On the surface, the Bridge View neighborhood seems like a great place for development: It's located near the water and has room to grow, but beneath the surface there are thousands of Native American ruins, raising questions.
Dozens of homes already stand along the Intracoastal Waterway at Cedar Point in Carteret County, between Jacksonville and Emerald Isle, but a multimillion-dollar project to continue construction was halted after developers dug up the skeletons of the homes.
The findings sparked a debate in the state Legislature over a bill that would allow the development to go ahead despite the findings.
Acting State Archaeologist Chris Southerly said it's the most significant discovery North Carolina has seen in the last 30 years and may be one of the most significant discoveries ever made in the state. Southerly said more than 2,000 pieces of evidence buried below the surface show longhouses, fish drying racks, ceremonial areas and other features of a village that may have been home to the first people who encountered early English settlers.
Cecil Hage, who lives nearby, said he was shocked by the idea of building on what may have been a Native American village.
“My personal opinion is, if they find it and they know about it, they should stop building,” Hege said.
A WRAL investigation uncovered multiple campaign contributions from members of Cedar Point Developers to Sen. Michael Lazzara (R-Onslow), who is pushing a bill to ease development restrictions.
The bill has raised concerns from Native American advocates across the state.
Casey Kinsella is vice-president of 7 Directions of Service, an Indigenous-led environmental justice and community organizing organization.
“This sets a dangerous precedent for sacred sites across the state,” Kinsella said.
Kinsella said building regulations are already too lax: According to the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, only about 2 percent of coastal projects have undergone archaeological surveys in the past four years.
“This is completely unacceptable,” Kinsella said. “We want people to think, 'How would I feel if this was my ancestor?'”
Hege, who is Native American, wants to learn more about his land, which is just one street away from the Bridgeview community.
“If we knew for certain we were sitting on a cemetery, we would sell this place tomorrow,” Hege said.
Others in the community told WRAL News they have concerns, but no one wants to speak up for fear of backlash from the developer.
WRAL News reached out to Cedar Point Developers LLC several times in various ways with these concerns and other questions. The company did not respond to requests for comment.