Roanoke Colonies Research Newsletter
Volume 5.1 (November 1997)

Croatan Excavations Continue, Receive Media Coverage

As work continued on the Croatan Project archaeological dig near the town of Buxton on Hatteras Island this past summer, several newspapers devoted significant column space to the dig. A front page Sunday article in the Virginian Pilot, a feature in The ECU Report, and somewhat shorter reports in both The Charlotte Observer and the Virginian-Pilot gave accounts of the most recent finds.

The present excavations began in 1993 after artifacts were discovered following Hurricane Emily. However, the Croatan site has been known since at least 1956 when it was tested as part of an archaeological survey of the North Carolina coast. In 1983, David Phelps of East Carolina University’s Coastal Archaeology Office, who is directing the current project, tested the site as part of the work sponsored by the America’s 400th Anniversary Committee. Last summer’s dig was paid for by private donations and conducted using volunteers from Buxton and the surrounding area.

The Croatan site has been identified as being primarily of the Colington phase of the Carolina Algonkian culture, running from 800 to 1650 A.D. The most famous of the Croatans was Manteo, who traveled to England with Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe during their 1584 expedition to the region and who returned from England to his home with the 1585-86 colonization effort led by Richard Grenville and Ralph Lane. Just as famous is the carving of the name CROATOAN found by John White in 1590 on a post at the entrance to the fort on Roanoke Island that was meant
as an indication of where the “Lost Colonists” who settled on the island in 1587 had gone.

Among the more interesting finds is what appears to be a workshop area with two fire pits. In addition, a number of artifacts have been found near the workshop, including eight tiny rings seemingly made from bird bones. “I’ve not found anything like this,” Phelps is quoted saying in The ECU Report, “They were probably ornamental, but they are totally unusual.” Another area of the site revealed post molds, where it appears fish smoking or food storage occurred.

Also found were two 22 millimeter copper farthings. One is complete and the other halved, but both have holes drilled in them, allowing them to be worn as jewelry. The surface of the complete coin is eroded, but the half coin shows the word CAROLUS (Latin for Charles, indicating Charles II of England), along with a partial bust of a male figure. Copper farthings were in circulation in the 1670s, during Charles II’s reign. Most of the artifacts discovered thus far, especially those indicating trade between the Croatans and Europeans, have been from the period 1650–1729. However, some artifacts may have earlier dates—including some lead shot, potsherds, and peach pits. The peach pits may indicate trade with other Native Americans in the region or with the Spanish, who introduced peaches to the Americas and were growing them in the southeast in the seventeenth century.

Though Phelps does not believe that Croatan is where the “Lost Colonists” went after they abandoned their fort on Roanoke Island, he does believe the Croatan site is a part of the colony’s history. “The Native Americans of this area were at least trading with the English—if not living with some of the Lost Colonists,” the June 15 Virginian-Pilot quotes Phelps as saying. “This is certainly part of the Lost Colony story.”

The June 15 Virginian-Pilot and The ECU Report articles have pictures of some of the artifacts and comments from scholars and others with interests in the Croatan dig. The Virginian-Pilot and Charlotte Observer pieces are available on the World Wide Web, though without pictures and at the cost of $1.00 per article. The ECU Report is available online in Adobe Acrobat PDF (Portable Document Format), able to be read with the free Acrobat Reader available at the company’s web site. The Roanoke Colonies Research Office and The ECU Report have a limited number of copies of The ECU Report featuring the Croatan dig. Either would be happy to share these as long as their supplies last.

Bibliography:

DeGregory, Lane. “Hatteras Dig May Open Door to Lost Colony: Archaeology Team Unearths Clues Europeans Were There.” Virginian-Pilot [Norfolk, VA] 15 June 1997: A1, A10.

Haug, James V. “Lost Colony Sought Under Hatteras Village.” Virginian-Pilot [Norfolk, VA] 4 June 1997: E9.

Gray, Nancy. “Unearthing Clues to Lost Worlds: An Archaeological Dig on the Outer Banks of North Carolina Reveals Evidence of the Croatan Indians and Possible Links to the Lost Colony.” The ECU Report Sept. 1997: 1-3. (The ECU Report, Office of News and Communications Services, Howard House, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353.)

Price, Mark. “New Clues to an Old Puzzle: Outer Banks Dig Hopes to Flesh Out Lost Colony Story.” The Charlotte Observer June 1997: B1.

URLs:

Adobe: http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/

Charlotte Observer and Virginian-Pilot: http://newslibrary.infi.net/

The ECU Report: http://www.news.ecu.edu/ecurpt.html

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