The Roanoke Colony: They Left One Word Behind

What happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke? In 1590, John White returned to Roanoke Island after nearly three years away—and found the settlement abandoned. His daughter was gone. His granddaughter, Virginia Dare, was gone. The other colonists were gone. But they hadn’t left without a clue. Carved into the abandoned settlement were the words “CRO” and “CROATOAN.” Was Croatoan the destination of the missing colonists? Did they move inland? Did they join nearby Indigenous communities? Or did the colony slowly disperse until the settlement itself disappeared? In this episode of The Evidence Room, we examine the evidence behind one of America’s oldest historical mysteries—and separate what we know from what we only think we know. More than four centuries later, the fate of the Lost Colony of Roanoke remains unresolved. What do you think happened to the Roanoke colonists? #Roanoke #LostColony #Mystery HistoricalMystery #LostColonyofRoanoke #JohnWhite #VirginiaDare