It was August 1590. John White had just spent months at sea. Finally, he was back on Roanoke Island, which is now part of North Carolina. White couldn’t wait to see his family and friends. He had left them behind three years earlier. But when White got to their village, everyone was gone!    

What happened to the people of Roanoke? Today experts are still trying to solve the mystery. 

Researchers like Scott Dawson have spent years scouring the area for clues. Dawson says a recent discovery could finally close the case.

It was August 1590. John White had spent months at sea. Finally, he was back on Roanoke Island. The island is now part of North Carolina. White wanted to see his family and friends. He had left them behind three years earlier. But when White got to their village, everyone was gone!

What happened to the people of Roanoke? Today experts are still trying to solve the mystery. 

Researchers have spent years scouring the area for clues. One of them is Scott Dawson. Dawson says a recent finding could finally close the case.

White and about 115 men, women, and children had set sail from England in 1587. They headed for America, which they called the New World. Their plan was to start a colony.    

When they arrived on Roanoke, thousands of Native people were already living in the area. Some didn’t trust the English people. One Native tribe had been attacked by an earlier group of English explorers. So they attacked White’s group. One person was killed. But another tribe helped the colonists. That tribe was called the Croatoan (kroh-ah-TOH-an).

White and about 115 men, women, and children had sailed from England in 1587. They headed for America. They called it the New World. Their plan was to start a colony.    

They arrived on Roanoke. Thousands of Native people were already living there. Some didn’t trust the English people. One Native tribe had been attacked by an earlier group from England. So they attacked White’s group. One person was killed. But another tribe helped the colonists. That tribe was called the Croatoan (kroh-ah-TOH-an).

Still, White and the other settlers struggled to survive. After about a month, they were scared and hungry. They begged White to return to England for food and supplies. 

White sailed home. But his trip took longer than expected. When he returned to Roanoke, the village was gone. Weeds grew everywhere. 

There was one clue. The word CROATOAN was carved into a wooden post. The Croatoan lived 50 miles south of Roanoke on what is now Hatteras Island. Had the colonists moved there? 

Huge storms kept White from searching. He was forced to return to England. White never saw his family and friends again.

Still, the settlers struggled. After about a month, they were scared and hungry. They begged White to return to England for food and supplies. 

White sailed home. But his trip took longer than expected. When he returned to Roanoke, the village was gone. Weeds grew everywhere.

There was one clue. The word CROATOAN was carved into a wooden post. The Croatoan lived 50 miles south of Roanoke. They lived on what is now Hatteras Island. Had the colonists moved there? 

Huge storms kept White from searching. He had to return to England. White never saw his family and friends again.

Dawson believes the colonists went to live with the Croatoan. Last year, researchers found iron flakes on Hatteras Island. The material comes from blacksmithing. That’s the process of turning metal into weapons and tools. 

“None of the Native people knew how to blacksmith,” Dawson says. But the colonists did. If the settlers hadn’t moved to Hatteras, how did the flakes get there?

Dawson thinks the colonists went to live with the Croatoan. Last year, researchers found iron flakes on Hatteras Island. Iron flakes come from blacksmithing. That’s the process of turning metal into tools. 

“None of the Native people knew how to blacksmith,” Dawson says. But the colonists did. If the settlers hadn’t moved to Hatteras, how did the flakes get there?

But not all experts agree. Just ask archaeologist Charles Ewen. He argues that blacksmiths need a special fireplace called a hearth. But no hearth has been found nearby. Plus, Ewen says, iron flakes are common at historical sites. They could have been left by a different group of colonists.

Over the years, researchers have found dozens of items. They claim these clues prove different ideas. But Ewen and many other experts are skeptical.

“They could all be wrong,” Ewen says. “There’s just so little real data out there.”

Ewen believes we’ll one day learn the truth. But for now, the lost colony remains a mystery.

But not all experts agree. Just ask archaeologist Charles Ewen. He argues that blacksmiths need a special fireplace. It’s called a hearth. But no hearth has been found nearby. Ewen also says iron flakes are common at historical sites. Maybe they were left by another group of colonists. 

Over the years, researchers have found many items. They say these clues prove different ideas. But Ewen and many other experts are skeptical.

“They could all be wrong,” Ewen says. “There’s just so little real data out there.”

Ewen believes we will one day learn the truth. But for now, the lost colony remains a mystery.