Fort Raleigh

Afte r the change s wrought by fou r cen tu ries, it is not easy to imagine the America seen by the sma ll band of settlers who ga ined for England a footho ld in the New World. They had left beh ind the com fortab le li mits and fam iliar rhythms of European civ il ization for a boundless and unpredictable world in wh ich v igilance, cou rage , and endu rance were needed j ust to survive. The ir colony on Roa noke Island played a part in a broader historical event: th e expansion of the known world. In the century after Columbus· voya ge had put a new con ment on he map. Eu ro pe 's seagoing nations rushed o pa 1c 1pate in th e discoveries, to cla pa o' e pr ize. Eng land was som ethin g of a a ecomer o the race for the New Worl d B he 11me he En glish began to send out vo ages o exploration , Spain was alread y entri •nched m hat 1s now Florida and Mexico. English pn a eers had bee n sa ili ng to the North Amr:>rican coas since 1562 , slave-trading and pm mg on Spanish sh ipping load ed ith royal loot from Mex ico. o one. hough , had seriou sly co nsidered a colony m or h America until 1578, when Sir Hu mphre G lber armed wi th a ch arte r from Queen E 1zabe h o inhabit and possess ... all remo e and hea hen lands not in ac tual possession o any Chris 1an prince... made the first of NO attempts o reach ewfoundland. After he died on he second o age . Sir alter Raleigh , his ha lf-brother , decided to carry on the venture . and obtained a similar ch arte r from th e queen Reports from his exped ition in 1584 sang he pra ses o' he rich and and by he middle o he ollo •mg year England had made its first tentati e mo e o ransplanl Eng s cul ture to foreign soil The ne" colon :.as ca lled "Virgin ia," afte r the Virg in Queen England 's motives for se t ling he e • ranged fro m the mercenary o he idealts 1c One of the primar spurs. a leas or Raleigh , was the prospec o an id eal base or orays against French and Spanish shippi ng . Pub licist R chard Ha uyt co nju red up vi sions of go ld and copper mines and cash crops, which fi t riea • ) " . ., G bert's plan to put " needy people" o .»or• - e•e The anticipated North west Passage ... as ano' her stro ng lure. Fi na lly, like Spain 's e 'o s w ma1< H the New World Catho li c, En gland •;an ed o spread the new Protestant relig ion a ong Me "savages" -to c laim the land or God and Q een , alth ough not necessa ri ly in ha order In a se nse the two settlements at Fo rt Rale igh represented England 's schoo ling in establ ishing a co lony. The first was more like the Spanish operat ion - militaristic , dependent on the home co untry, and exploitative of the native Americans. The second was intended to be a perma nent colony, with wo men and children, fewe r so ldi ers, and a sounder agricultural base. Although all of the se ttlers who were to have bu ilt "The Citt ie of Ralegh " disappeared , their dream of an Eng lish home in the New World was rea lized 20 years later at Jamestown . About Your Visit The "Newe Forte in Verginia" England's Flowering The re ign of Queen Elizabeth ( 1558- 1603) was one of the high-water marks of Eng li sh history. After the trou bled years under her sister Mary I known as " Bloody Mary" for her re lig ious persecu ti ons -the Eng li sh welcomed the spirited , intelligent, and strong -willed National Portrait Galle ry. London Elizabeth. Eng land had long been a sma ll, somewhat static nati on, coveted by the European powers and castigated by the Pope as a hotbed of Protestantism. Now there was a sense of poss ibil ities, of national purpose, under the you ng queen . Elizabeth 's radian t dress, sparkling court. and adroit adviso rs set the tone for th e period, and her personali ty helped give the nation a strong se lfimage : dynam ic yet sta ble, w here ventures an d reputations rose and fell with dizzying speed wh ile the machin ery of governme nt gro und on . Hers was a rule of benev- olent au thoritarian ism , and her shrewd and se nsitive hand ling of peopl e earned total loyalty from her adviso rs and earl y compliance from Parli amen t She felt no need for a stand ing arm y in th e " Fren ch fa sh ion. " Th e aristoc racy's gra nd homes changed from fort ified castles to open manors, reflecting their owners confidence in ihe stab le social order and in the state's ab ility to defend th em . That stre ngth also benefited the common peop le, who took pride in Eng land 's growing internati onal prestige and enj oyed an improved standard of living. Elizabet h's reluctance to indul ge in petty wa rs and her shrewd financ ial management kept the Crown on a sound financial footing for most of her rul e. The ol d feudal system had faded , and the economy was opening up, with a new midd le c lass of merchants search ing for investments and expanded markets for the prod ucts of England. " privateers " se rved an important function . Th ei r pri vate f leets were supposed to ra id only the shipping of offi cial enemies, but during the co ld war with France an d Spain, the shi ps of both countries were fair game. Successful sea ca