The Lost Colony of Roanoke — America's Oldest Unsolved Mystery (1590)

In 1587, 117 English colonists established a settlement on Roanoke Island in present-day North Carolina under the leadership of John White, as part of Sir Walter Raleigh's Virginia charter. Among them was White's daughter Eleanor Dare, who gave birth to Virginia Dare — the first English child born in the Americas. When supplies ran short, White sailed back to England to seek resupply, but the Anglo-Spanish War and logistical difficulties delayed his return for three years. When White finally arrived back at Roanoke on August 18, 1590 — his granddaughter's third birthday — the settlement was deserted. Every building had been dismantled, and the colonists' possessions were gone. Carved into a wooden post at the entrance to the palisade was a single word: 'CROATOAN.' On a nearby tree, the letters 'CRO' had been carved. White had arranged with the colonists that if they moved, they would carve the name of their destination, and that they would add a Maltese cross if they were in distress. There was no cross. 'Croatoan' was the name of a nearby island (now Hatteras Island) inhabited by a friendly Native American tribe. White attempted to sail to Croatoan but was forced back by storms and eventually returned to England, never seeing the colonists again. Archaeological investigations continue to this day, with some evidence suggesting the colonists dispersed and integrated with local Native American communities.