Fort Raleigh 

National Historic Site

First constructed in 1965, this newly renovated visitor center explores a wide range of rich and intriguing stories that Roanoke Island has to offer. Located in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, just south of where the Wright Brothers first took flight, this little island has many stories to tell.

The visitor center explores the stories of the Carolina Algonquian Indians, the English explorers that set out to discover the “New World” and the unanswered question of what happened to the settlers of the Lost Colony. Visitors to the center can also examine the Civil War Battle of Roanoke Island, the plight of refugee slaves and the first established freedmen’s colony in North Carolina. Articles on display include Reginald Fessenden’s invention of the first wireless radio.

Alchemist tools, farm implements, and jewelry are among the many artifacts found from the surrounding area and on display for the first time. Multimedia interactive exhibits are sprinkled throughout the galleries. Eavesdrop on a conversation between Queen Elizabeth and Sir Walter Raleigh as they discuss the voyage to the new land in the Elizabethan Room or submit your best guess as to what happened to the colonists of 1587.

The unique story of the Lost Colony mainly lies in the unknown. No one really knows what happened. This exhibit will be a continually evolving story as more discoveries are unearthed.