The story of the Pea Island Life-Saving Station is a vital part of not only Outer Banks history, but also our nation’s history.
The station on Hatteras Island, in service from 1880 to 1947, stands out in history for being manned by Keeper Richard Etheridge, the only African American keeper in the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, and an all-Black crew. Etheridge, who grew up enslaved on Roanoke Island, became the first Black individual to command a U.S. Life-Saving Service (USLSS) station when selected as the keeper of the Pea Island station on January 24, 1880. The station remained staffed primarily with Black crewmen for 67 years, until March 1947.
Photo: A bronze statue of Keeper Richard Etheridge is positioned at the roundabout at Bideford and Sir Walter Raleigh streets in Manteo.
But this station was known for more than the color of its crew members’ skin. The brave surfmen at Pea Island are credited with performing some 600 rescues. The most famous by Etheridge and his all-Black crew was the October 11, 1896, rescue of all on board the shipwrecked E. S. Newman during a hurricane. The ship ran aground near the Pea Island station at 7 p.m. with winds exceeding 100 mph. The ocean was too rough for the surf boat, and the beach cart that carried the Lyle gun and breeches buoy was mired in the sand. In the end, two surfmen swam through into the dark, breaking waves to the ship with a rope that was anchored to shore. Each person was shimmied to shore along the rope. All crewmen assisted in bringing the captain’s son and wife, the crew of six and finally the captain safely to shore.
At other stations, this heroic act would have been rewarded with U.S. Life-Saving Service Gold Medals for extreme bravery, but the Pea Island crew was not honored or recognized at all. However, 100 years later, thanks to a North Carolina student who did a school project on the all-Black Pea Island Life-Saving Station, all crew members from the 1896 rescue were posthumously honored with Gold Medals on October 11, 1996.
The Pea Island Cookhouse Museum in Manteo during winter 2025 snowfall. Photo courtesy Pea Island Preservation Society, Inc.
The Pea Island Preservation Society, Inc. (PIPSI) a nonprofit organization based in Manteo, is committed to preserving and interpreting this important history. In partnership with the Town of Manteo and the East Carolina Pathways To Freedom Coalition along with grants and private and public funding, the society moved the original Pea Island Station Cookhouse from Rodanthe to Collins Park in Manteo and turned it into a museum honoring the history of the men who served at the Pea Island station between 1880 to 1947.
PIPSI commissioned a life-size bronze statue of Keeper Richard Etheridge by sculptor Steven Smith and installed it near the museum in a roundabout at Collins Park. The Cookhouse site also includes the Herbert M. Collins Boathouse (the last surfmen stationed at Pea Island in 1947 with an original early 1900 Surfboat housed in the boathouse.
PIPSI believes it is important to keep educating the public about these historic events.
"The story of Keeper Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers represents a landmark moment in American history when an all-Black crew, led by Etheridge, performed one of the most heroic rescues in the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service," says Joan Collins, director of outreach and education for PIPSI. "The story highlights the contributions these men made to maritime history during a period when limited opportunities were available to them. It is an important part of the history of the Outer Banks and the nation."
PIPSI Past, Present and Future
Saturday, February 22 at 3 p.m.
If you’re interested in this history, the Pea Island Preservation Society, Inc., will present a special program called PIPSI Past, Present and Future at the College of the Albemarle – Dare on Saturday, February 22 at 3 p.m. The program will feature three short videos highlighting PIPSI’s latest efforts to bring the forgotten story of Keeper Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesavers to life.
Attendees will view three short videos by Elijah York, the owner of The Standard Picture Company, a media production company based in Asheville. York collaborated with PIPSI to produce the videos after discovering the story and closely working with PIPSI to bring awareness to this aspect of American history.
Through the use animation and interviews, York provides a visually engaging narrative that reveals the truth of this history and its significance today. His vision is to reveal more information about the relationships between the lifesavers and the parallels we can compare to present day.
York will speak at the program and will film portions of the event. After viewing the three short videos, participants will be asked to discuss content and provide feedback. Participants will also be afforded the opportunity for a short one-on-one on-camera interview with York at the end of the program.
PIPSI is interested in obtaining feedback and collecting new stories of those who served at Pea Island or interacted with the crew in some special way. They are interested in sharing information about the entire history of the station including stories that have not yet come to light.
The one-hour program is free and open to the public. Due to limited seating, however, early arrival is encouraged. At the end of the program light refreshments will be served.
To learn more about Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Life-Saving Station or to contribute to the Pea Island Preservation Society, Inc., go to peaislandpreservationsociety.com or visit them on Facebook.
About the Author Molly Harrison
Molly Harrison is managing editor at OneBoat, publisher of OuterBanksThisWeek.com. She moved to Nags Head in 1994 and since then has made her living writing articles and creating publications about the people, places and culture of the Outer Banks.
