15851585–1590 · Roanoke Island, North Carolina

The Roanoke colonies and the Lost Colony

Grassy earthwork banks of the reconstructed fort at Fort Raleigh, framed by woodland — Photo: Sarah Stierch. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Walter Raleigh sponsored England's first attempts to settle North America on Roanoke Island, among Carolina Algonquian peoples whose lives John White painted. A military colony withdrew in 1586; in 1587 a second group of about 115, including White's newborn granddaughter Virginia Dare, was left behind. When White returned in 1590 they had vanished, leaving only the word 'CROATOAN' carved on a post.

Sites

Site 1: Fort Raleigh National Historic SiteReconstructed earthwork fort, woodland trails and the outdoor Lost Colony theatre.Map ↗
Site 2: Roanoke Island Festival Park, ManteoReplica 16th-century ship, settlement site and Algonquian town with interpreters.Map ↗

Guides who take you there

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