Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

A visitor center, interpretive programs and nature trail are open to the public at the site of Sir Walter Raleigh's ill-fated attempts of settlement. The park's visitor center offers a 17-minute park video, exhibits, and bookstore. Park ranger-conducted interpretive programs are offered in the summer months that cover the stories of Roanoke Island and England's first efforts at colonization in the New World. Hiking and bicycling is permitted on the trails.

Roanoke Island was meant to be a brief stop for the 1587 Colonists, but was never planned to be their new home. Their final destination was meant to be the Chesapeake Bay, two days sail further north. The course of history was changed and Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the New World, along with her family and other colonists disappeared in this area, their whereabouts never discovered.

Though the earth comprising the remnants of the fort had eroded and settled to just above the ground level, area residents were referring to the earthworks as "Fort Raleigh" by the late 1800s. Named a National Historic Site in 1941, Fort Raleigh was explored archaeologically and the earthen fort restored in the early 1950's. Prior to that, various log structures had been built as tourist attractions which were not authentic reconstructions.

The fort is the only structure whose site has been located exactly. After intensive archeological studies and excavations from 1936 to 1948, National Park Service archeologists had found enough evidence of the original moat to justify reconstruction in 1950. Among the many artifacts recovered during the excavation were a wrought iron sickle, an Indian pipe and metal counters used in accounting. The fort, which originally commanded a good view of the sound, was reconstructed in the same way it was built in 1585. Some of the recovered artifacts are on display in the park's visitor center.



For more information: Fort Raleigh National Historic Site