Most don't know but he got his start in the Play "Lost Colony" which is still running today in Nags Head. He loved the area so much he made it his home.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Colony_(play)
From a different link.
MANTEO, N.C. (AP) -- A sword used by Andy Griffith during his days as a young stage actor in "The Lost Colony" is back in the hands of the play's production designer. Griffith presented the sword to Tony Award winner William Ivey Long on Thursday. Long said he initially believed that a September fire that destroyed most of the play's costumes had also claimed the sword. But Griffith called him the day after the fire and said he had the sword. Griffith used the sword for five years beginning in 1949, when he started in the role as Sir Walter Raleigh. The Mount Airy native later went on to roles in film, on Broadway and then his namesake television show. (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)