| The
Lost Colony Roanoke Island, NC |
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Thus began England's first attempts to establish a colony in the Americas... The first expedition landed on an island protected by many barrier islands that we now call North Carolina's Outer Banks. They were met by the Roanoke people led by chief Wingina, and had an easy summer trading trinkets for food. John White was able to gain the trust of the people, and spent a lot of time with them making drawings to take back to England. With little success as pirates against the Spanish, the small colony of soldiers became dependent on the Indian's food. When the weather grew cold, the Roanoke didn't have as much food to share, and didn't want any more trinkets, so they wouldn't trade anymore. The English were getting hungry, so they planned a raid on their summer friends, and ended up killing chief Wingina. They left for England shortly after. The next voyage in 1857 was led by John White, with a group of farmers and families. There were 84 men, 17 women and 9 children. They planned to set up a self-sufficient colony further north, in the Chesapeake Bay area. They planned to stop at Roanoke before going up to the Chesapeake, but didn't have enough provisions and had to take over the previous camp. John White became the first governor, and named the area "Verginia," in honor of the Queen. The Roanoke Indians were now unfriendly, remembering what had happened with the earlier visitors. When supplies ran low, the colony sent John White back to England for supplies, but he couldn't return for three years. When he got back, all the houses had been torn down to make a wall, and everyone was gone. No other trace of them could be found. They then became known as "The Lost Colony." Today, there isn't much left on Roanoke. The only real information comes from John White's drawings, and the journals of Thomas Hariot. In the summer, there is a live outdoor theater dramatization of the story. The show has been running since the late 1930's, and has starred many famous people including Andy Griffith as Sir Walter Raleigh. |
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The
Virginia Adventure : Roanoke to James Towne : An Archaeological and
Historical Odyssey |
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Can you see the difference in these two drawings? |
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(Drawings by John White from copies found at the waterside theater pavilion) |
Roanoke
Island : The Beginnings of English America |
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John White couldn't persuade the crew to spend much time looking for the colony because they were running out of provisions and had to set sail for England. There were many attempts to find the colonists, but nothing was ever found. (Diorama from the visitor's center museum.) |
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 Faces
(Click Here
for more faces) |
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For Younger Readers |
For Older Readers |
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PLEASE DONATE GENEROUSLY TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA
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In
1584, English nobleman Sir Walter Raleigh gathered support of
Queen Elizabeth I and other wealthy men to finance a trip to the New
World. Raleigh's hope was to establish a base for "Privateering,"
or commercial piracy. The Spanish and French were reporting success
in obtaining riches from unsuspecting native people, some who had been
forced into slavery by the Spanish in the Caribbean. Sir Walter Raleigh's
plan was to capture some of that treasure from the Spanish ships, and
return it to England for a profit.
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The
Discoverie of the Large, Rich, and Bewtiful Empyre of Guiana (The
American Exploration and Travel Series , Vol 77)
In
Small Things Forgotten : An Archaeology of Early American Life
Lost
Colony of Roanoke
Roanoke:
The Lost Colony (Keepers of the Ring #1)