The Lost Colony of Roanoke
Roanoke Island, North Carolina, USA
What happened
In 1587, English settlers led by John White arrived by ship on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina. White soon sailed back to England for supplies, but a war with Spain kept him away for three years. When he returned on 18 August 1590, the settlement was empty.
Why it matters
About 116 men, women and children vanished, and no one knows for sure what happened to them. It is one of the oldest unsolved mysteries in American history.
What came next
White found the word 'CROATOAN' carved on a post, which he thought meant the colonists had gone to nearby Croatoan Island, but storms stopped his search. Archaeologists are still looking for clues today.
Did you know?
John White's granddaughter, Virginia Dare, was born in the colony on 18 August 1587, exactly three years before he came back to find it empty.
Timeline
- 1585Ralph Lane leads the first English settlement on Roanoke Island.
- 1586Lane's colonists return to England with Sir Francis Drake.
- 1587John White's colonists arrive, and Virginia Dare is born.
- 1587White sails back to England for supplies.
- 18 August 1590White returns and finds the colony deserted.