Richard Etheridge
(Dare County)
Featured Character – 1863
Pea
Island Life-Saving Station Crew
Courtesy of the Outer Banks History
Center
Richard Etheridge was born a slave on Roanoke Island, where he
remained until the island became the location of North Carolina’s
Freedmen’s Colony. During the Civil War, he was a sergeant in the
United States Colored Troops while he also acted as an advocate and
leader in the civil rights movement on the island. Etheridge
participated in Edward Wild's raid of northeastern North Carolina.
Etheridge
guarded prisoners at Port Lookout, Maryland
and went on raids in coastal Virginia. In 1864, the unit fought
gallantly at the
Battle of New Market Heights. During
the
battle, former slaves faced Confederate units that contained some of
their
former owners. After
Lee’s surrender,
the regiment served on the Texas-Mexico border before their
demobilization in
September 1866. After the war,
Etheridge became the first black man to lead
a lifesaving crew for the U.S. Life-Saving Service at Pea Island
station, where he worked from January 1880 until May 1900. Though he
was often discriminated against while holding this position, Etheridge
became a hero after an
incident involving the burning of his station.
His surfmen’s successful operations ensured the safe passage of
shipping in the Outer Banks.