The Colony of Roanoke’s Mysterious Disappearance | The UnXplained (Season 3)
Summary
TLDRThe Roanoke Colony, established in 1587 on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, was the first English settlement in North America. It mysteriously vanished in 1590, leaving behind only the word 'Croatoan' carved into a post. Theories on the disappearance range from relocation to assimilation with local tribes. Despite extensive archaeological efforts, the ultimate fate of the 'Lost Colony' remains one of American history's enduring mysteries.
Takeaways
- 🏰 Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in North Carolina marks the site of the first English settlement in North America, known as the 'Lost Colony' of Roanoke.
- 🕵️♂️ The Roanoke colony mysteriously vanished in 1590, leaving behind no trace of the colonists, which remains one of the enduring mysteries of American history.
- 🚢 In the 1580s, England sought to establish colonies in the Americas to gain a share of the wealth that Spain and other nations were amassing from their colonies.
- 🌊 English mapmaker John White led the expedition to Roanoke Island in 1587, with 117 colonists, but had to return to England for supplies, leaving the colony unattended.
- ⏳ White's return to Roanoke was delayed by three years due to conflicts with the Spanish Navy, during which time the colony disappeared.
- 🔍 Upon his return in 1590, White found the settlement abandoned, with houses dismantled and a new, well-built fort in place, indicating a possible relocation.
- 🗝️ White discovered the word 'Croatoan' carved into a post, which he had instructed the colonists to leave as a sign if they moved, pointing towards the nearby island of Hatteras.
- ⛈ A storm prevented White from immediately searching for the colonists at Hatteras, and he was never able to return to the New World to look for them.
- 🏺 Archaeological excavations on Hatteras Island have uncovered artifacts such as a gold ring and an Elizabethan sword hilt, suggesting possible links to the lost colonists.
- 🤔 The absence of any remains or clear signs of violence at the site of the Roanoke colony adds to the mystery of what happened to its inhabitants.
Q & A
What is the significance of Roanoke Island in American history?
-Roanoke Island is significant as the site of the first English settlement in North America, known as the 'lost colony' due to its mysterious abandonment in 1590.
Why is the colony of Roanoke referred to as the 'lost colony'?
-The colony of Roanoke is called the 'lost colony' because it was mysteriously abandoned, and the colonists vanished without a trace in 1590.
What was the primary motivation for England to establish colonies in the Americas during the late 16th century?
-The primary motivation was to participate in the colonization of the Americas to access wealth and resources, as exemplified by the Spanish, and to avoid being overrun by enemies.
Who was John White and what was his role in the Roanoke colony?
-John White was an English map maker commissioned to found a new colony on Roanoke Island. He led the group of 117 colonists to the island in 1587 and later returned to England to gather more supplies and colonists.
Why did John White have to return to England shortly after arriving at Roanoke Island?
-John White returned to England to obtain more supplies and additional colonists, which were deemed necessary for the colony's survival and success.
What delayed John White's return to Roanoke Island after his departure?
-John White's return was delayed by three years due to conflicts with the Spanish Navy, which prevented him from reaching Roanoke Island as planned.
What did John White find upon his return to Roanoke Island in 1590?
-Upon his return, John White found the entire settlement abandoned, with houses dismantled and a new, well-built defensible fort in their place.
What was the cryptic clue John White discovered that suggested the colonists' whereabouts?
-John White found the word 'Croatoan' carved into a wooden post, which was a clue pointing to the nearby island and tribe of the same name.
What recent archaeological findings have been made in relation to the Roanoke colony mystery?
-Archaeologists have found a gold ring from Elizabethan times and the hilt of an Elizabethan sword in a Native American village, suggesting possible connections to the lost colonists.
What remains a mystery despite extensive archaeological efforts on Hatteras Island?
-Despite the archaeological findings, the absence of skeletons or clear signs of an attack or siege leaves the ultimate fate of the Roanoke colonists a mystery.
Why does the legend of the Roanoke colony continue to intrigue people?
