Fort Raleigh National Historic Site

A beginning chapter in the story of America is kept on the north end of Roanoke Island the place of England’s first colonization efforts. Sir Walter Raleigh’s explorers and colonists established settlements in this area in 1585 and 1587.

Today, we protect and preserve known portions of England's first New World settlements from 1584 to 1590. We also preserve the cultural heritage of the Native Americans, European Americans and African Americans who have lived on Roanoke Island.

Home, too, for "The Lost Colony" Outdoor Drama, the Elizabethan Gardens and the Freedmen's Colony.