's longest-running symphonic drama", and held annually (the first production was in 1937 and this year was their 80th anniversary).  We were hoping to see it this time but found it has a run from May to August, and it had ended a couple of weeks before we arrived.




We were ready for a bite to eat, a late lunch, and we stopped at a cool looking diner, Big Al's Soda Fountain and Grill.


We ordered one meal to share, which came with two hotdogs, a pickle and French fries. We also shared a strawberry milkshake for dessert (no photos). 


The waitress was super friendly and the decor was fun. 






They even had a dance floor.  The lady who looked after us asked us if we would like to dance.  In the kindest possible way, we said an emphatic no and when she still tried to persuade us, we followed up with a shake of the head and a chuckle.  


Back to the house and shortly after returning I tucked myself away in our bedroom downstairs. I was eager to see the photos from our day, and I had promised before we left home, that I would share with family and friends on a regular basis.  There was a football game on the TV upstairs, and Gregg watched the game with the rest of the family. I am not a sports person so after a while the photos were calling and begging to be downloaded.  I also caught up on laundry.  

8.00 p.m.  I was called upstairs for dinner.  My sister-in-law had cooked a delicious shrimp and scallop scampi (again no photos but she is a really great cook).  We also enjoyed a glass of wine. After a leisurely meal everyone settled down to watch football again, so as those photos were still calling me, I had an early night and that was the end of my day.  

Just for fun I thought I would add a YouTube video of Robert Newhart talking to Sir Walter Raleigh on his findings in the Colony.  Click here to see it.  It is years old and I remember my sister's husband telling me about it.  It was good fun then and hope you find it just as funny now.
  

38 comments:

  1. I love this diner! And I have never, ever seen a ceiling like this!!! It is quite remarkable. I noticed it before I even got to your close up. Phil knew about the Lost Colony, but I did not. Do you think it was Indians? Is that the prevailing explanation? Your dad's history is fascinating!

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    1. The restaurant was a fun place. As far as the Lost Colony is concerned, there are various theories what happened to them. Some think hey were killed but others think maybe disease, or that they may have assimilated into the various tribes.

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  2. Three years later nearly 120 people are gone? What a tragedy. And how amazing that it is still a mystery.

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    1. It truly is a very strange event that no one can solve.

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  3. An interesting place to visit and so much to see. Beautiful portraits and beautiful wood carvings and wood panels.

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  4. Hi Denise, what a wonderful and interesting old building to visit with such a fascinating history, you should have had a quick dance together. All the best to you both, John

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    1. Hi John, I wish I had the confidence to dance in public, lol! All the best to you too :)

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  5. Wow Big Al's looks a really interesting place as well as just somewhere to eat.
    I love wood panelling but it has to be a very big room or the darkness makes the room look so small. Interesting piece about you father as well.
    Hope the remainder of your week is good. Take care Diane

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    1. We enjoy the old diners, always have fun decor. As for the old room, it was a surprise to find it inside the visitor center. So glad I could share it here. Thanks Diane and I hope your week has been a great one. Happy weekend to you :)

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  6. Unfortunately, I have never been there. That is a very interesting place. And I read your travel impressions with great excitement. A lot of thanks for sharing this.

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  7. the fire place, and the ceiling I just LOVE... and I am soooo glad I did not have to wear those clothes the queen has on. misery ... I would love to see Big Al's Diner.. inside and outside. love all the cars and things they decorated with...

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    1. Me too Sandra, I loved them. It would have been miserable wouldn't it? I always remember hearing about the first settlers in Florida and the mosquitoes they were plagued with, here too no doubt. The diner was definitely a fun place to eat.

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  8. Amazing decor! The lost colony is a fascinating mystery. I've read some good fiction on it- including a graphic novel called 1602 by Neil Gaiman, which features Virginia Dare, in a world where the Marvel heroes have come into being four centuries early.

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    1. Thanks William, thank you for another good book recommend. Sounds very interesting.

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  9. The Lost Colony is a mystery that I would like to see answered, it is kind of frightening to see that many people simply vanish.

    Big Al's looks like a place that we would enjoy also.

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    1. I would be very interested in that mystery solved. Hope they can one day. Big Al and diners like it are always on our list if we find one while traveling.

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  10. Denise, I love all the beautiful designs in the carvings and I really love the Coca Cola memorabilia, vintage cars and ambiance at the diner!

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    1. Thank you Linda, we really enjoyed that diner :)

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  11. i purchased the book “The Lost Colony” in 2012 or 2013 before going on vacation to the OBX. I never did make it over to the museum. We have always been too late for the play. The book is a good read, by the way.

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    1. I am very interested in the book you mentioned Linda. It is the one we purchased at the visitor center. We are enjoying it very much.

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  12. This is most certainly going on our list of places to see! Virginia may be our first post retirement trip. Unfortunately we did not get to see Devon when we were in that area of the UK. I am sure it is beautiful. You sound like me with not being a sports person.

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    1. That would be wonderful Jacqueline, I can highly recommend North Carolina too. A kindred spirit in the sports department then? :)))

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  13. I liked that portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh. He was a handsome dude.

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  14. what beautiful carvings and then a fun restaurant for lunch!

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  15. Once again, I've been enjoying your road trip, Denise, even if not commenting on every post. Thanks for sharing your adventures in such detail as it makes me feel like I've been along on the trip as well. The Bob Newhart clip was very funny too.

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  16. Fascinating! I love those ceilings.

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    1. I have never seen anything quite like those ceilings before. Glad you enjoyed them :)

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  17. Love the paneling, so artistic. Also liked the line of cars in that showcase. Thanks for sharing this, Denise.

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    1. You are very welcome Valerie, glad you enjoyed my post :)

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