The Lost Colony and Hatteras Island by Scott Dawson

The Lost Colony and Hatteras Island Reviews

• 
  Christina

  Since I was born, I have grown up vacationing on the Outer Banks, and my father grew up doing the same. My love and interest in history was fostered by this yearly trip when my dad would take us to see all the historical landmarks, museums, and enthusiastically retell the story of the Lost Colony. When I was 10, in 2005, although many theories were out there, the Lost Colony was still considered to be lost. Now, in my lifetime, it can no longer be classified as such and I cannot believe I lived to see the day. The first half of Scott Dawson’s book retells the story of the Lost Colony, reminding us of the voyages that came before to North Carolina and how relations with the Secotan tribe transformed to a visceral one, but how the Croatoan remained faithful allies, and how Queen Elizabeth was adamant about conquering Spain. In the second half, he talks about everything that has been found since then, proving that the Lost Colony was never lost, it was abandoned. For the benefit of everyone, it was better for it to be Lost and never found. King James (Elizabeth’s predecessor) wanted Raleigh and everyone who supported Elizabeth dead (which he made happen) and money was to be made in the years to come in North Carolina with this riveting mystery. The fact is, John White knew where the colony was. For whatever reason, they were in trouble, and did exactly as they were told. They wrote “CROATOAN” on a tree which White later found, and went off to live with the Croatoan, marry, raise families and become one, mixed tribe. There are still questions to be answered, but the main mystery has been solved, and Scott Dawson explains in even more depth how. I only hope that our history books will be rewritten with this new truth.
• 
  Erica

  I tagged this as science (shelf) because it is a scholarly book. As a kid I read about the mystery of the lost colony, and the message they left carved into a tree 'Croatoan'. I read fictional spinoffs about the lost colony - I think one was by Harlan Ellison, possibly a graphic novel It was framed as a real life mystery from the 1500's.
  
  Well turns out, there is (and has been for some time) ample evidence that the colony was not lost, that they assimilated with a group of native people. This book presents, in a scholarly fashion, the evidence and the happenings of the not-lost colony. The author, in the introduction, speculates that the non-mystery was pitched as a mystery for so many years because mysteries produced dollars and interest. I think it's more likely that racism and stereotypes of native cultures played a role in the shrouding of the true story of this colony.
• 
  David

  This is a book with supported archaeological research that leads to a result that isn’t surprising at all, and does deflate the legends and the mystery of what happened to the Roanoke Island colony. The author concludes that what happened would have been obvious to anyone in authority investigating at the time, and criticizes The Lost Colony play and other works of media that have perpetuated a myth that was begun out of racial attitudes of the time.
• 
  Brian

  This short book provides a comprehensive look at the formation of the Roanoke colony of 1587 and the likely outcome of this “missing” colony. Making use of primary sources and recent archaeology, a convincing argument is made that those who needed to know were aware of where the colonists went during the three year wait for supplies.
• 
  JenRaye

  4.5 very interesting information on archaeological digs on Hatteras Island, NC.
• 
  Kristin Cook

  I gotta say, I REALLY enjoyed this. One of the things that I have always been terribly interested in was the Lost Colony of Roanoke, however it seems now it was not lost. And I have to say I'm really satisfied by the explanations given by the author. So much of this information I have not heard before and it's certainly not something that I've heard or seen from TV shows investigating this subject matter. This gives a really good explanation of the fact that the colony at Roanoke was not lost, it was simply misplaced. And that makes good sense. There is one more book that I am going to read about this that was suggested by Amazon, but I feel like I have a good bead on what happened now and why the mystery was stoked up in the first place.
• 
  Megan

  Overall, this book is exactly what I didn't realize I was looking for. The mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke is a part of a recent in change in my junior high ELA curriculum, and last year I muddled my way through it. This year, I wanted to be more prepared for the debate! Overall, Part 1 was far more what I was looking for (though the writing did seem to wander a bit); at first I didn't care for Part 2, but by the end, I was grateful for the scientific knowledge of the archeological process and the honest final reflections that while there is significant evidence the colonists ended up on Hatteras Island, it was not the only possible interpretation. Simply, it is the most likely.
• 
  Linda Anderson

  I love local history books. This is readable and summarizes the English expeditions to NC in the 1580s. The archaeology in the second half is amazing. I wish a good publisher would recognize the merit of this work and provide more editing/marketing. I learn constantly about the myths that are taught as fact in public schools and this is a good example- Roanoke colony was never lost, they just went to Hatteras Island. C
• 
  Jim Kitzmiller

  When a history person steps away from his research and steps up onto a soapbox, I reconsider the accuracy of his analysis of that research. When the bias shows up, even if I'm on the same side of things, I have to assume that the human nature has taken over to taint the analysis.
• 
  Jay

