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The lost colony of Roanoke
A settlement vanishes with a single word carved
When John White returned to Roanoke Island in 1590 he found the settlers gone and the word CROATOAN carved on a post. What happened to them is unknown, and theories include moving to nearby Native communities.
The colony was founded in 1587 with roughly 115 settlers under John White, who sailed back to England for supplies later that year. War between England and Spain delayed his return for about three years, and he landed in August 1590 to find the houses dismantled and the word carved on a post.
White had told the settlers to carve a cross if they left under duress, and he found none. Croatoan was both the name of a nearby island, now part of the Outer Banks, and of the Native people living there. A storm prevented a search of that island, and the ships left.
Theories reviewed by historians include assimilation into Native communities, a split group, a relocation inland, or deaths from attack or disease. None is proven. Archaeological work has looked for settler objects on Hatteras Island and elsewhere, with suggestive but not conclusive results.
The mystery matters because it was the first English attempt at a lasting settlement in North America and shows how fragile early colonies were.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in North Carolina now preserves the area, and archaeologists keep testing new leads.