Roanoke Still Raises Questions Centuries After England's First Colony Vanished

By Dennis Lennox — Jul. 09, 2021

Centuries after the disappearance, uncertainty still surrounds Roanoke Island. Travelers can explore the place tied to England’s first colony in the New World.

The first English settlement in America is easy to miss beside the better-known beaches of the barrier islands that make up North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

That feels appropriate in a way, since the Roanoke Island colony — explored in 1584, then settled in 1585 and again in 1587 — became known as the Lost Colony. The effort was backed by Sir Walter Raleigh, who had letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I for territory along the Atlantic called Virginia, covering land in today’s North Carolina, Virginia and several other states.

Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake and others of their generation moved between roles as courtiers, privateers and explorers while England’s ambitions challenged Spain’s dominance in the New World. The place associated with the colony is now protected by the National Park Service as Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.

About 20 minutes from the Nags Head beaches, the site sits a couple miles beyond the inviting downtown of Manteo. The small coastal community is named for Manteo, an Indian who developed a friendship with the English settlers and later became the first Indian baptized into the Christian faith by the Church of England.

Within a year, the first group of colonists had given up and left with Drake after he reached the area following successful attacks on Spanish ports in present-day Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Cartagena, Colombia; and St. Augustine, Florida.

The earthwork fort at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site was rebuilt from findings made through archeological excavations. Dennis Lennox photographed the site.

A second group, led by Governor John White, landed in 1587 and moved into structures the earlier settlers had abandoned. White’s daughter soon delivered Virginia Dare, remembered as the first English birth in the New World. Like Manteo, she was baptized with the Church of England’s 1559 Book of Common Prayer. Elizabeth I had restored the Anglican rites after the death of Queen Mary, her Roman Catholic predecessor and half-sister.

As with the earlier attempt, the new colony quickly faced hardship. Conditions grew serious enough that White sailed back to England to obtain supplies for the settlement, which then included more than 100 men, women and children, his granddaughter among them.

White’s return was postponed partly because of the 1588 Spanish Armada, which aimed to invade England and, among other goals, overturn the English Reformation and bring back Roman Catholicism. When White finally came back in 1590, the settlement had disappeared. The only signs left behind were two inscriptions: Croatan in all-capital letters and the shortened form Cro. Later searches by White, and even much later efforts by Jamestown colonists, failed to locate the missing people.

Inside the Adventure Museum at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo, North Carolina, Dennis Lennox photographed the exhibits.

The most compelling question is what actually happened. Visiting the Outer Banks makes it hard not to want a fuller answer about Roanoke, even though the known facts remain limited. During the visit, several explanations came up, and speculation about the mystery appears to be a local pastime.

The theory heard most often was that the English settlers abandoned their failing colony and joined the friendly Croatan Indians of Manteo’s tribe near present-day Hatteras Island, eventually becoming part of that culture. Other accounts suggest they died from disease or were killed amid geopolitical conflict between rival Indian tribes.

Many explanations are weakened by the shortage of archeological proof, especially the absence of bones that would show colonists were killed by Indians or died from starvation. Aside from a reconstructed earthwork fort from 1950, discoveries at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site remain fairly limited.

A National Park Service ranger explained that later land use over the centuries had disturbed the site. Daniel Hossack, manager of the nearby Elizabethan Gardens, offered a similar view. He said repeated erosion from centuries of hurricanes and other natural forces could mean much of the colony’s original setting now lies underwater beyond the present shoreline.

Additional evidence may emerge from artifacts recently found about 50 miles from Roanoke Island. The absence of final proof may also help explain the enduring appeal of The Lost Colony, an outdoor drama staged since the 1930s. First written by Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Green, the production presents a theatrical version of the history in nightly performances at an amphitheater roughly 100 yards from the reconstructed earthwork fort.

If You Go

The Holiday Inn Express Nags Head, where Dennis Lennox stayed, offers beachfront views that feel worth a million dollars. Travelers focused more on history than beaches can choose The Roanoke Island Inn or The Tranquil House Inn, both in Manteo.

In addition to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Roanoke Island Festival Park includes an informative museum, Elizabeth II, a 69-foot replica of an Elizabethan-era ship, and costumed historic interpreters. This year’s production of The Lost Colony runs through August 21, 2021.

This article was originally posted on ChristianPost.com.

Author

Dennis Lennox covers travel, politics and religious affairs. His work has appeared in the Financial Times, Independent, The Detroit News, Toronto Sun and other publications.