The Lost Colony of Roanoke

In this WebQuest you will become historical detectives tasked with solving a mystery that has gone unsolved for over 400 years: the fate of The Lost Colony of Roanoke Island.

In the late 16th century, English artist John White led a group of 115 colonists to start a new colony on Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. After founding the colony in 1587, White returned to England to get more supplies. He hoped to only be gone for three months, but It was three years before White was able to return. When he did, every single person in the Roanoke colony had disappeared, including his wife, daughter and granddaughter. The only clue White found was the word CROATOAN carved into a post, as well as the letters CRO carved into a tree. Before leaving White had left instructions that if the colonists left the settlement, they were to carve the name of their destination, along with a Maltese cross if they left due to danger.

The fate of those first colonists remains unknown to this day and is one of America's most intriguing unsolved mysteries. Archaeologists, historians, and other researchers continue to work to resolve the mystery.  Today you will join them.