History of Manteo & Roanoke Island

This tiny island nestled between the mainland and the Outer Banks is one of the most historic pieces of real estate in the country. In the late 1500's, Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh made the first attempt at English colonization of America here--and failed miserably. The settlement of 117 men, women and children disappeared without a trace and became known as The Lost Colony.

Lost though they were, they were never forgotten. A visit to Roanoke Island vividly illustrates the community's commitment to their memory. The nation's longest-running outdoor drama, The Lost Colony, recreates their tale on summer nights, and the remains of the original settlement can be seen at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. The Roanoke Island Festival Park interprets the area's early history with a distinctive Elizabethan flare. The North Carolina Aquarium, the quaint Manteo waterfront, and the fishing village of Wanchese also offer day-trippers great insight into what makes the Outer Banks such a special place to live and visit.

England's Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter to Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a colony on Roanoke Island in 1584. An expedition arrived and eventually took two intelligent natives, Manteo and Wanchese, along with promising reports of a new land, back to England. In 1585, another expedition which included artist John White, Thomas Hariot, and others made their way to Roanoke Island. These colonists only lasted through the winter and spring before accepted a ride in June 1586 with Sir Francis Drake who was passing by enroute home from the West Indies.

Sir Richard Grenville arrived on Roanoke Island a few weeks later, only to find it deserted. He left fifteen of his own men to maintain England�s claim to the new land. In 1587, John White returned leading another expedition that was bound for the Chesapeake Bay. With the intention of only stopping by to pick up the men left earlier by Grenville, the settlers were put ashore by a captain intent on returning to a privateering expedition. No trace of the 15 men were ever found, and the colonists soon found themselves without supplies. White agreed to return to England. When he was finally able to return in 1590, these colonists had too disappeared, including his granddaughter Virginia Dare. The only clue to their disappearance was the word ''Croatoan'' carved on a tree.

Various theories have surfaced throughout the years as to what happened to the Lost Colony, and one by one, they seem to have been discounted. The Jamestown (Virginia) settlers appear to have been the only ones to try and make contact with any living lost colonists. Records of the explorations have been documented, and they seem to have come close on several occasions to actually locating the missing colonists. So, today, over 400 years have passed, and no one really knows their fate - and probably no one ever will.