- Question
What happened to the lost colony of Roanoke?
Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina, was colonized in May of 1587. John White, in charge of the colony, left that August to retrieve more supplies from England, leaving behind roughly 115 colonists on the island. White’s timing was poor and was unable to return to Roanoke until 1590. When he arrived, he found the entire colony had vanished, the only clue to their disappearance was the word “Croatoan” carved into a tree. Since then, what has happened to the colonist at Roanoke has plagued history and mystery buffs alike.
The settlers were murdered by a local Native American tribe
A previous attempt to colonized Roanoke Island had been made between 1585 and 1586, but they soon returned to England after attacks from Native Americans. It is more than possible that the same event could have occurred with this batch of colonists as well.
Settlers joined with nearby Native tribes and assimilated into their culture
Not all relations with local Native American tribes were fraught. When Native ambassador, Manteo, had traveled to England and back with colonists, and returned with the particular set of colonists who arrived on Roanoke Island in 1587.
The colonists moved inland
Instead of moving to Croatoan Island, the colonists chose to move inland. John White, the governor of Roanoke was a talented artist and cartographer who created the best map of the North Carolina coast to date. The colonists could have followed that map, which has been said by experts to be extremely accurate, inland.
The settlers were abducted by aliens
This entry documents the fringe theory that the lost colonists of Roanoke were abducted by aliens. Proponents argue it would explain why no bodies were ever found at the sites—though there is no evidence for it, and historians favour far more earthly explanations.
The lost colony of Roanoke disappeared due to a zombie plague
If Roanoke were to be the single example of a zombie plague afflicting a populace, it may explain why the colonists suddenly disappeared. As a self-contained island with a relatively small population, that could explain why there weren’t any further outbreaks.