In August 1587, a group of 117 English men, women, and children vanished from a remote island off the coast of present-day North Carolina without a trace. They left behind abandoned structures, scattered belongings, and a single word carved into a wooden post.
This event stands as one of the most baffling historical puzzles ever recorded. The complete sudden absence of an entire settlement has driven centuries of exploration, archaeological digs, and intensive historical research to uncover what exactly transpired on that secluded stretch of land.
A Flawed Beginning in the New World
John White, a gentleman artist and mapmaker, led the 1587 expedition to establish a permanent English presence in the Americas. Unlike a previous military mission in 1585, this group included families seeking a fresh start. The ship’s navigator forced them to disembark at Roanoke Island, roughly 100 miles or 160.93 kilometers off their intended course to the Chesapeake Bay.
Upon arrival, the settlers found the bones of men from the prior expedition. Tensions with the local Native American tribes escalated immediately after the colonists mistakenly attacked a friendly encampment during a dawn raid.
A Desperate Return for Supplies
Shortly after the birth of White’s granddaughter, Virginia Dare, the settlement faced a dire food shortage. With winter approaching, the colonists convinced White to return to England to secure vital provisions. White sailed back across the Atlantic, leaving his family and the 115 other settlers behind.
Upon reaching England, he found the country bracing for a naval war with the Spanish Armada. Queen Elizabeth I banned all English ships from leaving port. White was stranded in Europe for three years before he could secure passage back to the Americas.
The Cryptic Carving on the Post
When White finally returned to Roanoke Island on his granddaughter’s third birthday, the settlement was completely deserted. The houses had been carefully dismantled. He found the letters C-R-O carved into a tree and the word CROATOAN carved into a garrison post.
White and the colonists had previously agreed that if the group was forced to leave under duress, they would carve a Maltese cross into a tree. White found no such cross. He assumed the colonists had relocated to Croatoan, an island inhabited by a local tribe. A brewing storm prevented his crew from investigating further, and White was forced to leave the New World forever.
The Ongoing Archaeological Search
Historians and archaeologists continue to search for physical evidence of the settlers. Researchers have examined tribal oral histories recorded by the Jamestown colonists in 1607, which suggested the Roanoke group had merged with a local tribe before being killed in intertribal warfare.
In modern times, excavations on Hatteras Island have yielded artifacts, but nothing directly tying back to the 1587 colonists. Scientists are currently using DNA testing, matching the genetics of modern populations with the surnames of the missing settlers, in an attempt to track their movements.