There are fewer, more captivating American History mysteries than the “Lost Colony Mystery.” But is it in fact a mystery? Generations of Hatteras Island natives have claimed that there was no mystery to begin with. They had always known where the “Lost Colonists” of Roanoke Island went. They went to Croatoan, that is, they went to Hatteras.

Local Hatteras historian/archaeologist Scott Dawson grew up hearing the stories, and decided that he had to know what the primary source documents said about the story. After reading these sources, Scott became convinced that the colonists had in fact done what generations of Hatteras natives said the colonists had done. They moved southward.

In this episode, Dawson retells his story. That story is an adventure through Roanoke’s true history, Scott’s initial search throughout the Island, and archaeological discoveries. Tune in, and then for more, check out the Croatoan Archaeological Society’s website. Finally, don’t forget to get Scott’s book. It tells this episode’s story in more detail that you won’t want to miss.

LINKS TO THE PODCAST:

• Scott Dawson and “Lost Colony Mystery” on Libsyn
• RSS Feed
• VA History Podcast on iTunes
• VA History Podcast on Podbay
• VA History Podcast on Stitcher
• VA History Podcast Store

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

1. Dawson, Scott. The Lost Colony and Hatteras Island. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2020.
2. Hampton, Jeff. “Lost Colony of Roanoke: Researchers Say They Know What Happened to the Lost Colony.” – The Virginian Pilot, August 2020.
3. Lawler, Andrew. “The Search for the Lost Colony of Roanoke” – National Geographic, June 2018.
4. Lawler, Andrew. “We Finally Have Clues to How the Lost Roanoke Colony Vanished” – National Geographic, August, 2015.
5. Croatoan Archaeological Society

 

 

 

 

All photography used on this site is owned and copyrighted by the author unless otherwise noted. The Featured Image is of Scott Dawson and his new book, found on amazon.com. The Hatteras Island Image is from wikipedia.com

Music used for this episode – Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers,”Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” available on Apple Music, and Valse Triste, Op. 44 by Jean Sibelius, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic & Helsinki Radio Symphony Orchestra, Conducted by Herbert von Karajan, also available on Apple Music.