Matthew Shaeffer earned a bachelor of arts degree in history from North Carolina State University in 2008. In 2014 he earned his master of arts degree in history from North Carolina State University specializing in American Cold War culture with a focus on superhero comic books. He worked for the John Locke Foundation’s North Carolina History Project.
Mathew Shaeffer
North Carolina History Project
Manteo
Manteo was a Carolina Algonquian who assisted the three English expeditions to Roanoke Island during the 1580s. Governor John White declared Manteo to be Lord of Roanoke in 1587. Manteo was the first person baptized in America into the Church of England.
John White (ca. 1540 – 1593)
John White was an artist, surveyor, cartographer, and colonizer who attended the second and third expeditions to Roanoke Island in the late-1500s. During the first attempt to colonize Roanoke (1585-1586), White served as the expedition’s artist and cartographer. During the second attempt at colonization in 1587, White served as the governor of the colony. His granddaughter Virginia Dare was the first English child born in America. He returned to England to request aid, but his return was delayed. When he returned in 1590, the colony had disappeared. Today, it is today known as the “Lost Colony.”
Edenton Ropewalk
One of the first rope manufacturing establishments in North America; the Edenton Ropewalk (also referred to as the Hewes Ropewalk or the Collins Ropewalk) was originally established by Joseph Hewes in about 1777 and was acquired by Josiah Collins, Sr. in 1783. Under the management of his son, Josiah Collins II, the Edenton Ropewalk became one of the premier rope manufacturing sites in America. Covering an immense 131-acres of land, the Edenton Ropewalk was a large-scale rope making operation and by 1795 it is said to have created some of the best rope in the colonies. However, due to changes in the economic climate and the death of Josiah Collins II, the Edenton Ropewalk ceased operation in 1839.