  Really this should be 4.5, but Goodreads doesn't seem to allow that. Anyway, the author does an amazing job of integrating local cultural knowledge and modern archaeological processes. He works with primary sources and recovered artifacts to paint the story of what most likely happened to the Roanoke colonists. His arguments make a lot of sense, and he shows, when possible, quotes from primary sources explaining his points. The first part of the book is a history lesson that puts the Roanoke colony in context, while the second details archaeological finds, giving the most credence to those found in context.
  I only have two small criticisms of the book:
  1. The author repeats himself as if the chapters were written separately and then put together. Otherwise each chapter builds on what was previously presented.
  2. I have listened to this author on podcasts talk about how anti-Indigenous racism has played a part in keeping the accurate history out of the mainstream narrative. While that is briefly mentioned in the book, I feel like more could have been said.
  Other than those two things, this book is a valuable resource for people interested in the colonial history of North Carolina and Virginia, or the early history of Algonquian groups in what is now North Carolina.
• 
  Ronnie

  This is the kind of book that is necessary to understand about the first contact between Europeans and the Amerindians. I lived in North Carolina for 18 months, courtesy of being in the Army at Fort Bragg. North Carolina is beautiful country. The Mountains and the seashore. I drove all along the coast but never far enough to Nags Head. Fort Fischer...Carolina Beach...Wrightsville Beach..Surf City...Morehead Beach....By far Fort Fischer Beach and Carolina Beach was my stomping grounds. I had heard stories of people living in the woods and near islands but I never ventured. This book is a good connection with Jamestown and John Smith. Their stories are intermingled and interwoven. The richness of this is presented by how the individual intermingled and lived together regardless of the racist mores of the times. Self-preservation and common sense governed behaviors that otherwise would have left the people remaining extinct. My only gripe is why didn't they do DNA testing on the Amerindian and Europeans who now live there. This book makes me thirsty and hungry for more information of Hatteras.
• 
  Mary

  Years ago we saw the play The Lost Colony in North Carolina. Dawson says that romantic story is wrong. He gives evidence of the English folks not being lost at all but having been assimilated with the Indian tribe nearby. Artifacts show items that were from the 1587 group in the places were there was an Indian village. He thinks this story was suppressed because folks didn't think the English would be assimilated with a "savage" tribe even though it seems that the Indians were friendly and helpful. The complete story may never be known because so much is under buildings--even the parking lot for the Lost Colony performance venue!
  
  It was an interesting read with photos of the artifacts.
  
  I downloaded this book through Early Bird books.
• 
  Denise

  The story of the lost colony of Roanoke that ostensibly disappeared without a trace at some point between 1587 and 1590, leaving behind no indication of its fate other than the word "Croatoan" carved into a tree, is one that has fascinated many over the years - and I'm no exception. As Dawson argues (and backs up with plently of evidence both from written sources and recent archaeological digs), the colony was never in fact "lost", but rather relocated to Hatteras Island, then known as Croatoan, and assimilated into the native tribe living there, eventually forging a blended society. A very interesting read.
• 
  Ash

  Good collection of primary accounts, but the writing is lackluster and elementary. It reads more as a long essay written by someone whose only writing experience is school essays. It is also INCREDIBLY REPETITIVE, giving the same information in the same words over and over again.
  
  In addition, the tone in some places is incredibly off putting, alternately self-congratulatory, sulky, sarcastic, and informal. In many places he bemoans the stupidity or ineptitude of various organizations without whose interference he would surely have made more important discoveries, which just left me with a bad taste.
  
  This would have benefitted from better organization and editing.
• 
  Carolyn Harris

  An interesting overview of recent archeological discoveries on Hatteras Island and a plausible explanation for the disappearance of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. The author volunteered with the archeological expeditions and his enthusiasm for the history of the island is clear in the text (and well read by the audiobook narrator). I would have been interested to read more about the Roanoke colonists themselves prior to their passage across the Atlantic. The first part of the book, before the analysis of archeology, could have been longer and more detailed.
• 
  AttackGirl

  Did he eat his wife? What is the cost of flesh? The cost of survival?. At what point in human history do we plan as taught by the Egyptians to store up grains. Perhaps to plant seeds or restrict growth so we don’t end up starving to death and creating stories of cannibalism.
  
  Perhaps after eating your children as told by the many tales we want to be called a lost colony?
  
  Good book for those visiting the US, for those who travel the eastern shore line… oh where is that chest of pearls or was that opals?
• 
  Nick

  Whatever happened to the first US colony, on Roanoke? As it turns out, they assimilated into the local indigenous tribe. The author provides plenty of detail and evidence to backup this claim. They make a convincing case.
  
  At the same time, it's a simple answer to a niche mystery. They go into far greater detail about their archaeological digs than I cared to know. If you're a fan of archaeology you'll be very interested by this, but I personally wasn't.
• 
  Jessica - How Jessica Reads

  If you, like me, thought that the 'lost colony' of Roanoke was actually lost... you'll be annoyed/interested to discover that no, the 'lost colony' theory was basically made up because people were disgusted that the European settlers married into local tribes -- including the Croatoan -- on Hatteras Island. Racism strikes again!
  
  However, I think basically this could've been a pamphlet. It got a little repetitive as a full-length book.
• 
  christopher

  The book suffers from a lack of editing which makes it a little rough to read in some areas. However, the knowledge is solid and the theories have a lot of evidence to support it. Some of it is circumstantial but I personally believe that the theory they produce makes the most sense. It is a slim book and worth the read.