From The Editor…


For many reasons, not the least of which were visits from Hurricanes Dennis and, more so, Floyd during the fall of 1999, we published no Roanoke Colonies Research Newsletter in the fall and, instead, are issuing a double number this spring. As many of you may have seen on the news, much of eastern North Carolina, including Greenville, was flooded following Hurricane Floyd. While there was storm surge flooding on Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks, the greater problem was inland flooding that, among other things, closed East Carolina University for over two weeks. Although recovery throughout eastern North Carolina has been remarkably rapid, there is still more to do.

Even with our double size for this issue, we could not make room for a number of items. Three different archaeological projects are ongoing near or on Roanoke Island: the Croatan dig in Buxton being led by Dr. David Phelps of the Coastal Archaeology Office of East Carolina University with grants from the Richard J. Reynolds III and Marie M. Reynolds Foundation and from the Outer Banks Foundation’s Michael W. Kelly Fund; test excavations led by Dr. Jane Eastman of East Carolina University’s Department of Anthropology on what appears to be an Algonquian site along Pamlico Sound near Engelhard; and a National Park Service multi-year archaeological survey of the 202 acres added to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in the mid-1990s. The Park Service is not focusing on the Roanoke-colonization period, but more on the Civil War-era, including the Freedmen’s Colony, as well as a Works Project Administration camp from the 1930s. We will have more to report about these projects in coming issues.

There is sad news from The Lost Colony. Longtime costumer Irene “Renie” Smart Rains passed away on April 20, 2000, at the age of 95. Rains worked as costumer for The Lost Colony from the show’s second season in 1938 until 1984. She also worked from 1944 to 1969 as costumer for the Carolina Playmakers and as an associate professor in the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill’s Department of Dramatic Arts. Perhaps the most repeated story about Rains is how, during the fire that burned down the Waterside Theatre in 1947, she saved the show’s costumes by throwing them into Roanoke Sound.

Finally, much has happened at The Lost Colony. The National Park Service made $350,000 in repairs to the Waterside Theatre, particularly backstage. The Roanoke Island Historical Association, producer of The Lost Colony,  was awarded an A. J. Fletcher Foundation grant of $100,000 to augment actors salaries to attract more seasoned performers in hopes of enhancing the show’s overall level of professionalism. And Drew Scott Harris, the drama’s director, has chosen to emphasize the emotion of Paul Green’s storyline, especially the love story between Eleanor Dare and John Borden. This emphasis is also being used for marketing The Lost Colony in hopes of attracting a younger audience.  The 63rd season of The Lost Colony runs from June 2 to August 25, 2000. For more information or tickets, contact The Lost Colony box office, 1409 US 64/264, Manteo, NC 27954; telephone (252) 473-2127.

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