The Lost Colony

This passage describes what happened in the lost colony of Roanoke Island.

Lexile Level: 1080L

Categories: History Mystery

John White left a colony of British settlers on Roanoke Island in August 1587, never to see them again. Roanoke Island is located off the coast of North Carolina. White arrived in England on November of 1587 to gather supplies to carry back to the Roanoke colony, but he did not reach Roanoke Island until 1590 due to England's war with Spain. But they had not been abandoned during that time because in 1587, Captain William Irish had arrived in Roanoke to bring supplies. Captain William Irish found no one. It appeared that the Roanoke colonists had mysteriously disappeared. Finally, John White returned to Roanoke Island on August 18, 1590 only to discover the houses taken down and the word "CROATOAN" carved into a wooden palisade. Many more search parties were sent to find the lost colonists, but all were unsuccessful. Today the lost colony remains one of American history's greatest mysteries.