and a man identified as "Wm" 

 Benson: 



"We the soldiers of the 36 

 U.S. Col. Reg Humbly petition 

 to you to alter the Affairs at 

 Roanoke Island... . The rations 

 for our wifes and family's Iiave 

 been ( and are now cut down ) 

 to one lialfthe regular ration. 

 Consequently three or four 

 days out of every ten days, thee 

 have nothing to eat..." 



A Fragmented 

 Legacy 



Spotty rations were soon 

 the least of their worries. When 

 the Confederacy collapsed in 

 April 1 865, the Union returned 

 all land to owners who held 

 title. The Freedmen now faced 

 eviction. 



But just as they labored 

 to build their colony, the 

 Freedmen labored to keep it 

 — or at least some of it. 



A small group petitioned 

 the government, requesting to rent the land where their homes stood. In 

 1868, 1 1 petitioners scraped together $500 and bought 200 acres of land 

 from the heirs of Thomas Dough, according to Click. 



Richard Etheridge — the famed leader of the first all-black crew at 



PEOPLE & 



PLACES 



the Pea Island Lifesaving station — also purchased land 

 and sold it to black families, according to Bowser. 

 fj By 1900, only 300 black residents lived on the 



'M^ island, in a neighborhood called "California." That year, 

 the government divided the property into 1 1 lots, based 

 on the original buyers and their heirs, writes Click. 



Today, Bowser lives on what was Tract 9. Tillett 

 lives only a block from the two tracts her ancestors 

 inherited. 



Whether their children or grandchildren will remain 

 on the land is uncertain. Younger generations often leave 

 \ f the island to attend college or to find better-paying jobs, 

 says Collins. Many never move back. For those who stay, 

 the daily demands of jobs and families leave little time 

 for history, adds Bowser. 



Still, the women believe educating people about the Freedmen 

 is the best way to keep the story alive. 



They have hung posters about the colony at Manteo's 

 community center, where Collins volunteers. They've also helped 

 make the annual remembrance event for the colony family friendly, 

 featuring music, games and storytelling. 



When talking with school and community groups, Tillett 

 brings a special pictorial quilt made by the Tea Cup Quilters, 

 Manteo's local quilting club. Each square depicts either a scene or 

 symbol related to slavery and the Freedmen, such as the North Star. 

 Children ask the most candid questions, she says. Their parents 

 often hang back — at first. 



"Adults sometimes don't know what to ask because they don't 

 know whether they are going to offend," observes Tillett. "I start out 

 by saying — 'What happened 200 years ago, neither one of us had 

 any control over. We accept what happened and move on. But it's a 

 part of history, so we're going to talk about it in a positive light.'" 



Tillett's accepting and open demeanor have prompted listeners 

 to send her scraps of information, such as old family letters or 

 documents, that might give her or other black families from Manteo 

 clues about their ancestries. 



And the women never leave their education efforts at their 

 doorsteps. 



When Collins' grandson was assigned a poster project on 

 the Civil War for school, she offered to help him highlight the 

 Freedmen 's Colony. 



"His history teacher didn't even know some of the information 

 he had!" Collins proudly exclaims. "He received an A." □ 



For more in formation about the Freedmen 's Colony visit 

 http://www.roanokefreedmenscolony.com. 



TOP TO BOTTOM: Echoes of Heritage, a local singing group, sang for the crowd at the 2005 Freedmen 's celebration. Left to right: Naomi 

 Hester, Doris Creesy, Annie Drake, Dellen>a Collins, Essie Brown, Mary Conway and Elner Pierce. Not pictured: Lovey Moore. • The 2005 

 Freedmen 's celebration was held in Cartwright Park, which includes the ruins of the A.M.E Zion Church. • Although the precise location of the 

 Freedmen 's Colony is unknown, locals and historians believe the village stretched from Weir's Point to Pork Point as shown in the plot marks on 

 the northwest end of Roanoke Island. 



COASTWATCH 27 



