One of the most mysterious disappearances in American history was that of “The Lost Colony” of Roanoke. In 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh brought in a group of English settlers, who settled on Roanoke Island, off the northeast coast of North Carolina. This first group of settlers left Roanoke in 1586 and returned to England. A second group arrived in 1587 and established the first English settlement in the New World. In that year the first white child of English parents was born on American soil.
Her name was Virginia Dare. When additional supplies were brought in from England four years later, the entire group of settlers had disappeared. What happened to Virginia Dare and the members of Roanoke’s “The Lost Colony”?
The lost colony
As Roanoke’s first colony was being established, plots were uncovered to overthrow Elizabeth I and place the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots on the English throne. Within months of Mary’s execution in February 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh’s final colony sailed to the new world. Led by Governor John White, 117 men, women, and children left England on May 8, 1587. With the ship’s pilot concerned about the summer hurricane season, the settlers were forced to land on Roanoke Island, instead of traveling further north to your destination destination on the Chesapeake Bay.
From the beginning, the settlers were plagued by food and supply shortages and had difficulty living peacefully with the Native Americans. On August 27, 1587, John White, who had been appointed Governor of Roanoke, left the settlement and returned to England in search of supplies. A secret code had been worked out with the settlers so that if they left Roanoke Island, they would carve their new location into a visible tree or pole. If the move had to be made due to an attack, either by Indians or Spaniards, they were to carve the letters or name a distress signal in the form of a Maltese cross.
Before the colony could be resupplied, war had broken out between England and Spain. White was unable to return to Roanoke Island until 1590, at which point he found the settlement abandoned. Two carvings provided the only clues to the settlers’ fate: “Cro” was carved into one of the trees and “Croatan” was carved into a fence post. Croatan (the Indian name for “Hatteras”) was the name of a nearby island, but no traces of the settlers were found there or anywhere else. Storms prevented further search, and the small fleet returned to England, leaving behind the mystery of “The Lost Colony.”
Shrouded in mystery
To this day, no one is sure where the lost colony went, or what happened to them. There is general agreement that not enough supplies were sent to meet the needs of the settlers before the settlement could become self-sufficient. Dr. David B. Quinn, one of the recognized authorities in the Lost Colony, believes that most of the settlers traveled overland to the southern shores of the Chesapeake, where they were later massacred by the Powhatan Indians.
The National Park Service’s Fort Raleigh National Historic Site commemorates the early English attempts to colonize the New World, including “The Lost Colony.” Established in 1941, the 513-acre park includes the preservation of Native American culture, the American Civil War, the Freedman Colony, and the activities of radio pioneer Reginald Fessenden.
Visiting the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
The park’s visitor center houses a museum with exhibits on the history of English expeditions and colonies, the “Lost Colony” on Roanoke Island, and the Civil War and Freeman Colony. A gift shop is operated by the Roanoke Island Historical Association.
There are no lodging or camping facilities in the park. They can be found in Manteo and adjacent communities and on the Cape Hatteras National Coast.
The drama Lost Colony, which has been running since 1937, combines acting, music and dance to tell the story of the Roanoke Colony of 1587. It runs every night (except Saturdays) from early June to late August. For ticket information, call 252-473-3414 or 800-488-5012. Every August 18, the drama Park and “The Lost Colony” commemorate the birthday of Virginia Dare, born on Roanoke Island on that date in 1587.
