Roanoke Intro

THE SEARCH BEGAN when an anxious Englishman named John White waded ashore on North Carolina’s Roanoke Island 432 years ago. Appointed governor of the fledgling Roanoke colony by Sir Walter Raleigh, White was returning from England with desperately needed supplies.

But when he stepped ashore on August 18, 1590, he found the settlement looted and abandoned. The vanished colonists had left behind only two clues to their whereabouts: the word “Croatoan” carved on a prominent post and “Cro” etched into a tree.

Ever since, explorers, historians, archaeologists, and enthusiasts have sought to discover the fate of the 115 men, women, and children who were part of England’s first attempt to settle the New World. Efforts to solve America’s longest running historical mystery, dubbed the Lost Colony, produced dozens of theories but no clear answers.

DIRECTIONS: It is your mission to find out what happened to the colonists at Roanoke Island. Read through the case studies closely and carefully. Answer all questions thoroughly in order to document all essential details to the case. If you are thorough and accurate working through this assignment, it will take you 2 days.

(NOTE: All of the case studies are in the document. In school, we will try to get through half of them together on the first day and then the last half on the second day. At home, work at your own pace, but just know that you must have all case studies completed within 2 school days.)

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