The Lost Colony

The Roanoke Island settlement established by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1587 in north eastern North Carolina disappeared some time after Raleigh sailed back to England not to return for three years.  The colony was not to be found; thus the "lost colony".  Historians have debated for years over the fate of those settlers for years with no accepted explanation.  The director of the Lost Colony Center for Science and Research-Fred Willard-suggests a new theory (at least new to me).  He has suggested that the colony found a valuable crop to export back to England-Sassafras-that was used in the making of tea and medicine for any number of illnesses.  He further claims that Raleigh and others in charge of the company that funded the settlement kept the secret of the colonist to themselves to protect the market  in sassafras cultivation.  The colonist, in order to better grow the crop, moved inland about 50 miles to an area known as "Beachland" which is now in the area of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.  The colony existed for another 20 years producing unknown number of shiploads of the crop for export back to England.  At some point the colonists intermingled with the native population and in essence disappeared.  Willard believes the sassafras was transported to Croatan (now called Hatteras Island) for shipment to England.  100 years after the "disappearance" of the colony natives in the area were found "with gray eyes who spoke of white ancestors who could read from a book".

(Source:  "Lost Colony's roots are found" by Jeff Hampton of The Virginian Pilot of Virginia Beach, VA.  

The Virginian Pilot on 7/25/15).