4 An old engraving shows John White finding the word CROATOAN in a tree upon his return to the colony CROATOAN
An Entire Settlement of Colonizers Disappears In 1587 a ship from England made their way toward new land It headed for a small island off the coast of what is now North Carolina This island was named Roanoke A colony was built there as the first English settlement in the New World That alone makes it a significant part of history But it is also notable for a different reason Only about a month after landing times got rough The settlement's mayor John White sailed back to England in 1587 He planned to ask for more resources White expected the trip to be quick It wasn't In August 1590 White and his crew finally returned to Roanoke When they arrived no one greeted them Not a single soul was left at the settlement White and his crew searched and searched The only clue they found ད 1
was the word CROATOAN That word along with the letters CRO was carved into nearby trees and posts A nearby island was called Croatoan Some historians think the colonizers moved there They may have joined an Indigenous tribe that already called it home Items that only the colonizers could have brought have been found there That is the only proof The mystery remains unsolved CITY OF ROANOKE 116 Number of people who originally landed on the island Some historians think the colonizers tried to sail back to England too Other historians believe they were killed by a nearby Indigenous tribe They might have died from disease But that doesn't explain the strange carvings VIRGINIA 6
7 A BIG DELAY White arrived in England in November 1587 Shortly after a naval war began between England and Spain All available ships were needed for the battles Had White been able to return on time things may have gone much differently Roanoke is also called The Lost Colony Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic drive near current day Roanoke Virginia
