ROANOKE ISLAND

island in Dare county, off the coast of North Carolina, U.S. It lies south of Albemarle Sound, between the Outer Banks and the mainland. The island, 12 miles (19 km) long and 3 miles wide, was the site of the first attempted English settlement in North America and the birthplace of the first child (Virginia Dare) of English parents born in the New World. In 1584 the island was explored by Captains Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe, who had been sent there by Sir Walter Raleigh to select a site for an English colony in North America. After two months' exploration of the North Carolina coast, they returned to England with two Indians, Manteo and Wanchese, and samples of tobacco and potatoes. Raleigh first attempted to found a colony of 108 settlers under the command of his cousin, Sir Richard Grenville. They sailed from Plymouth, Eng., in April 1585 and landed on the north end of Roanoke Island, where they built a fort. Grenville then returned to England to secure more supplies, leaving the colony under the command of Ralph Lane. Faced with dwindling food supplies and Indian attacks, the colonists soon grew discouraged, and the whole group returned to England with Sir Francis Drake in 1586. Two weeks later Grenville arrived at Roanoke with supplies to find the colony deserted, and he left 15 men there to hold England's claim. Raleigh's second colony, consisting of about 150 settlers under the command of John White, landed at Roanoke Island in July 1587 but found the 15 men vanished and the fort razed. The settlers built houses, and Virginia Dare was born on Aug. 18, 1587. White soon returned to England to procure more supplies, but the war with Spain prevented him from obtaining a ship with which to relieve the colony. When White did return to Roanoke in August 1590, he found the settlers had disappeared, leaving no clue to their fate except the word Croatoan carved on a tree. Since 1937 the story has been portrayed near Manteo in an outdoor drama, The Lost Colony, by Paul Green. The name Roanoke is probably of Algonkin Indian origin signifying northern people; it has also been applied to place where shell beads are found. On Dec. 7, 1862, Confederate troops under Colonel Henry M. Shaw surrendered the island to Federal general Ambrose E. Burnside. Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (1941) is a restoration of the lost English colony. Manteo, the county seat, and Wanchese, a fishing village, are also tourist attractions.