Fort Raleigh was an earthen fortification built by the English colonists of the 1585 expedition to Roanoke Island. Sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh, the group left England on April 9 utilizing a fleet of five ships. After being scattered by a storm, most of the ships reached the Outer Banks by early July. Sir Richard Grenville left the colonists on August 17 with a promise to return the next spring. Under the leadership of Ralph Lane, the colonists built the small fort and spent the winter on the island. Supply ships did not arrive in the spring as promised, but Sir Francis Drake did arrive in June 1586 and offered to take the colonists back to England. Lane quickly agreed due to limited food supplies and increasing tension with the local tribes, leaving on June 19. Grenville arrived later in the summer to find the colony abandoned. He left behind a small garrison to maintain the English claim to the land, but there was no sign of them when the "Lost Colony" arrived in 1587.
The visitor center houses the usual information desk, museum, bookstore and offices. A theater shows the 17 minute video entitiled
Roanoke: The Lost Colony. Restrooms are located in a separate building across the entrance plaza. The site includes 14 acres north of Manteo. We visited in October 2015.
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| Entrance |
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| Information desk |
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| Exhibit area |
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| The museum area contains numerous artifacts |
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| Bricks for the opening of a small furnace |
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| Crucible shards and charcoal |
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| Glass beads |
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| Iron sickle, axe and nails |
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| Exhibits on the Civil War Battle of Roanoke Island and the Underground Railroad |
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| Exhibit on local work of Reginald Fessenden, the inventor of AM radio |
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| Reproduction of Sir Walter Raleigh's drawing room |
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| Monument to the "safe haven" of Roanoke Island for slaves |
Entrance to site is the free. Within the park, two non-federal park partners charge fees:
The park website is
http://www.nps.gov/fora/index.htm.
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