Where oh where is Virginia Dare? Historians have been seeking the answer to that question ever since the disappearance of the infant and 115 other colonists who landed on North Carolina's Roanoke Island in 1587—none of whom have been seen or heard from since. The lives of these early colonists are commemorated at the 355-acre
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in Manteo, where a small earthen fort they were thought to have built has been reconstructed.
Virginia Dare was the first English child born in the New World. She was the granddaughter of John White, an artist who accompanied the first voyage here from England and who had been appointed, presumably by Queen Elizabeth, governor of the new colony. In the early days, relations between the settlers and the Roanoke Indians was tense; the settlers reportedly had agreed to leave a message that included the name "Croatoan," the name of a nearby island, if they had to leave Roanoke—as well as a Maltese cross to signal that their departure wasn't voluntary.
Not long after they landed, White returned to England for more supplies, the story goes—and then his ship was detained because it was needed to protect against the Spanish Armada. When he finally was able to return to Roanoke in 1590, he found not a single person at the settlement—not even houses. And although the "Croatoan" signal was found on a post, there was no Maltese cross—nor any other sign that life had existed here. Exactly what happened has never been discovered.
Except for the fort, most of the park itself consists of the Thomas Hariot Nature Trail, which traverses through the heavily wooded grounds to Roanoke Sound. The trail also passes by the Waterside Theatre, where the story of those Roanoke Island settlers is told through
The Lost Colony outdoor drama written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green. It is the longest-running historical outdoor drama in the country—and where several noted actors, including Manteo's own Andy Griffith, honed their skills.
Be sure to stop at the Lindsay Warren Visitor Center, which contains a museum and offers a 10-minute historical film. The Elizabethan Room is a replica of a 400-year-old Tudor room from Herndon Hall in Kent, England.
There's yet another don't-miss attraction on the park grounds—the a href=http://www.elizabethangardens.org a>Elizabethan Gardens, described as a "living memorial to our English colonists." Operated by the Elizabethan Garden Club of North Carolina Inc., the beautifully landscaped garden is filled with plants, wildflowers, shrubs, and trees as well as period furniture and portraits in the Gate House. Special features include the statue of Virginia Dare by American sculptor Maria Louisa Lander, the Queen's Rose Garden, and the Sunken Garden, with its ancient fountain, pool, and balustrade surrounded by statues of mythical figures.