The Dare County Trails Committee invites members of the community to discover a hidden gem—the Marshall and Gussie Collins Trail in Manteo—and to learn more about the highly regarded and well-respected couple to whom the scenic walkway is dedicated during a ceremony that will be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2024.

The ceremony will take place at the Virginia S. Tillett Community Center, which is located at 950 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo and serves as the starting point of the scenic walkway, which was formally established in November 2017. Extending approximately 2 miles from the Dare County Governmental Center in Manteo to the Coastal Studies Institute in Skyco, the trail meanders through picturesque woodlands and along the marsh that borders the Croatan Sound.

The ceremony will include an overview of the history of Marshall and Gussie Collins, an African-American couple who owned and farmed the land surrounding the trail and present-day Dare County Governmental Center. 

This free event will feature several keynote speakers, including Deborah Jefferson, a granddaughter of Marshall and Gussie Collins, as well as Sharon Warner, a great-granddaughter of the couple, who will share information about the Collins family and the 300-acre property they owned—a significant portion of which the couple generously donated to Dare County and currently houses the Dare County Administration Building and Dare County Justice Center. 

Light refreshments, including coffee, tea, cookies and pastries, will be served during the event, and following the ceremony attendees are invited to enjoy a stroll along the scenic trail. 

Click here to learn more about the trail!