Back to Events
Roanoke Colony
Over 100 English colonists vanished from America's first settlement. When the supply ship returned after three years, only one word remained carved in a post: CROATOAN. No bodies. No graves. No struggle. America's oldest mystery.
1587
Roanoke Island, North Carolina, USA
0 The Lost Colony of Roanoke vanished without trace.
The Settlement
1587:
- 117 colonists
- Roanoke Island
- First English colony
- Governor John White
- Virginia Dare born
The Supply Trip
White returned to England:
- For supplies
- Spanish Armada delayed return
- Three years passed
- 1590 finally returned
- Colony empty
CROATOAN
The only clue:
- Carved in post
- No distress sign
- Nearby island name
- Croatan tribe there
- What did it mean?
The Theories
What happened:
- Joined local tribes?
- Killed by Spanish?
- Moved inland?
- Disease?
- Evidence for integration
Modern Evidence
Recent discoveries:
- DNA studies
- Lumbee tribe connection
- Archaeological finds
- Suggests assimilation
- Not massacre
The Mystery
Still unsolved:
- 400+ years
- America’s first mystery
- No definitive answer
- Cultural fascination
- Continues today