-The legend of the Roanoke colony continues to intrigue due to the ambiguity surrounding the colonists' disappearance and the unanswered questions about their fate.
Outlines
🏰 The Mystery of Roanoke: America's Lost Colony
The first paragraph delves into the historical enigma of Roanoke, the first English settlement in North America, which was established over 400 years ago in present-day North Carolina. Known as the 'lost colony,' Roanoke was mysteriously abandoned in 1590, leaving no trace of the colonists. The narrative highlights the fascination with Roanoke due to the scarcity of information compared to other settlements like Jamestown and Plymouth. It sets the stage for the exploration of the events leading to the colony's disappearance. The English, eager to establish a presence in the Americas like the Spanish, sent John White to found a colony on Roanoke Island in 1587. After an arduous journey, White and 117 colonists arrived, but the need for more supplies led White to return to England, planning to return in less than six months. However, conflicts with the Spanish Navy delayed his return for three years. Upon his return in 1590, he found the settlement abandoned, with houses dismantled and a new, well-built fort in their place. A cryptic clue, 'Croatoan,' carved into a post, suggested the colonists might have moved to Hatteras Island, home to a native American tribe.
🔍 Unearthing Clues: The Search for Roanoke's Lost Colonists
The second paragraph continues the narrative by detailing the efforts of archaeologists in recent years to solve the 400-year-old mystery of Roanoke's lost colonists. Excavations on Hatteras Island, known historically as Croatoan, have yielded significant findings, including a gold ring from the Elizabethan era and the hilt of an Elizabethan sword found in a Native American village. These discoveries hint at the possibility that some colonists may have survived and integrated with the Croatoan tribe. However, despite extensive archaeological work, no human remains have been found, leaving the ultimate fate of the colonists shrouded in mystery. The ambiguity surrounding their disappearance fuels the legend and intrigue surrounding Roanoke, with questions remaining about whether the colonists moved elsewhere or if there was a more sinister reason for their vanishing.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Roanoke
💡Lost Colony
💡English Settlement
💡Abandoned
💡John White
💡Croatoan
💡Archaeologists
💡Hatteras
💡Assimilation
💡Ambiguity
Highlights
Roanoke, the first English settlement in North America, mysteriously abandoned in 1590.
The lost colony of Roanoke remains a central mystery in the origin of the United States.
England sought to colonize the Americas for wealth and power in the late 16th century.
John White, an English map maker, was commissioned to establish a colony on Roanoke Island in 1587.
The Roanoke colonists were middle-class Londoners seeking new opportunities.
John White returned to England for supplies, planning to be back within six months.
Spanish conflicts delayed White's return to Roanoke for three years.
Upon White's return in 1590, the Roanoke settlement was abandoned, with no sign of the colonists.
A well-built defensible fort was found in place of the previous houses, suggesting a change in circumstances.
The word 'Croatoan' carved into a post was a potential clue to the colonists' fate.
Hurricane prevented White from immediately searching for the colonists at Hatteras Island.
Archaeological excavations on Hatteras Island have provided new evidence about the lost colony.
A gold ring from Elizabethan times suggests possible contact between colonists and the Croatoan tribe.
An Elizabethan sword hilt found in a Native American village raises questions about the colonists' survival.
The absence of skeletons or signs of attack adds to the mystery of the colonists' disappearance.
The legend of Roanoke persists due to the ambiguity surrounding the settlers' fate.
