preview

Lost City of Roanoke

Good Essays

The story of Jamestown was one of America's first documented mysteries. There are clear facts about this voyage that have been documented. In 1587, John White did make a temporary establishment on or near Roanoke Island, and that after leaving for three years did return to the island in 1590. On his return, all traces of the colonist having lived there for those three years had vanished. No Jamestown colonist is known to be seen from again. So what happened to them during those three years? Jamestown, which was led by Governor John White, landed on Roanoke Island between April and late July 1587 and was a royal grantee of Sir Walter Raleigh. Jamestown was a small, self-supporting community that was suppose to be protected by the …show more content…

On the other hand how long did the men awaiting Whites return stay on Roanoke Island? Old Frame houses and a commanding building had been on the island from an earlier trip in 1585 and were restored by the colonist along with an enclosure and a main entrance. This construction of the palisade involved considerable labor and must have taken some time to build. So from this most assume that the English men lived fairly conformably on the island, surviving the winter without any serious loss. This can not be established but the solidity of the barrier they build suggests it. These men expected White anytime after Easter and probably grew impatient, so there is no assurance that they stayed on the island any time after June 1588. There are only two pieces of evidence throughout the Outer Banks between 1587-1590 of the Jamestown colonist. The first was the landing of an Irish captain, William, most likely in August of 1587. Sir George Carey, a probable backer of White's expedition, governor of Isle of Wright, had sent the privateer, "Swallowe", out of its way to check on the colonist. It was on its way back to Ireland when it stopped to look for the Roanoke settlers. The Irish reported finding a stray mule and stray cattle, but no people. The Irish did try to establish contact with the colonist, but at what specific point along the Outer Banks is in question. The other piece of

Get Access