Oddities from Around the World: “The Town That Vanished”: The Lost Colony of Roanoke and the Mystery That Still Haunts America

Article by: Nico Schepis

“They were gone. Every one of them. No bodies. No blood. Just one word carved into a tree…”— John White, 1590

America has its fair share of ghost towns — crumbling mining camps, abandoned asylums, sunken villages. But what if I told you that the most chilling story of all is about a town that didn’t just die… it disappeared?

No screams.No struggle.No clues.

Only one word — carved into the bark of a tree like a whisper from the other side.

CROATOAN.

This is the true story of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, one of the oldest — and strangest — unsolved mysteries in American history.

The Birth of a Dream — and the Beginning of a Nightmare

In 1587, over 110 English settlers landed on the coast of what is now North Carolina. They were supposed to be the start of something grand — the first permanent English colony in the New World. These were families, not soldiers. Men, women, and children. They built homes, planted crops, and tried to make peace with local tribes.

But something was wrong from the start.

Food was scarce. The relationship with nearby tribes soured. There were whispered stories of strange lights in the sky, eerie cries in the woods at night, and sudden, violent illnesses with no known cause. Some colonists reportedly believed the land itself was cursed.

Their governor, John White, returned to England for supplies. His journey, which should’ve taken a few months, stretched into three years due to war with Spain. When he finally returned to Roanoke in 1590… the colony was gone.

Not destroyed. Not attacked.Just gone.

No Graves. No Bones. No Clues.

The houses were dismantled — not burned, not ruined, but carefully taken apart, like someone had moved. There was no sign of a fight. No human remains. No blood. It was as if over a hundred people had simply walked into the trees and vanished from the face of the earth.

The only thing left behind?

One word, carved into a wooden post: “CROATOAN”And the letters “CRO” carved into a tree.

Croatoan was the name of a nearby island (now Hatteras Island) and the name of a friendly Native American tribe. John White assumed they had relocated there — but he never found them. A storm prevented him from searching the island. He would never return.

No one ever saw the Roanoke colonists again.

So Where Did They Go?

Here’s where the mystery gets darker — and weirder.

Over the centuries, theories have surfaced like bodies floating to the top:

🪓 Massacre by hostile tribes?

Possible… but where are the bones? Where is the blood?

🧬 Assimilation into Native tribes?

Some later tribes showed signs of European DNA — blue eyes, English words — but nothing definitive.

👻 Supernatural intervention?

Locals have long told tales of curses and spirits tied to the land. Some believe the colonists disturbed something they shouldn’t have… and paid the price.

🚀 Aliens? Time slips?

Now we’re getting Wandering Oddball weird. But consider this: the word "Croatoan" has appeared in other mysterious disappearances over the years…

The “Croatoan” Curse

You read that right. The word “Croatoan” has shown up again and again — tied to strange vanishings throughout history:

• Edgar Allan Poe, just before his death, allegedly muttered “Croatoan” and vanished for several days. What happened to him during that time remains unknown.

• Ambrose Bierce, the Civil War writer and journalist, disappeared without a trace in 1913. The word “Croatoan” was reportedly found scrawled in his diary.

• Amelia Earhart, the legendary pilot, vanished over the Pacific in 1937. A piece of wreckage that washed up years later allegedly had “Croatoan” carved into it.

• The ship Carroll A. Deering, found abandoned off Cape Hatteras in 1921, had no crew, no logbook, and one cryptic word etched into a piece of timber: you guessed it — Croatoan.

Coincidence?Or something darker?

Ghost Lights and Phantom Voices

To this day, Roanoke Island is said to be haunted.

Tourists visiting the site report glowing orbs floating over the water, children’s laughter echoing through the trees, and the feeling of being watched by something ancient. The air gets thick. The birds fall silent. And sometimes… a voice whispers from nowhere: “Croatoan.”

One woman claimed she saw a group of pale figures dressed in colonial clothing walking single-file through the forest. When she tried to follow, they vanished into the mist.

EVP sessions in the area have picked up chilling phrases:

“We are not gone.”“They see us.”“Still here.”

Whatever happened on Roanoke Island… didn’t end.

The Theories Continue — But the Truth Hides

Archaeologists have found a few scattered artifacts — a ring here, a tool there — but no answers. No graves. No bodies. No closure.

The Lost Colony remains just that — lost. And the word "Croatoan" continues to loom over American history like a shadow that refuses to fade.

Maybe it was a simple migration.Maybe it was a massacre.Or maybe — just maybe — it was something the rest of us were never meant to understand.

Travel Tips for the Curious (and the Brave)

• 📍Visit: Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Roanoke Island, North Carolina

• 🎭 Check out: The Lost Colony outdoor drama (still performed every summer)

• 👻 Bring a recorder. You never know what voices you might catch.

• 🌲 Stay near the shoreline at dusk. That’s when the lights begin to flicker…

Final Thought

Roanoke is more than just a historical curiosity. It’s a warning — a reminder that some stories don’t get endings. Some chapters just stop. And maybe, just maybe, some doors once opened… never fully close.