Roanoke Colony founded 436 years ago today

JesseKraft

On this day, July 13, 1584, an expedition of two vessels led by Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe landed in what is now North Carolina, having departed England on April 27, to found the Roanoke Island. The Secotan, who controlled the island, initiated contact with the English—two Natives (Wanchese, a Secotan, and Manteo, a Croatan) even volunteered to travel to England—but relations quickly eroded and the English venture failed. In 1587, John White attempted another colony on the same island, which also failed and the colonists disappeared. Collectively, these ventures were underwritten by Walter Raleigh and are now known as the "Lost Colony." After the initial reports faded from the English imagination, this was largely forgotten until 1834, when George Bancroft published an account which positioned the Roanoke Colony as foundational figures in what became the United States—particularly White's daughter, Virginia Dare (the first English baby born in this hemisphere). What, exactly, happened to the roughly 120 colonists who disappeared remains unknown. Today, two towns are located on Roanoke Island, Wanchese and Manteo, named after the two Natives who ventured to England.

Feel free to post any related material.

1937 Roanoke half dollar, which commemorates the White attempt at colonization and the birth of Virginia Dare
American Numismatic Society, 1937.40.8

1630Boston

Great history

bolivarshagnasty

Really like the commemorative. I had once read the story but had forgotten most of it. Thanks for sharing!

cucamongacoin

The Virginia Dare winery once operated here in Cucamonga. Now a refurbished assortment of retail and public use, it previously was a crumbling California Mission style warehouse, and was used in the filming of "Combat" episodes (Vic Morrow, remember him in "The Blackboard Jungle"?)

ricko

It is an enduring mystery.... several attempts have been made to discover what happened to the 'lost colonists'...but, to my knowledge, none have been confirmed. Cheers, RickO

291fifth

DNA might have the answer. I suspect that a few of the original colonists survived and intermarried with Native
Americans. The same thing likely happened centuries before with viking colonists fleeing their failing colonies in Greenland (due to the onset of the "little ice age") and joining the Algonquins in what is now Canada.

Smudge

Daniel Boone found them on the 60’s TV show. He got a Commem too.

keets

What, exactly, happened to the roughly 120 colonists who disappeared remains unknown.

one of two things happened to them, either they fought with the Natives and lost or starved to death. judging by the arrogance of European settlers I suspect it was the former.

Baley

Ffsake, if every coin history thread has to turn into how They ruined everything, this place will become a ghost town. Let's keep it to numismatics if we don't want to ruin this place too

keets

Let's keep it to numismatics if we don't want to ruin this place too.

Numismatically speaking, I think the history of the coin is more interesting than the coin itself. a fairly attractive design was ruined because the designer(s) tried to write the history on the coin. I find all the text very distracting.

CommemDude

Thanks for the excellent write-up... commems are a great connection to historical events , some more significant than others

WillieBoyd2

I have one of these because I like the design and the "Movie Stars on Coins" possibility.

United States half dollar 1937 - Roanoke Island Colony, North Carolina

Supposedly the coin's designer Simpson modeled Sir Walter Raleigh after motion picture actor Errol Flynn.

Baley

@keets said:
Let's keep it to numismatics if we don't want to ruin this place too.

Numismatically speaking, I think the history of the coin is more interesting than the coin itself. a fairly attractive design was ruined because the designer(s) tried to write the history on the coin. I find all the text very distracting.

Agreed maybe. My point was only that we like having you, and the posters to the "closed" thread around these parts, and we'd not like to lose any more... the moderators should and probably will tighten things up the next few months......

stockdude_

I always liked the Roanoke commem. One of the better designs

Mitchell

I'll add a couple of images from my classic commemorative ephemera collection that I sold a while back. Besides the usual holder and mailing envelope, here are a couple of more exotic pieces:

The second image is from a large flyer from the exposition.

PS: I sold my commemorative ephemera collection of holders, envelopes and order forms quite a while back to fund my daughter's bachelor's degree. I think it was a good trade.

Zoins

I'd like to believe the intermarriage too. At least there wasn't a battle or struggle in the settlement.

Cup half full everyone.

kauwisc

ricko

I like the DNA research possibilities.... Great things have begun to appear (convictions for decades old crimes, a TV program tracing lineage of individuals etc.) through DNA research. Good project for that TV show.... Solve the mystery of the Lost Colonists. Cheers, RickO

Zoins

Here's information on the intermarriage theory from Wikipedia.

