In 1590, a group of about 117 English settlers mysteriously vanished from Roanoke Island without a trace. The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island remains one of the oldest mysteries in the world that remains unsolved to this day.
In 1584, the first group of English settlers came to Roanoke Island to explore and map the land for future groups.
In August 1585, the English made their second attempt to settle on Roanoke Island, which is off the coast of North Carolina. Founded by Sir Walter Raleigh, the settlement came to be known as The Roanoke Colony.
The second group of English colonists had been entrusted with military and scientific missions. But this group’s trip was far from peaceful as they were suspected, by native Americans, of taking up their land and resources. Ultimately, the group was driven out in 1586 by local tribes. The group returned to England aboard a ship captained by Sir Francis Drake.
In 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh sent out another group of about 120 English settlers, including women and children, to Roanoke Island under the leadership of John White. This was their third attempt to settle on Roanoke Island, which is off the coast of North Carolina.
On August 18, 1857, the daughter of John White gave birth to a girl. The girl was named Virginia Dare, who became the first English child born in the Americas.
Later that year, John White sailed back to England for procuring a fresh load of supplies for the new settlers. But just as he reached England, a naval war broke out between England and Spain. Queen Elizabeth called upon all available ships to join the war against Spain.
The war delayed the return of John White, with supplies, to Roanoke Island. He was finally able to return to the island in August 1590, three years after he had left the island for England. However, White found the island deserted with no trace of inhabitants. Everyone had mysteriously vanished without a trace.
While looking for clues about the group, White found the word – ‘CROATOAN‘ carved into a wooden post. Before leaving for England, White had instructed the settlers to carve a sign of the place they were going to if they ever moved. He had also asked them to add a ‘cross’ sign if they were in any distress. White found no ‘cross’ sign marked anywhere.
‘Croatoan’ was the name of an island south of Roanoke that was home to a Native American tribe of the same name. White assumed the settlers had left Roanoke to live with the friendly Croatoan tribe. But due to inclement weather and other reasons, White could never visit Croatoan Island, and he never heard about his settlers.
Numerous investigations into the disappearance of Roanoke settlers have continued over the centuries, but there has been no definite answer to the mystery yet.
The mysterious and sudden abandonment looks similar to the haunted abandoned ghost town of Kuldhara in Rajasthan, India.
Some researchers believe the colonists were killed or abducted by hostile Native Americans. Some theories state the settlers tried to sail back to England on their own and got lost at sea. Some believe the group was massacred by the Spaniards, who had come from Florida, while others believe the settlers assimilated into friendly local tribes.
Archaeological digs at Hatteras Island (formerly known as Croatoan Island) have unearthed late 16th-century European artifacts. However, this does not prove that English settlers moved from Roanoke to Croatoan Island as the items could have been acquired by trade or plunder.
Since 1937, the mystery is relived every year in a play called, The Lost Colony, which is performed outdoors at Wayside Theatre at Fort Raleigh in North Carolina.
Despite continuing research and numerous theories, no one exactly knows what happened to the Roanoke settlers, and this remains one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
