The Roanoke colony, also known as the Lost Colony, was established on Roanoke Island in the late 16th century. The attempt was made by Queen Elizabeth I to establish a permanent English settlement. The colony was founded by Sir Walter Raleigh.
Their disappearance during the Anglo-Spanish War gave rise to the nickname “The Lost Colony.” There has been no conclusive evidence as to what happened to the colonists.
In 1584, Raleigh dispatched an expedition by Philip Amadas and Arthur Barowle to explore the Eastern Coast of North America. They arrived on Roanoke Island and soon established relations with the Secotan and Croatoan tribes. They returned to England with two Croatoans named Manteo and Wanchese, who were able to describe the politics and geography of the area to Raleigh.
After the information from the natives, Raleigh organized a second expedition to be led by Sir Richard Grenville. Because there was no food left, Grenville decided to leave 107 men to establish a colony at the north end of Roanoke Island, promising to return in April 1586 with more men and more supplies.
Three years later, the second attempt at colonization was undertaken. As the struggles to survive and thrive continued, one of the settlers, John White, was forced to return to England to obtain supplies. Left behind were about 115 colonists plus White’s newly born granddaughter Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Americas.
When they came back to check on the settlers on July 22, 1587, they found nothing except a skeleton that may have been the remains of one of the English garrison. Even today, nobody knows the exact reason for their disappearance.
The Disappearance of the Roanoke colony inspired Ryan Murphy, the co-creator of the American Horror Story series.
This is not the first time that AHS has addressed the legend of Roanoke Island. Season 6 appears to be based around the true story of the Lost Roanoke Colony, which plays a role in the show’s first season. Paulson’s character in Season One recounts the story, claiming that the settlers were slaughtered and their ghosts were banished by a Native American spell.
Murphy stated that Season Six of the series would be “more rogue” and “dark” in contrast to its previous cycle. The premiere episode revealed the season to be depicted as a paranormal documentary entitled My Roanoke Nightmare, which reenacts the experiences of a married couple who relocate to North Carolina.