ptains weren 't the only ones to find Eli zabeth s favor Under her rule, ngland enjoyed a flowering of the arts, especially li teratu re. Names like Shakespeare, Bacon, Spenser, and Sidn ey co mmanded as much respect as Raleigh , Grenville , Drake, and Hawki ns. Sir Franc is Drake 's circu mnavigation of the world (1577-80) was also So with new strength and the most famous Eng lish self-confidence, England turned outward , and began to make the sea its own. The nation finally had the means and the will to challenge Spain's and Portugal's dominance of world expl oration and exp loitati on. To that end privateer ing voyage He looted Spa nish sh ipp ing and , by fl outing Spa in 's cl aims to monopoly in the Americas , proved the weakness of its emp ire. Reconstructions, exh ibits, live dram a, and ta lks by park interpreters give visitors to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site a ric her und ers and ing of th e people who backed the colony rom the safety of England and of those wh o ed and d ed a· this s •e At th e visitor center, he Elizabethan Room features th e or iginal oak pan eli ng and stone fireplace from a 16th-century house of the kind lived in by the Roa noke co lony investo rs. Also displayed are artifacts from the site, exh1b1 son the colo nists and Ehzabe han li fe , and co pies of the John White wate rco lors A sho rt film re lates th e story of both attem pts to establi sh co lonies. The Lost Colony, wh ich has been runn ing since 1937, combines drama, music, and dance to tell the story of the ill-fated 1587 Roanoke co lony. Pul itzer prize-winning dramatist Pau l Green bui lt this sem i-fict iona l story from firsthand acco unts. The play is produced eac h summer in th e outd oor Waters ide Theater by the Roa noke Island Historical Assoc iatio n. Dates and hours are Thomas Ha rtot The Thomas Hariot Nature Trai l winds through thb heavi ly wooded area betwee n Roanoke Sound and the general site of th 9 houses bu il t outside th ~ fort by the co lonists. Hqriot's descriptions of tho New World , pub lished in his Brief and true report of the new found land of Virginia , are 100 200 300 Meters --~==== 0 500 1000 through a rep lica of a Tudor gate house and wander th rough a rich array of flowers that bloom throug hout the year. The qu iet wooded area at th e northern ti p of Roanoke Island was the scene 400 years ago of the stru ggles of some 250 colonists . From this site 116 men , women, and ch ildren d isappeared forever. On the 150 ac res of Fort Rale igh Nationa l Hi storic Site are a reconstruction of the sma ll ear hen fort hey built ano 1 e s res or pa pernaps all. of the settleme nt. ing excavat ion we re a wrough t iron sickle, an Ind ian pipe, and metal counters used in accounting. The fort, which original ly commanded a good view of th e sound,was reconstructed in the same way itwas bu il t in 1585. Workers dug out the moat along its original lines, throwing the dirt inward to form a parapet that enclosed a proximate! 50 feet squ are .The fort was essen tially a squa re wit h pointed bast ions on two The Superintendent of Cape Hatteras National Seashore , Rou te 1, Box 675, Manteo , NC 27954 , is in charge of the site. It is located on U S 64264 , 3 mil es north of Manteo, N C, 92 miles so utheast of Norfolk, Va. , and 67 miles southeast of Eli zabeth Ci ty, N.C. For Your Safety Don 't all ow your vi sit to be spo iled by an acc ident. Every effo rt has been made to provide for your safety, but there are st ill hazards requiring yo ur ale rtn ess. Please use common sense and cau ti on. quoted on signs along the trail: "There is an herb which is sowed a part by itself & is ca ll ed by the inhabitants Upp6woc: ... The Span iardes generally ca ll it Tobacco ." r- --- I Trail 0 fixed by that organization . The Elizabethan Gardens were c reated by the Garden Club of North Carolina as a memoria l to the first co lon ists and as an example of the gardens that graced the estates of the wea lthy backers of the co lony Visitors enter The fort 1s the on ly structure whose site has been located exactl y. Alter intensive archeolog ica l studies and excavati ons from 1936 to 1948, National Park Service archeol og ists had found en oug h ev iden ce of the original moat to justify reconstruct ion in 1950. Among th e many art ifacts recovered dur- sides and an octagona l bastion on th e th ird. It is conjectured that the houses would have been built near the road lead in g from the fort entra nce. Administration Fort Ra leigh Nati onal Historic Site is ad mi nistered by the Nationa l Park Service , U.S Depa rtm ent of the Interior. Cover: Detail f ro m draw ing by Jo hn White ~ GPO 19 86- 491 -4 17/ 4CKK>6 Reprin t 1986 Afte r Capta ins Amadas and Barlowe returned in 1584 from their exped it ion to the New World wi th rep orts of " a most pleasant and fe rtile ground ," Sir Walter Ralei gh had litt le trou bl e getting t he Queen and a number of other investors to back his co lony. In the spring of 1585 , 500 men-108 o f them co lonists - set sail for Vi rg in ia in seve n sh ips commanded