General History     Tree Ring Sites

The most complete site on anything related to the Roanoke colonization efforts of the 1580s, particularly its history. Part of the web site for the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.

First English Colonies

A wealth of information about all the voyages to and from Roanoke Island, Richard Grenville, Sir Walter Raleigh, and much more, from the "North Carolina's Historic Sites" section of the  North Carolina Encyclopedia, created by the State Library of North Carolina. 

Roanoke: What is the History of this Lost Colony

Well-written and easily understood, this article is perfect for both young students and adults. It recounts the history of the Roanoke voyages as part of The Colonial American Gazette, written and edited by Heather A. Buettner.

Columbus and the Age of Discovery

This site has several essays, both articles from scholarly sources and college research papers, with Roanoke colonization as either their main topic or which discuss Roanoke colonization in relationship to other topics: 

Scholarly Sources:

James Axtell, "Columbian Encounters: 1992-95": A review essay of works on encounters between Europeans and Native Americans, including a brief mention of Ivor Noel Hume's The Virginia Adventure: Roanoke to James Towne: An Archaeological and Historical Odyssey.

Raymond F. Dolle, "Captain John Smith's Satire of Sir Walter Raleigh": Discussion of John Smith's use of Sir Walter Raleigh in Smith's writings.  As Dolle notes, "To emphasize the practicality of his own ideas, Smith often contrasts them to Raleigh's disastrous imperialist plans at Roanoke and in South America."

Dean R. Snow and Kim M. Lanphear, "European Contact and Indian Depopulation in the Northeast: The Timing of the First Epidemics": Concentrates on the what is now the northeastern United States, but uses Thomas Hariot's descripitions of epidemics among the Native American peoples of the region around Roanoke Island as part of the context for understanding epidemics among other Native American peoples.

Patricia Seed, "Taking Possession and Reading Texts: Establishing the Authority of Overseas Empires":  Discusses the use of words by Europeans to assert power over lands in the New World. Includes a section on Humphrey Gilbert and Walter Raleigh's royal patents.  (Note: This  article may need to be saved as a text file and be opened by an external  text reader.)

Student Papers

Sarah Augustine, "The 'Indian' in European Art: A Reflection of the Minds of Men": Discusses the portrayal of Native Americans in words and pictures from 1492 to the eighteenth century.  Included are discussions of John White's watercolors and Theodore de Bry's erngravings.

Melanie Nixon, "The Lost Colony at Roanoke": Discusses the settling of the colony, who was involved, and the discovery of it’s abandonment.

Mark Nucci, "Sir Walter Ralegh": A biographical portrait of the man who sponsored the Roanoke ventures.

Shelley Seifarth, "The Lost Colony of Roanoke": A detailed account of the most noteworthy events, thoughts, issues, and people surrounding the colony. 
 
 

Drought May Have Killed Jamestown

An April 24, 1998, Detroit News article by Joby Warrick of the Washington Post which discusses the 1998 discovery of tree rings that show that severe droughts occurred during both the settling of Jamestown and Roanoke.

A September/October 1998 newsbrief from Archaeology magazine discussing the effects of drought on the "Lost Colony" and Jamestown.

Drought May Have Doomed the Lost Colony

From the Center for Mathematics and Science Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, this May 4, 1998, article offers some detailed information about the tree ring theory, including recent discoveries and hypotheses concerning the Lost Colony. It also has a few links to other helpful sites.

An April 23, 1998, article by Peggy Shaw on the College of William and Mary's William and Mary News web site. The article by  offers information about the droughts that directly coincided with the settling of both the ‘Lost Colony’ and then later Jamestown. It also offers links to other websites where more information about this subject can be obtained.

Tree Rings Reveal Clues to Mystery of Missing Colonists

This April 24, 1998, article by Alexandra Witze of The Dallas Morning News on the The Seattle Times web site gives information on how tree rings have revealed that the worst drought in 800 years occurred during the settling of Roanoke Colony.

Drought Killed "Lost Colony"?
 

On ABCNews.com, this April 23, 1998, article is a great one for students. Easy to understand text provides a lot of good information about the drought, and the article is accompanied by some great pictures.

Trees divulge mystery of Lost Colony

This April 23, 1998, William K. Stevens New York Times article on the Dallas-Fort Worth star-telegram.com web site discusses the important findings concerning the Lost Colony of Roanoke and of Jamestown.

Links Home
 
 
 

Primary Sources, Biographical Materials, and Native American Cultures Links
 
 
 

"Lost Colony" Theory Links
 
 
 

Links for Children
 
 
 

Roanoke Today
 
 
 

Other Roanoke Links

General History     Tree Ring Sites