HISTORICAL MYSTERIES
THE LOST COLONY
OF ROANOKE
The colony that disappeared – and left
behind one word.
1587
ROANOKE ISLAND
VIRGINIA, USA
HISTORICAL MYSTERIES
THE LOST COLONY
OF ROANOKE
The colony that disappeared – and left behind one word.
1587
ROANOKE ISLAND
VIRGINIA, USA
QUICK FACTS
YEAR
In the year
1587
LOCATION
Roanoke Island,
Virginia
COLONY
English Settlers
(about 117-118 people)
FAMOUS WORD
"Croatoan" craved on a tree
OFFICIAL HISTORICAL ACCOUNT
Read more about the Roanoke Colony on the National Park Service and Library of Congress websites.
BACKGROUND
The Roanoke Colony was a British settlement established in 1587 on the Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina, in what was then British Virginia.
It was the third attempt by the English to establish a permanent colony in the region. Lead by the Sir Walter Raleigh, the colony was intended to expand English influence in the New World.
In 1587, a group of settlers, including men, women and children arrived on Roanoke Island to build a new settlement, but within a few years, they vanished.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
1584
English exploration of the region.
1585-1586
Earlier Roanoke settlement established.
1587
New colony established on Roanoke Island.
July 1590
John White returns to England.
Aug 1590
John White returns to Roanoke.
1590
Colony found abondoned when they check it.
"CROATOAN"
"CROATOAN" discovered carved on a tree.
CONFIRMED FACTS
1587
The year in which the Roanoke colony was established in British-Virginia.
Roanoke Island
The colony was located off the coast of present day- North Carolina.
About 117-118 people
There were about 115 settlers including men, women and the children.
"Croatoan"
The word carved on a tree, the only clue left behind the people who used to live there.
KEY CLUES
THE CROATOAN CARVING
The famous word "Croatoan" carved into a tree at the deserted settlement.
THE
SETTLEMENT
Traces of the colony found on Roanoke Island, but no people found when John White returned in 1590.
HISTORICAL RECORDS
Letters and reports from the period, with no clear explanation for the disappearance of the colonists has been found.
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
INVESTIGATION OVER THE YEARS
For centuries historians, archaeologists and researchers have searched for answers about the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Studies of historical records have provided clues, but no definitive explanation has been found.
CURRENT STATUS
UNSOLVED
More than 430 years later, the fate of
the Lost Colony of Roanoke remains a mystery.
No definitive historical record exits to explain
what happened to the settlers.
POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS
These are proposed explanations, not established facts.
THEORY 1
JOINED ANOTHER
SETTLEMENT
Some believe the colonists may have moved to nearby Spanish or English settlement.
STATUS:
UNCONFIRMED
THEORY 2
LEFT FOR
CROATOAN
They may have gone to Croatoan Island, where they had some known contacts.
STATUS:
UNCONFIRMED
THEORY 3
CONFLICT OR
HARDSHIP
Disease, conflict with local tribes and other challenges may have forced their departure.
STATUS:
UNCONFIRMED
THEORY 4
OTHER
EXPLANATIONS
Other ideas include capture, fleeing or many other unknown events also that may have happened.