The Mystery of Roanoke Colony
Learn the Mystery of Roanoke Colony
- The Roanoke Colony was England’s first attempt at a permanent settlement in North America.
- The people of the colony disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind an empty fort.
- The colonists and their bodies were never found.
- The only clue found was the word, ‘CROATOAN’ carved into Roanoke’s fort palisade.
- Hypotheses include that the colonists were taken in or killed by the local Croatan Indians.
carved at Roanoke’s fort palisade
by unknown
Lost Colony of Roanoke
The Roanoke Colony was England’s first attempt to establish a settlement in the Americas. Sadly, the effort failed when the settlers vanished under mysterious conditions, earning it the nickname “The Lost Colony.”
Jamestown and Roanoke Island Colonies
by NOAA
Where was the colony located?
The Roanoke Colony was situated on Roanoke Island, just off the coast of what is now North Carolina. At the time, this area was considered part of Virginia.
Early Plans
In 1584, Queen Elizabeth I granted Sir Walter Raleigh the land of Virginia in North America. The British aimed to expand their empire by establishing a presence in the Americas. Raleigh sent Captain Philip Amadas and Captain Arthur Barlowe to explore the region. They came across Roanoke Island and encountered the local natives. Raleigh decided it was an ideal spot to set up a colony.
First Colony at Roanoke
The first expedition to Roanoke was led by Sir Richard Greenville. The expedition arrived at Roanoke in 1585. Greenville left 107 settlers, all men, at Roanoke under the charge of Ralph Lane. Greenville then returned to England in order to gather additional supplies for the settlement.
The settlers built a fort at Roanoke, but struggled to survive. It didn’t help matters that they were constantly fighting with the local Native Americans. When English explorer Sir Francis Drake passed by the settlement and offered to take them back to England, the colonists agreed. Not long after the colonists left, Captain Greenville finally returned with new supplies only to discover that the settlement had been abandoned. He left a small group of men on the island and then returned to England.
Second Colony at Roanoke
A second attempt at starting a colony at Roanoke occurred in 1587. This time 115 colonists travelled to Roanoke led by John White. They hoped to find the men that Greenville had left a year earlier. However, upon their arrival, all they found at the settlement was a human skeleton. Despite this setback, the colonists began to build their settlement on Roanoke. Not long after their arrival, a girl named Virginia Dare was born. She was the first child born in the Americas to English parents.
Unfortunately, the colonists continued to have disputes with the local tribes and some colonists were killed. They also discovered that they were ill-prepared to build a thriving colony. John White decided to return to England in order to gain supplies and reinforcements for the colony.
The Colony has Disappeared
After returning to England, White could find little help for the colony. England was in the middle of a large battle with Spain and the Spanish Armada. As a result, White was unable to return until three years later in 1590. When White arrived he found the colony completely abandoned. The only clues that White found included the word “Croatoan” carved into a fence post and “Cro” carved into a tree.
White found no sign of a struggle, however, and figured that the colonists had moved to Croatoan, which was what they called a nearby island (Hatteras Island). He also had reason to hope because he had told the colonists to carve a Maltese cross if they were being forced leave. Since he found no cross, he figured the colonists were okay. White was unable to search the nearby island for the colonists because of a bad storm and was forced to return to England.
The colonists were never heard from again and the colony gained the nickname the “Lost Colony.”
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