Be a part of the First Colony Foundation

Before John Smith landed at Jamestown Island in 1607 and the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts in 1620, Sir Walter Raleigh attempted to plant an English colony on Roanoke Island in 1585 and again in 1587. While the 1585 colony under Governor Ralph Lane eventually returned to England, the 117 men, women, and children of John White’s 1587 settlement disappeared within three years to become the legendary “Lost Colony.” Despite several archaeological investigations at Fort Raleigh, the location of their fort and village and what happened to the Lost Colony remains one of America’s greatest historical mysteries.

The First Colony Foundation was created by a group of prominent historians, archaeologists, preservationists, and interested citizens to sponsor historical and archaeological research and public education related to the early period of American colonial history, and specifically to the 1585 Lane Colony and the 1587 “Lost Colony.” Funds help put professional archaeologists on the ground, in the water, and historians in the archives searching for evidence about Sir Walter Raleigh’s Roanoke colonies.

Yes, I want to be a part of the First Colony Foundation.

First Colony Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 2003.

All contributions are tax-deductible.