Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-08-17
KIDNAPPED COLONY
RECALLED BY FETE
Roanoke Island Celebrates
35Oth Anniversary of Vir-
uinia Dare's Birth.


Roanoke Island is celebrating a
babys birthday tomorrow. The
unusual occasion commentaries Vir-
ginia Dare, first English baby born
in the new world and the female
Peter Pan of American history.
Although this is the 350th ami
versary of her birth, she Is still
remembered as an infant. Her fate
is as uncertain now as when she
was reported missing by her grand
father Gov. White, in 1890. The
country's first kidnapping victim dis
appeared with the rest of the Lost
Colony" which vanished from Roanoke
Island while the Governor was away
on business. The mystery shrouded
infant is vital figure in the Sum-
mer's ceremonies drawing visitors to
North Cardinals coast.
Roanoke Island is the setting Of
American historys most mysterious
ghost town." says a National Geo.
graphic Society bulletin. Fort
Raleigh at its northern end. stockaded
loS loplAl "llClC Oh "dlUCl
Raleigh by remote control tried to
transplant England and raise for
| tune, produced only crop of I'M
answered where's, whens and why's
concerning its occupants fate.
Two Groups Lost.
! LAS a matter of record, two groups
were lost from Fort Raleigh, instead
| of merely the more famous one. Fiji
| teen men were left to hold the fort
| in 1886. There was no trace Of them
! in 1887, when the Colony-About-t to-
Be-Lost arrived on the scene to pick
them up. The missing Is were in
direct causes, as we'll as prophets, of
their successors fate; when the l,587
Colonists paused at Roanok~ Island
on their rescue mission they were
| forced to remain there instead of
proc eeding farther north to the Chesa-
peake Bay region, where English set
tlement attained permanence at
Jamestown, 20 years later
The Lost Colony settlement was
actually the fourth expedition to
Roanoke Island under Raleighs COL
oniZation scheme, and it was reputedly
followed up by five rescue expedi-
tons. BY then it became apparent
that the island must not have the
right soil for planting young colonies,
and most vessels set their course for
farther north.
THE mysteriously abandoned Fort
| p q iaiu1, docrrihpH in 1SO0 hy SIC
turning Governor as a deserted sham
bles almost overgroWn with grass and
weeds. has been restored Its high
palisade of great trees, very fortlike,
surrounds the settlement site with
the futile protection of stout brown
juniper logs, with crude blockhouses
guarding the wallis corners and flank
ing the heavy gate.
Only Clue a Puzzle
"On a post beside the gate is the
runic inscription, 'Croatoan,' still
puzzling as the only clue to the
Colony's mass disappearance. Within
the Enclosure stand small matched
roof cabins, built of juniper logs, much
as children build flimsy little cubes
of match stems. Prominent among
them is the story-and-a- half cabin
of John White Virginia Dare's grand
father, who as Governor had to jour-
ney to England for reinforcements
and returned to find his home desolate
"Of the same match-stem style of
architecture is the little log church.
Corners of the walls and of the
steeple, primitive but proud, are
marked by lines of criss-crossed log
ends. Rafters and windows are pure
backwoods Gothic: No arches, but
simple peaks formed where two logs
meet at an angle. Pews are backless
wooden benches and all the churchly
furniture about the altar is heWn
from wood
Two Other Cities.
This resurrected cite of Raleigh
is now the center of interest on
Roanoke Island. but not the only
city The 25-mile-square island,
North Cardinals largest, has two
small towns for its present population
OF sailors and fishermen, Manteo on
the northeast and Wanchese on the
Southwest, joined by the islands
single highway. The larger, Manteo,
has population approaching 600,
harry five times as large as the oriei-
nal number OF the Lost Colony
Names OF the towns are reminders
that Roanoke Island not only received
the FIRST colony from England, but
sent some OF the first Indians to Eng
land. Manteo and Wanchese were the
local braves who discovered Europe,
returning with Roanoke Islands Eng
lish discoveries in 1884.
The island lies between the MAIN
land OF North Carolina and the
shifting string of sandbanks which
make this one OF the most dangerous
regions on the Atlantic Coast. North
OF the island spreads Albemarle
Sound, and below it lies the swamp
oordered expanse of Pamlico Sound,
largest body of water in the State,
Inc sandbank bulwarks which pro-
tect this region from the Atlantic
ocean include Bodie Island lust east
OF Roanoke Island; Hatteras Island,
with its elbow bend to the southwest
OF the abandoned lighthouse at the
cape; and Ocracoke Island, candidate
tor the sixteenth century title of
Croatoan, home island of friendly
Manteo and possible refuge for which
the Lost Colony may have headed
after abandoning Fort Raleigh"