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Archaeological Site

Fort Raleigh (Lost Colony)

English colonial · 1585 to 1590, Roanoke Island, NC
ON THE CHART
Evidence status: Historical tradition. no documented source (historical tradition); legal status unknown (manual verification recommended). This account is presented as historical tradition, not verified fact. Manual verification recommended. Repository evidence: 0 sources · 0 timeline events · 0 media items · legal unknown · view on the Map Evidence on file: historical tradition

Fort Raleigh (Lost Colony): still unexplained.

First English colony; the 'Lost Colony' mystery

The law of this ground: PROTECTED federal NPS land, unauthorized digging/detecting prohibited; active dig sites restricted.
The subject
developing the photograph…
Of note
First English colony; the 'Lost Colony' mystery
The account

~115 colonists vanished between 1587 and 1590, leaving only 'CROATOAN' carved on a post. Still under active NPS investigation.

Leads, where the trail points now
  • Pin down the most specific last-known position in the record before going; the search centers on Roanoke Island, NC.
  • What you are chasing is First English colony; the 'Lost Colony' mystery. Work the documented record of Fort Raleigh (Lost Colony) back to primary sources and separate what is attested from folklore.
  • PROTECTED federal NPS land, unauthorized digging/detecting prohibited; active dig sites restricted.
What the record holds

What remains open

  • No period map of the site has surfaced.
  • No contemporary press coverage has been found.
What we know, and what we don't
Established

No documentary claim is yet established. The account rests on tradition.

Still open
  • No period map of the site has surfaced.
  • No contemporary press coverage has been found.
The evidence room

No documentary or visual exhibits have been located yet. The trail below and the open leads are where this dossier grows next — every exhibit that enters here carries a source.

Where the trail points now
  • Pin down the most specific last-known position in the record before going; the search centers on Roanoke Island, NC.
  • What you are chasing is First English colony; the 'Lost Colony' mystery. Work the documented record of Fort Raleigh (Lost Colony) back to primary sources and separate what is attested from folklore.
  • PROTECTED federal NPS land, unauthorized digging/detecting prohibited; active dig sites restricted.
  • Search Library of Congress + DPLA (IIIF) for period cartography of the site.
  • Run Chronicling America for dated newspaper mentions.
  • Query NARA for archival records tied to the site.

Have a source, a map, or a clipping? Add a lead and it enters the record with its citation.

Start the hunt here
The first leads, so no one walks in cold.
Sources and the record
Related case files

The full hunt kit

Starting brief, what's known and disputed, evidence timeline, source list, map card, coordinate-confidence and legal-access summaries, and a field checklist, free with a Fellowship account.

Latest Word From the Newswire

Context, not proof. The dossier's own sources remain the evidence record.

Checking the wire…

Chart position 35.937°, -75.708° (approx.) View on the Map