Posts Tagged ‘lost colony of roanoke’

Ghosthunting North Carolina by Kala Ambrose

My book, Ghosthunting North Carolina is haunting the news again. P.M. Terrell of the Robesonian newspaper in Lumberton, NC wrote a wonderful article about the book, featuring the stories covered in Eastern North Carolina including the Lost Colony of Roanoke.  She writes …

“Ghosthunting North Carolina” is part of the America’s Haunted Road Trip series. Unlike most ghostly tales in which we hear only the myths, Ambrose provides us with each story’s historical backdrop. Being a history buff, I found this particularly interesting. And not surprisingly, one of the most fascinating stories she tells is of the Lost Colony of Roanoke.”

“Anyone who has lived in Robeson County for very long has heard the tale of the Lost Colony. But Ambrose makes it richer by telling the true stories of some of the colonists like George Howe, who was walking along the shore looking for crabs to cook when he was attacked by a tribe of Native Americans and shot 16 times with arrows before dying.”

“Numerous visitors to Roanoke Island report seeing a ghostly figure walking along the shore as if looking for something. Many have speculated it is George Howe, eternally searching for crabs. Others have seen many spirits huddled together and believe them to be the ghosts of 15 men who were left behind at one time to guard the new settlement but who were also killed by the Native Americans. Read the rest of the story at: The Robesonian – A hidden gem in Lumberton

USS North Carolina

Ghosthunting North Carolina is also highlighted in my new article on FATE Magazine where I discuss the haunted battleship, the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, NC. In my research and concluding report, I share… “In my experience as a psychic and paranormal investigator, I have found that powerful emotional experiences of the most positive and the most negative nature leave an energy imprint on the object of the attention. Energy imprints are also left on objects surrounding the area as well.  I believe that the USS North Carolina battleship soaked up all of that energy that day upon her arrival in Pearl Harbor. In the water and in the air, she felt the pain and loss of the destruction which had occurred, while at the same time, she was greeted and filled with joy by sailors, pilots and marines who saw her as a saving grace and point of hope.  This, I believe, buoyed the battleship, giving her great luck and fierce determination in battle.” Read the rest of the story online at FATE Magazine.

Outdoor stage at the Lost Colony area

In 1584, explorers were sent to Roanoke Island (a narrow island situated between the Outer Banks and the mainland of North Carolina) by Sir Walter Raleigh to determine if the area would be well suited to establishing a colony. Upon their return, they delivered a positive report of the location, which included a list of the abundant natural resources surrounding the area and findings that Roanoke was better protected from the elements than the Outer Banks. The island appeared all around to be a good choice for a settlement with live oaks and plenty of other trees to build cabins and a variety of wildlife to hunt for food. Sir Walter Raleigh delivered the information to Queen Elizabeth and she granted Raleigh a charter to all the lands that he could claim in the area.

The next year Sir Raleigh sent out a group of one hundred men, mostly soldiers and craftsmen to establish the colony under the guidance of Ralph Lane, a military captain. The group met with poor results from the beginning and departed the area.

Sir Raleigh responded to the news of Lane’s departure by gathering a party of one hundred and seventeen men, women and children who were willing to sail from England in order to establish a permanent settlement in the New World.   As the group sailed to the New World, their leader John White included in his party his pregnant daughter Eleanor Dare.  Upon their arrival, the situation was hostile on all fronts and the colonists asked John White to return to England to gather support and supplies.

Three years after Eleanor gave birth to her daughter Virginia Dare, her father John White returned to Roanoke Island to find everyone and everything missing. All traces of the settlement had disappeared. There was no sign of struggle nor were there any signs of where the group had gone.  His heart raced with terror, were his daughter and his granddaughter alive? Had someone taken them?  There had been no way to get a direct message to them for the past three years. The colonists had no news source and relied on ships that very infrequently stopped in the area. It’s highly likely that the colonists might not have known about the war that had kept White from traveling back to them. They may have presumed White to be dead or lost at sea.

Imagine how Eleanor must have felt, a new baby and practically defenseless, waiting each day in such dangerous territory, cradling her small daughter Virginia while everyone rationed the dwindling supplies.  John White understood this and more, realizing that his dream of starting the first settlement in the new world and bringing his daughter with him, had led to her destruction.

White searched through the entire settlement and the only clues he found was the word CROATAN carved into one of the trees and the letters CRO carved in a second tree nearby. He had asked the group to leave a sign should they be forced to move further inland and suggested that they use the sign of a Maltese cross carved in a tree should they be under attack and forced to flee for their lives.

The lost colony of Roanoke remains a mystery to this day.  Many theories have risen throughout the years over what happened to the colonists. They include: a hurricane swept over them and destroyed the settlement and washed all the colonists out to sea; a hostile native tribe killed them all, buried their bodies and destroyed the settlement; and the settlers, angry at what they perceived as White’s desertion or death, and now hungry, alone, and cold, set out to live elsewhere and died along their journey, or they left and went to live with the Croatan tribe.

Supernatural explanations have also been raised, including werewolves attacking the group and turning the colonists into werewolves; or as they abandoned the settlement, the native tribes destroyed the camp and cursed it in order to keep others from returning.  One theory posits that aliens arrived on the shore and took all of the colonists with them onto their space ship. The area is considered to be haunted by the tragedies and deaths which occurred during this time.

Researchers continue to discuss and debate the lost colony of Roanoke. Many believe that the settlers argued during the months after White left, some believing that he would never return and others holding out hope. One opinion is that the group broke up into two parties and went their separate ways, some heading towards Chesapeake Bay where they had originally intended to settle and the others partnered up and assimilated into the Croatan tribe.

Each summer in North Carolina, visitors from around the world visit Manteo to see the outdoor theater performance of The Lost Colony. The theater uses the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean in the area where the Lost Colony once existed.

Ghosthunting North Carolina by Kala Ambrose

Want to know more about what I saw and experienced while investigating this haunted area along with my interview with some of the leading researchers and archeologists who are working to uncover the mysteries of Roanoke?  It’s all in my new book, Ghosthunting North Carolina, which hits stores on September 13, 2011.  Ghosthunting North Carolina can be pre-ordered on Amazon, which will be shipped to your home in September.

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe. Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical and paranormal topics.  Her new book – Ghost Hunting North Carolina hits the stores in September 2011. Kala lectures and teaches on Metaphysical and Paranormal Phenomena including the Ancient Wisdom Teachings and Healing Temples of Egypt, Working with Auras and Energy Fields, Haunted History, and Wise Woman Wisdom.