by Ra le igh 's cousin , Sir Richard Grenvil le . After weeks of search ing (and privateering ), they found , wi th the help of nearby Ind ians, a fert ile , we ll-watered , and defensible spot on Roanoke Island . Ralph Lane was named Governor of the co lony, and the settle rs immediate ly set to wo rk bu ild ing a fort for defense aga in st the Span ish . A lt hough t he colonists esta bl ished a trading re lationsh ip w ith the Indians, they soon rea lized that, with t he co ming of winte r, providing for them se lves wo uld not be easy. Many suppl ies had been lost w hen one of the ships ran aground, and since they culti vated litt le land , the co lonists soon grew dependent on the Indians, cadging food and robb ing the ir f ish traps. But as w inter deepened, the Indians had less food to spare, and in any case were growing tired of trin kets. Disencha ntment set in, especia lly after measles and smallpox brought by th e settlers began to ki ll the Indians. By courtesy of he Pres dent and Fe1 o..... sofTrin11yCo 'ege Oxford Sir Walter Raleigh (15541618) was the imag inative fo rce behind the Roanoke colonies His nse to iavorrte o ueen Elizabeth I was dazzhng, sustained by his serv ice as explorer, soldier, and seaman , and his gifts as a writer. His position brought him vast estates. infl uence, and a kn ighthood, but by 1592 his star had dimmed. In 16 18 he was executed after a long stay in the Tower for alleged ly plotting to dethrone Jam es I. Thomas Hariot ( 15601621). hfelong friend and advisor o Raleigh was a lead1r> n ellec ua1 f qure o his - me e ounded the Eng11s school of alg ebra cons rue ed telescopes con emporan eousl v1th Galileo . and disco ered he la• s of refraction independently of Descartes. When chosen as scien ti st for the 1585 voyage , he had been li ving at Ra leigh 's home. teac hi ng mathematics and navigation to hi s pil ots. . S3JCJ113W- ' . - ,--.._ - ~~ ..... - ~ "" New York Public Library By 1586 th e co lonists were anxious to relocate. Lane had concluded that the site wasn 't suitable as a privateering base , and ta les of Indi an gold and a possible northwest passage were circ ul at ing . So in late w inte r Lane took a party up Albemarle Sound. Chief Wing ina of the Roa noke Ind ians saw a c hance to rid himself of the demand ing co lo nists. He told inland tribes that Lane plann ed to attack them , so t hey deserted th e ir v ill ag es, depriv in g Lane 's party of food . But Lane made it back to the co lony, and by late spring there were ope n battles. When a member of a fr iendly tribe wa rn ed Lane that Wingina planned an assault on the island , Lane arran ed for a arle with Win ina and other Indi an leaders . But at a prearranged signal , the Engl ish opened fire . Wing ina was kill ed and beheaded. Raleigh s choice of Thomas Hariot and John Wh ite to accompany he 1585 colony was inspired Through them we glimpse the New World as the English saw it. Hariot was a 25-year-old astronomer, mathematician . and master of navigation when he was chosen as observer and chron icler for the voyage. His job was to explore, catalogue, and collect, but his accomplishments far transcended th ose duties. He taug ht himself Algonquian and became the liaison between the colonists and the native Americans. In his wide lyread A brief and true A week later Sir Francis Drake 's privateering fleet was sighted. H is offer of the sh ip Francis was readily accepted, because Grenville, due by Easter w ith supp lies, had never arrived. Lane knew that " it was unli ke ly that he would come at all ," as his sh ips wou ld probabl y be pressed into service against the Spanish. With the Fran cis, the colonists cou ld return to England after Lane had finished his explorations. But a storm fo rced the ship, loaded with supplies and several of the colony's most responsible members , to leave the harbor and sai l fo r England . Demora lized, Lane and the colonists decided to leave with Drake. Two days later a supply ship sent by Raleigh arrived . Grenville himself f inally arrived two weeks later, only to find a deserted settlement. After se arch ing the island he left 15 men to guard the settlement until a new group of colonists could be rec ruited. By 1586, Rale igh was already planning another colon y in Virgin ia . This one would be more am bitious, with its own coat of arms and the t it le , "Cittie of Ralegh. " It wou ld be agrari an rather than militaristic , less an adventure than a com mitment. Raleigh 's decision to locate it on the lower end of the Chesapeake Bay was prompted by Lan e 's report of friendly Indians and a good natura l harbor. Th e inc lusion of 17 women and 9 chi ldren among the 110 co lonists would make this a long-term , sel f-perpetuating settlement. Instead of wages, each settl er was deeded a 500-ac re pl ot, thereby g iving him a stake in the undertaking . Joh n White , the artist w ho had accompa ni ed the f irst voyage , was appo inted Govern o r, to be aided by 12 assistants. report of the new found land of Virgin ia, Hariot 0 described the native animals, classified