Transcripts
fort raleigh national historic site
north carolina
more than 400 years ago this was the
site of a colony called roanoke
the first english settlement in north
america
roanoke is known as the lost colony
because it was mysteriously abandoned in
1590
and the colonists vanished
without a trace
the lost colony remains this mystery
that's at the very heart of the origin
of our nation people remain fascinated
by roanoke because we know so little
about the place
we know what happened in jamestown
we know what happened at plymouth
but roanoke is this mystery because we
don't know what happened when we think
about the founding of the united states
of america we think of it in this fairly
linear way that colonists showed up they
settled they moved west america and
really it turns out that there were a
number of false starts
in how this country got started
and one of those was the colony at
roanoke this was a group of people who
showed up and were ready to settle but
what happened to that colony
is one of the big unanswered questions
of american history
what happened to the roanoke colonists
perhaps the answer can be found by
examining the events in the late 16th
century that led to their fateful
disappearance
in the 1580s england was a very small
poor struggling island that really
wanted to get in
on the game of colonizing the americas
because that's where the money was
the english were looking at the spanish
ships coming back laden with gold and
various commodities from their empire if
you like in mexico south america florida
and of course that was making spanish
very powerful
essentially it was a case of if we don't
find our own source of wealth in this
new world we could be sort of overrun by
our enemies
in 1587 an english map maker named john
white was commissioned to found a new
colony on roanoke island
which had been claimed by a british
expedition to the new world two years
earlier
after an arduous two-month voyage across
the atlantic ocean white and 117
colonists landed on roanoke island
the people who chose to come along on
this ill-fated expedition were
middle-class people from london so they
were eager to find new lands because to
have land in england meant everything
that's what gave you status
but they knew they needed more supplies
and more colonists in order to succeed
in order to thrive
so john white decided to return to
england in order to get those needed
supplies and colonists
on august 25th 1587
only three months after first arriving
on roanoke
john white set sail for england
he planned to return with aid in less
than six months
but a series of conflicts with the
spanish navy would delay white's return
mission for three long years
in august of 1590 john white returns to
roanoke island they anchor
offshore and when they arrive it's dark
and it's too late for them to go ashore
but john white is happy
because he sees a fire in the distance
and he assumes that the settlers are
there waiting for him
maybe even have seen his ship and have
lit a bonfire in order to guide him in
the next morning white came ashore
expecting to find the colonists there to
welcome him back
but to his surprise there was no sign of
them the entire settlement was
completely abandoned
john white gets back to roanoke but
there's no sign of anyone and he finds
all the houses have been taken down
and in their place is a very very well
built defensible fort so a little bit of
a mystery you've got this new fort that
wasn't there in 1587 when he last saw
them
and the place is deserted
where have they gone
eventually john white came across a
cryptic clue as to the whereabouts of
the colonists
he found the word
crueltone
mysteriously carved into a wooden post
john white told the colonists when he
left in 1587 that if they were to
abandon the settlement that they should
leave a secret token as he called it
behind so that he would know where to
find them and this seemed to be the
answer here was proatown carved onto the
post
probation was what we call hatteras
today an island about 50 miles to the
south
it's also the name of the tribe of
native americans who lived on the island
but when john white prepared to set sail
to search for the colonists a storm blew
in
and damaged his ship
and he was forced to return to england
unfortunately john white was never able
to return to the new world to search for
the lost colonists
but in recent years archaeologists have
carried out extensive excavations to try
and solve this 400 year old mystery
archaeologists have been digging on
hatteras what was called proatoen and
they have come up with some remarkable
evidence
the first
most important piece of evidence found
was a gold ring that was made in
elizabethan times this was big news
because it seemed to indicate the
possibility that at least one of the
colonists had been on croatoan island
and then another competing team was
digging on hatter's island
and what they found was really
intriguing they actually discovered the
hilt of an elizabethan era sword that
was found in a native american village
now whether or not this is
something that belonged to a lost
colonist remains to be seen
it's possible some did survive long
enough to have a family and that there
would have been assimilation with the
croatoans
and yet considering how much archaeology
that's been done we have no skeletons
where are they
that is a mystery
if we had found dead bodies scattered or
obvious signs of a siege or an attack
that would be the answer that we need
we get this word croatian but did people
actually make it there where did they go
what happened
to this group of settlers it's the
ambiguity that really keeps this legend
alive
[Music]
it's hard to imagine that an entire
colony that was home to over 100 people
could just
vanish the thin air did the colonists at
roanoke simply decide to move somewhere
else
or was there a darker reason
behind the disappearance
you
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