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Roanoke Colonies Research Newsletter
Roanoke Colonization Conference Held in Manteo by Chad Holliday Roanoke Colonies Research Office Under the royal auspices closely associated with the sixteenth century, Queen Elizabeth presided over the opening of Roanoke Colonization: An Interdisciplinary Conference held in Manteo, North Carolina, September 10-11, at the Pioneer Theater. Barbara Hird, star of the one woman show Elizabeth R and co-editor of Roanoke Revisited, dressed in full royal regalia to welcome conference participants to Roanoke Island and encouraged them to continue to enlighten themselves as to the whereabouts of “her” colony. The conference, co-sponsored by the Roanoke Colonies Research Office and the Southern Coastal Heritage Program, included presentations about past, present and future archaeological excavations at Fort Raleigh, Buxton, and the entire Outer Banks. David Phelps of the Coastal Archeology Office of East Carolina University offered insight into recent discoveries and continuing research into the Croatoan project, and Dennis Blanton of the Center for Archaeological Research at the College of William and Mary discussed the recent discoveries and theories centered around tree ring samples and apparent droughts. Nicholas Luccketti and William Kelso of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities examined aspects of Lane’s Fort, while Bennie Keel of the National Park Service discussed "Pinky” Harrington and other archaeologists who explored for the Roanoke colonies. Mark Mathis of the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology continued this discussion by examining different possible locations of the "Lost Colony.” The broader implications of the artifacts found at various excavations was discussed by Charles Ewen of East Carolina University and by John Mintz of Raleigh and Thomas Beaman, Jr., of the Phelps Archeology Laboratory at East Carolina University. Finally, the archaeological-oriented presentations were concluded with Seth Mallios of Jamestown Rediscovery discussing the violence associated with Roanoke colonization and Fred Willard of Buxton analyzing possible locations for Lane’s Fort and Port Ferdinando. However, the conference crossed all disciplinary boundaries in order to help illustrate the broad range of Roanoke colonization studies within academia. Sessions were held discussing the colonies’ association with and treatment of Native Americans, the literary view of the colonies and their leading figures, mineralogical research into the colonies, and current research based on leading figures in colonization efforts. Lorraine Robinson of East Carolina University, Kelley Griffith of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and Karen Baldwin of East Carolina University all discussed the literary treatment of the Lost Colony. Their topics ranged from literary aspects of key figures and their writings to the legends and folklore associated with the colony. Thomas Parramore, emeritus of Meredith College, and Christopher Hodgkins of the University of North Carolina, Greensboro discussed Native Americans as influential influences on the Roanoke colonies. Throughout the conference, it became apparent that the figures of Roanoke colonization were vital in the research efforts of many scholars. Olivia Isil of Greenville, lebame houston of Manteo, and Tom Shields of the Roanoke Colonies Research Office at East Carolina University all discussed key figures in the colonial expeditions. Isil took a new perspective on Simon Fernandez, houston examined John White and other investors, and Shields analyzed Ralph Lane. Conference participants also learned other interesting aspects of the colonial era from Simon Spalding of Tryon Palace and Gary Grassl of Silver Hill, Maryland. Spalding introduced the audience to navigation tools and techniques used during the time of the Roanoke colonies and Grassl focused on mineral specialists from the time period. The two-day event ended with everyone excited about the continued interest in the colonies and the amount of research that is continuing to be conducted. Anyone who was unable to attend or who is interested in more information about the conference should contact the Roanoke Colonies Research Office to receive a copy of the conference program or other information about the presenters and their research.
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