The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-11-07
ON THE TRAIL OF
COLONY
Discoveries Which Suggest That
"Croatan' Was Mays Head
BY T. II. NASH. Jr.
Charlotte. :,

lave the shifting sands at Nays
Head given up the l~ong-buried Sc
cret of the fate of the Lost Colony?
Have the winds swept bare a record
written in grim tragedy more than
three centuries ago? At least two per-
sons are convinced that the answer
to these questions is, positively yes.
One Of these is DR.. James .. Hath
away, of Elizabeth City, N. c.. and
the other is the writer of this article.
Herein are set forth some of the cir
cumstances, facts, and deductions
which are the basis for hat convic-
ton.
Location of Mays Head.
Mays Head is the name given to a
portion of the low-lying stretch of
sand which forms a natural breakwa-
shore. Mays Head proper xtends
from Kill Devil Hill on the north to
Oregon Inlet on the south. In width
it varies from three quarters Of a
mile to two miles, and dow it's very
middle runs a long chain of immense
dunes. Not very many years
these sand hills, like the greater part
Of h land. were thickly wooded.
However, the most significant facts
for the of this article in con-
nection with Mays Head are the large
fresh-water pond located just north
Of the last sand-hill, and the distance
Of Fort Raleigh OF h northern end
of Roanoke Island, home for Il time
Of the White Colony, which lies jest
four miles across Albemarle Sound
from this pond. These descriptive d.
tails are required for the purpose OF
location. It is necessary to state. in
addition, that Mays Head is a jealous
ly exclusive summer resort.
The northeast blast which blows
steadily in winter beats against the
northermost Mays Head hill with UNI
Interrupted violence. No obstruc-
ton stands between the ocean and the
hill. AS a result the immense dun is
moving steadily from northeast to
southwest, filling in as it goes the
smaller ponds, once part Of the big
pond, which now lie between the
hill and a less important chain Of
still wooded hills nearer the sound
side.
Finding the Traces.
One day this past uInmer a party
from the summer colony, returning
from a days fishing in the fresh pond
discovered just at the northeastern
ase of the first mill a small plot Of
sand streWn with broke pieces OF
clay pottery, which they surmised to
be of Indian make. The pieces had
been swept bare OF sane during the
winter. A day or two later, a special
party, Of which I was a member, Wis
tied the Indian kitchen,-as it was
termed for want Of a better name. We
were interested, in the beginning
simply in the indian relics, and we
collected many of the largest frag-
ments Of the pottery, arrow-heads,
~tomahawks, skinning-knives n
pieces Of flint. One member Of the
party found what seemed to be q
crude stone pipe. All Of us noticed
small pieces Of chinaware, or glazed
white earthenware decorated with a
blue design, lying about. The thought
came to me at once hat here might
be a trace of the Lost Colony. The
other members Of the party only
laughed at h suggestion, and | my
self soon dismissed the thought as
improbable. 7 was interested enough.
however, to bring away several speci-
mems of the chinaware, and I was
later informed that a small piece OF
similar design had been found at Fort
Raleigh and sent to h State Mu,
scum, though I haven't confirmed
that information. AS I considered
the presence there Of this china at
the same level as the Indian pottery,
and obviously left there at the same
time, the first thought returned with
more conviction, but | saw no way
Of verifying that conviction at the
time.
DIR. Hathaway's Interest.
The matter would probably have
rested here had not DR.. Hathaway
learned OF the discovery Of the china
mixed in with the Indian relics. He
at once attached great Importance to
the probability hat a trace Of the
Lost Colony had been revealed. he
was at Mays Head at the time. n
visited the place where the relics a
been found. Several hundred yards
to the south Of the first place, n
higher up the hill he discovered an
other "kitchen,'' from which he took
Fl number of arrow-heads, but found
no pieces of china. He brought back
several pieces of the china from the
first Kitchen" however.
During the summer many visitors
from the resort carried away arrow
heads and other Indian specimens.
But DR.. Hathaway set actively to
work to collect all the data bearing
IN %hn J:~~or4~, r,htoh haI nyn "a