Flagship USS Minnesota/Hotel de Afrique
Side A:Flagship USS MinnesotaUSS Minnesota, a wooden steam frigate built in 1855, was the flagship for the Atlantic Blockading Squadron commanded by Flag Officer Silas H. Stringham. Seven U.S. Navy warships bombarded Forts Hatteras and Clark, August 28-29, 1861. This was the first time the U.S. Navy employed the tactic of having ships sail in a single oval formation. Using Stringham's innovative maneuver, the fleet rained down a continuous barrage of several thousand shells. Seven African American sailors manned the forward gun on the USS Minnesota firing on these Confederate fortifications. This black crew was mustered in at Boston, Mass. and included: William Brown, Charles Johnson, George Moore, George H. Roberts, George Sales, William H. White and Henry Williams.
Side B:
Hotel de AfriqueThe 1st Safe Haven for African Americans in North Carolina during the Civil War
The New York Times
Friday, January 29, 1862
"Capt. Clark has erected a very commodious wooden house on the beach for the use of fugitives who have recently arrived from Roanoke Island. It is christened "Hotel de Afrique." Franklin Tillet, the older man who last arrived, came down from Roanoke Island in a boat, bringing with him fifteen of his household... They are very expert boatmen, and are very useful in pulling about the inlet and working along the shore."
As the demands for safe haven continued to increase, this small structure, along with nine wooden barracks built behind Fort Clark, became the predecessor to the Freedman's Colony on Roanoke Island. The Hotel was approximately 1-1/2 miles west of this location.
Marker can be reached from Museum Drive 0.2 miles west of Coast Guard Drive.
Courtesy hmdb.org