Very interesting that some Indians had gray eyes, spoke Welsh, and claimed to have English ancestors.

From the early 17th century to the middle 18th century European colonists reported encounters with gray-eyed American Indians or with Welsh-speaking Indians who claimed descent from the colonists.[8] In 1669 a Welsh cleric named Morgan Jones was taken captive by the Tuscarora. He feared for his life, but a visiting Doeg Indian war captain spoke to him in Welsh and assured him that he would not be killed. The Doeg warrior ransomed Jones and his party and Jones remained with their tribe for months as a preacher.[9] In 1701, surveyor John Lawson encountered members of the Hatteras tribe living on Roanoke Island who claimed some of their ancestors were white people. Lawson wrote that several of the Hatteras tribesmen had gray eyes.[10] Some present-day American Indian tribes in North Carolina and South Carolina, among them the Coree and the Lumbee tribes, also claim partial descent from surviving Roanoke colonists.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ananias_Dare

William Strachey, a secretary of the Jamestown Colony, wrote in The History of Travel into Virginia Britannia in 1612 that there were reportedly two-story houses with stone walls at the Indian settlements of Peccarecanick and Ochanahoen. The Indians supposedly learned how to build them from the Roanoke settlers.[8] There were also reported sightings of European captives at various Indian settlements during the same time period.[9] Strachey also wrote that four English men, two boys, and one maid had been sighted at the Eno settlement of Ritanoc, under the protection of a chief called Eyanoco. The captives were forced to beat copper. The captives, he reported, had escaped the attack on the other colonists and fled up the Chaonoke river, the present-day Chowan River in Bertie County, North Carolina.[8][10][11]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Dare

keets

to Virginia Dare, I find it interesting how myths and Legends begin and are continued because the probable truth is too much to consider. there are statues of her as a grown Woman when she most probably died as an infant and books have been written based on unsubstantiated facts.

Zoins

@keets said:
to Virginia Dare, I find it interesting how myths and Legends begin and are continued because the probable truth is too much to consider. there are statues of her as a grown Woman when she most probably died as an infant and books have been written based on unsubstantiated facts.

Think positive @keets!

kaz

Recently, some evidence has been found that at least some of the settlers may have left the island, gone up a river and settled on the mainland. Some 16th c pottery and artifacts were found during test excavations at a housing development. Also, a symbol for a fort was found (in about the same area) on a period map in England.
For many years the Lost Colony play has been performed in Manteo. A few years ago someone noticed that a crude portrait of QE I hanging in the gatehouse looked, well, pretty old, and it turned out to be an authentic 16th century portrait of the Queen, worth a fortune! Apparently it was donated by someone who had no idea what it was.

Cameonut

I hunted for a Roanoke commem for several years before I pulled the trigger. Once the virus restrictions are gone, I plan to visit the area as it is only a few hours from the house. I have appreciated all the historical posts thus far - thanks. Here is my Roanoke.

JesseKraft

@Cameonut said:
I hunted for a Roanoke commem for several years before I pulled the trigger. Once the virus restrictions are gone, I plan to visit the area as it is only a few hours from the house. I have appreciated all the historical posts thus far - thanks. Here is my Roanoke.

Nice commem! Love the toning mixed with sheer luster!
I've been to the island before, it's a nice day out! Also Kitty Hawk is right across the sound and you can almost see the two from each other. The pair makes for a good weekend. If you're an angler, make it an extended weekend!

pursuitofliberty

Enjoyed this thread when you posted it, and still think it's a good historical read with some great coins and memorabilia as well @JesseKraft

I have always liked this design, and now I have two examples. My first is an original skinned white coin, and then there is this one, which I picked up recently and photographed this morning before it goes to it's hiding spot.

It has the nice telltale markings from it's time in the original TAB holder like @CommemDude posted.

This one has one of those green thingies on the holder too.

silverpop

from what i see it's coin related so there is no issue, talking about the coin and why it was made is just part of a coins history and the other stuff has what i call history value as it tells what happened, the ideas surrounding the fate of these people all interlaced with the coin

the Mods have no issue with such threads or they would of shut this down long time ago

BillJones

Here is the coin I have that is closest to the 1587 date. It's a Queen Elizabeth I six pence dated dated 1592.

JesseKraft

Very nice, @BillJones!