Illustrations by Gugu Ferrara; Shutterstock.com (all other images)
The Lost Colony
A group of colonists disappeared more than 400 years ago. Have researchers solved the mystery?
As You Read, Think About: What were some of the challenges the Roanoke colonists faced?
It was August 1590. John White had just spent about five months at sea. Three years earlier, White had left his family and friends on Roanoke Island, near what is now North Carolina. He was looking forward to seeing them again. But they were all gone.
What happened to the Roanoke Colony? Today experts are still trying to solve the centuries-old mystery. Researchers like Scott Dawson have spent years searching for clues. He says that a recent discovery could finally close the case.
A New Home
Jim McMahon/Mapman®
White and about 115 men, women, and children had set sail from England in 1587. They headed for what they called the New World. After a difficult journey at sea, they arrived on Roanoke Island.
Thousands of Native people already lived in the area. Some didn’t trust the English people. One Native tribe had been attacked by an earlier group of English explorers. They attacked White’s group, killing one person. But another tribe, called the Croatoan (kroh-ah-TOH-an), did help the colonists.
Without a Trace
Still, the colonists struggled to survive. Just a month into their new life, they were starving and scared. They begged White to return to England for supplies.
White sailed home, but his trip took longer than expected. When he returned to Roanoke three years later, the village was gone. The wooden houses had been taken apart. All the colonists had vanished.
There was a clue. The word CROATOAN was carved into a wooden post. Had the colonists moved 50 miles south to modern-day Hatteras Island, where the Croatoan lived?
White didn’t get the chance to find out. Storms kept him from searching. He was forced to return to England, and he never saw the colonists again.
Finding Clues
Dawson is sure the colonists went to live with the Croatoan. In 2024, researchers found iron flakes called hammer scale on Hatteras Island. The material comes from blacksmithing. That’s the process of turning metal into weapons and tools.
“None of the Native people knew how to blacksmith,” Dawson says. If not for colonists, he asks, how did hammer scale end up on Hatteras Island?
But not all experts agree. Just ask archaeologist Charles Ewen. He points out that blacksmiths used a fireplace called a hearth. But no hearth has been found nearby. Plus, Ewen argues, the flakes could have been left behind by explorers or settlers other than the Roanoke colonists.
Over the years, researchers have dug up dozens of items. They claim these clues prove different ideas (see “Solving the Mystery”). But Ewen and other experts are skeptical.
“They could all be wrong,” Ewen says. “There’s just so little real data out there.”
Ewen believes we’ll one day learn the truth. For now, the lost colony remains a mystery.
1. Based on the article, why did many Native people around Roanoke Island not trust English people?
2. Summarize the main ideas of the section “Without a Trace.”
3. Why does researcher Scott Dawson believe the discovery of hammer scale on Hatteras Island is significant?
