He rose from slave to lifesaver. Here’s how the Outer Banks immortalized him.

A former slave who saved many lives at the Outer Banks as a Coast Guard captain had a bridge named in his honor on Tuesday.

Capt. Richard Etheridge was born a slave in 1842. He rose to become the leader of the Pea Island Life-Saving Station, an all-African American unit credited with saving “countless” lives, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The U.S. Coast Guard awarded Etheridge and his crew the Gold Lifesaving Medal for a heroic rescue of those on board the E.S. Newman during a hurricane in 1896, the department said. A Coast Guard cutter also is named in his honor. Etheridge died in 1900, according to the Associated Press.

N.C. DOT Secretary Jim Trogdon and other state and local officials dedicated the Capt. Richard Etheridge Bridge in a ceremony at the Rodanthe-Waves-Salvo Community Building in Rodanthe, on Hatteras Island.

The bridge, formerly known as the Pea Island Interim Bridge, was completed last year to replace a temporary metal bridge constructed after Hurricane Irene breached N.C. 12 in 2011.

“It’s fitting that, even though it’s been more than a century since his most heroic moment, Capt. Richard Etheridge will continue to play a role in keeping people safe along this stretch of coastline,” Trogdon said in a statement.

Said Dare County commissioners’ Chairman Robert Woodard: “I cannot think of a more appropriate way to honor Capt. Richard Etheridge. I hope every Outer Banks resident that crosses this bridge thinks about his legacy, and shares his story with everyone in their vehicle.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2018 at 7:54 PM with the headline "He rose from slave to lifesaver. Here’s how the Outer Banks immortalized him.."