food sources and building materials, and assessed the commercial potential of "co mmod ities" th ere. from silk to iron . He also gave a detai led an d perceptive account of the villages. custom s. cloth- ing, crafts, agncul ural methods. and re hg1on o the Carohna Algonquins Hano chas 1sed 1s ello colonis s or be1 g too harsh wi hem and killing a few of the ir number for offenses wh ich might easily have been fo rgiven." Bu t he was an enthusiastic supporter of coloni zation , concluding , "I hope th ere no longer re mains any reason for disliking the Virgin ia project. The air is temperate and wholesome th ere. the soil is fertile ... And in a short tim e the planters may ra ise the com modities I have described. Th ese will enrich them selves and those who trade with them ." The second edition of Hariot's book was il lustrated with engravings based on wate rcolors by John White. Trained as a surveyor, Wh ite was also a ski lled illustrator, and no stranger to th e New World, having made dra vings of Es 1mos wh ile on he Frob1s er exped1 ion o o h America in 577 is vor •1as a happy complemen o ano s text, recording • 1h s 111 and sens1 1 1 he ea ures, s les. and da1I pursuits of the nat1 e Americans. His pie ures nng tru e; th ey portray the Indians as neither base sav~ g es nor noble innocent<>, but as members of a cu 1ture th at, in its harmony and resourceful adaptatiOn to its envi ronment, was wort hy of attention and respect . He captures the tell ing detail : The p rtra1t of the wife of a chi e (1l shows her wearing rhe arm sli ng indicative of high stati on. Her 8- earold daughter wou ldn 't wea r a deerski n apron like her mother's unti l she reached ten. Whi te so gained th e confidence of the villagers th at he was able to qu ietly observe and record not only their ceremonies, but also th eir routin e activi ties: f1sh1ng canoe-making arming and ea ing (2) ere hey ea boiled maize on a reed ma t. Wrote Hariot: "They are · ve rye sober in their eatinge , and consequentlye ve rye longe lived because th ey do not oppress nature. " Wh ite also made beautifully colored scientifi c rend erings of the exotic wi ldlife (3) Hariot dwelled on the culinary aspects of this besti ary. On tortoises: "Their heads, feet. and tails look ve ry ugly, li ke those of a ve nomous serpent. Neverthe less, they are very good to eat. " White's maps of the Roan oke Island area (4) were for over 80 years the base for most European maps of the region. Raleigh's flagship , the Ark Ralegh (5), was sim i- lar in design to those on which the colonists sailed, though larger. Rechri stened the Ark Royal, it led the English Navy against the Span ish Armad a. When the three ships sailed in May of 1587, the plan was to stop briefly at Roanoke Island to resupply Grenville's party. But when they arrived in July, the pilot Fernandez insisted that the summer was too fa r advanced to go further, and the co lonists were left at Roanoke . It wasn 't an auspicious beginning . Th ey had already failed to pick up salt and fruit in Haiti, and the Ind ians' hostility had not coo led si nce the first group had left. Th ey had attacked the men left by Grenville . White reported: "We fo und none of them ... sauing one ly we found the bones of one of those fifteene ." Through Manteo, who had visited England and was appoi nted " Lord of Roanoke " by the English , White arranged a peace conference , but a misunderstanding over the date made poor relations worse. Thinking the Indians had rejected the ir offer, th e colonists attacked what they mistakenly thought was a hostile village, kill ing one Indi an. After the inc ident the two c ul tures coexisted uneasily. Whi te 's burdens were lightened when his daughter gave birth in August to Virginia Dare , the f irst English child born in the New World . A week later, however, he was forced to return to Eng land for bad ly needed supplies.But upon sed inte servioe the threat of the Spanish Armada. All Wh ite cou ld do was petition the Queen through Raleigh and wa it . Finally, in 1590, he got passage on a pri vateer ing voyage. As the party stepped ashore , there was no sign of the co lon ists except the letters " CRO " carved on a tree . When they approached the settlement , there was only silenc e. The houses had been taken down and a pal isade co nstructed, on one post of which was carved "CROATOAN ," the name of a nearby island . The colonists had agreed on this kind of message if they had to leave Roanoke , but the re was no Maltese cross, the signal that trouble had forced the ir departure. White 's armour lay rusting in the sand, indicating that th e colon ists had been gone for some time . He wanted to sai l to Croatoan , but low provisions, the loss of sea anchors in a storm , and the privateers ' impatie nce prevented them from stopping there. Rale igh made severa l attempts to locate the co lonists between 1590 and 1602, but no trace was found. Their fate will probabl y never be known . It is likely that they were attacked by Indians, and those not ki ll ed we re assimilated into the local tribes.