Lost Colony still intrigues

JIM RIDOLPHI

Contributing Columnist

The Outer Banks has become home away from home for many Virginians, especially during the summer vacation season. Locals choose the pristine beaches, pirate culture and endless supply of things to do as the perfect vacation spot, and many return annually to enjoy the splendor of its natural beauty.

Some of us are lucky enough to have spent a lifetime of visits to the beaches of North Carolina and have grown up with mythical tales of lost colonies and hapless mariners who experienced heartbreak o the treacherous shoals that parallel the tiny stretch of land.

Of all the legends and tall tales, one remains paramount in the minds of many who frequent the area: What happened to a tiny band of English settlers who landed on Roanoke Island in 1587, and vanished less than two years later?

The mystery of what happened to these 115 men, women and infants has intrigued historians for centuries. Their plight was immortalized in Paul Green’s production of “The Lost Colony,” an outdoor production performed since 1937 on the very spot the colonists landed.

As a young child, I sat in that amphitheater in total silence as the play ended. The only sound came from the waves as they gently splashed against the shore as an audience pondered what could have happened to these poor souls.

It made an impression on me and provided me a lifetime interest in the colony and what might have occurred.

The single clue left behind by presumably the colonists was an etching on a tree trunk containing the word “Croatoan.” For years, that provided historians with the best evidence for a solution, and popular theories surmised the group had picked up and moved the 50 miles south to Hatteras Island, then known as Croatoan. English investigators visited the island in the 19th century and concluded the settlers had intermarried with Indian tribes in the area.

Over the years, other theories have emerged. Perhaps, the settlers, desperate for supplies, had packed up and headed back to England, possibly lost at sea during the voyage. Or maybe Spanish settlers or Native Americans had attacked the English settlement and murdered the group.

The latest installment of the mystery began when scientists found strange markings on a map made by John White, who headed up the Roanoke mission. He had returned home to gather supplies for the settlement, but was delayed in his return for two years. When he reached Roanoke Island, the settlement had disappeared.

The markings led scientists to head inward to Bertie County where they began to dig for artifacts and discovered several pieces of pottery whose origin was believed to be English and from the same period of time.

After an excavation of that site and another located nearby, that group of scientists and historians believe they have solved the mystery.

But other experts believe the shards of pottery found could have come from a variety of sources, and cannot find reasonable explanations why the colonists would travel to an area inland that had been identified as dangerous territory.

So, even with the latest technology and the expertise of dozens of experts who have spent lifetimes studying the colony, the mystery remains.

And as another group of excited tourists heads south for fun in the sun, The Lost Colony opens another season near Manteo, and a new group of enthusiasts will sit and hear that silence as the play ends…and wonder.

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