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Atlas Obscura - Latest • Jan. 21, 2026, 9:51 p.m.
The Lost Colony of Roanoke in Manteo, North Carolina
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Located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Roanoke Island is home to one of America’s most enduring mysteries: the disappearance of an entire colony without a trace. Roanoke Island was first surveyed by English explorers in 1584, when the Spanish Empire was still the dominant colonial power in the Americas.
The English statesman Sir Walter Raleigh sought to establish a colony in the region to give the English Crown a foothold on the continent and build a base of operations for privateering—the state-sanctioned practice of raiding foreign commercial vessels. The reconnaissance mission identified Roanoke Island as a promising location, with its soil described as “the most plentiful, sweet, fruitful, and wholesome of all the world.” Roanoke Island’s natural bounty notwithstanding, the colonization project proved more challenging than expected.
The English statesman Sir Walter Raleigh sought to establish a colony in the region to give the English Crown a foothold on the continent and build a base of operations for privateering—the state-sanctioned practice of raiding foreign commercial vessels. The reconnaissance mission identified Roanoke Island as a promising location, with its soil described as “the most plentiful, sweet, fruitful, and wholesome of all the world.” Roanoke Island’s natural bounty notwithstanding, the colonization project proved more challenging than expected.
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