This image depicts John White returning to the Roanoke Colony in 1590 to discover the settlement abandoned. A pallisade had been constructed since White's departure in 1587, and the word "CROATOAN" was found carved near the entrance. White explained to his men that this was a prearranged signal to indicate that the colony had relocated, but was unable to search Croatoan Island for further information.

Identifier: popularhistoryof00brya (find matches)
Title: A popular history of the United States : from the first discovery of the western hemisphere by the Northmen, to the end of the first century of the union of the states ; preceded by a sketch of the prehistoric period and the age of the mound builders
Year: 1876 (1870s)
Authors: Bryant, William Cullen, 1794-1878 Gay, Sydney Howard, 1814-1888
Subjects:
Publisher: New York : Scribner, Armstrong, and Company
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant

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Text Appearing Before Image:
the letters C R O A T O A N, carved upon the trunk of a tree, upon the brow of a dazzling hill. Pausing to consider what this might mean. White remembered that when he left the colony it was proposed that the people should remove to the mainland, and that wherever they want the name of the place should be left behind then here upon trees or doorposts. It was further understood that should any misfortune have overtaken them, they should carve beneath the name a cross. Here then was the guide, if CRO meant Croatoan, to the place whither the colony had removed, though it was to an outer island rather than to the main. But to the anxious father and governor, there was this encouragement, — the sign of the cross was wanting. Again they pushed on after a brief consultation upon the faireRomane letters curiously carved, which White had thus explained. It was not far to the deserted post, still surrounded by its palisades.
Text Appearing After Image:
1590.) THE LOST COLONY. 255 Here all doubts were removed: at the entrance, upon one of the largest of the trees from which the bark had been stripped, was The deserted carved in capital letters, the word CROATOAN in full, and -still without the cross. Within the palisades the houses were gone, but scattered about were bars of iron and pigs of lead, some large guns with their balls — fowlers and sacker shot, they were called, —and other things too heavy for a hasty removal, all overgrown with grass and weeds. In a trench not far off were found some chests where they had been buried by the colonists and dug up afterward by the Indians; among these were three belonging to White, but all had been rifled; books were torn out of their covers, the frames of pictures and of maps were rotten with dampness, and a suit of armor was almost eaten up with rust. Although it much grieved me, says white, to see such spoyle of my goods, yet on the other side I greatly joyed that I had safely found a

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