Mysteries of the Lost Colony at the NC Museum of History

A two-part exhibition opens downtown this Saturday and is forecasted to be a real blockbuster.  One part, Mysteries of the Lost Colony, is presented by the N.C. Museum of History in collaboration with the Roanoke Island Historical Association, producer of the outdoor drama “The Lost Colony.“ Much of the focus of this section is the history of the play itself, which has now run for 70 years and helped jumpstart the careers of numerous actors and Broadway performers, most notably, Mr. Mayberry himself, Andy Griffith who once starred as Sir Walter Raleigh. More pertinent artifacts are included in this section as well though, most notably several engravings from the 1500s by Theodor de Bry, a Flemish publisher who engraved prints based on John White’s watercolors. De Bry’s engravings were used to illustrate Thomas Harriot’s written account of the 1585 Roanoke voyage, A brief and true report of the new found land of Virginia. An exceptional 1590 German hand-colored version of Harriot’s manuscript is featured. Other artifacts include small pit-fired stoneware Indian pipes, pottery, and an idol, a Sir Walter Raleigh bronze statue, several oil paintings, as well as armor, weaponry, and navigational instruments like that used by English and Spanish explorers.
One display in this section, “CSI: Roanoke Island,” is a computer interactive featuring Raleighite Emily Protctor from “CSI: Miami” reviewing theories on the disappearance of the colony members alongside various supporting artifacts.
Large scale props from the drama are put to use as well, including an Indian village, which admittedly is constructed with the children in mind, as well as a street scene of Plymouth, England intended to immerse visitors into another time and place before plunging them into the heart of the exhibit, A New World: England’s First View of America, presented in collaboration with the British Museum in London and curated by Kim Sloan
A New World: England’s First View of America, features more than 70 watercolor drawings made by John White on the voyages to Virginia (now North Carolina) in the 1580s. While the stylized paintings of the Algonquin Indians are both familiar and astounding, I was pleased to see a large number of paintings of wildlife and fauna, as well as pictures of other cultures ranging from Inuits to the fierce warrior ancestors of Northern Europe. This is the first time in over 40 years that this complete collection of White’s original watercolors is on view outside of England and is in and of itself worth the $10 admission as these images are the only surviving visual English record of America at the time of European contact.
Ticket and Group Tour Information
Tickets are $10 for adults; $8 for students, senior citizens, active military personnel and adult groups of 10 or more; $5 for children ages 5 to 12 and youth groups ages 5 to 18; free for children ages 4 and under and for Associates members. Purchase tickets at the Museum Shop, online at etix or through NC Museum of History. (Service charges apply for etix purchases.) For more ticket information, call 919-807-7900. Most major credit cards are accepted.
To schedule tours for groups of 10 or more, call the Capital Area Visitor Center at 919-807-7950 or toll-free at 866-724-8687. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more.
From Oct. 20, 2007, to Jan. 13, 2008, the N.C. Museum of History’s hours will be Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information about the N.C. Museum of History, call 919-807-7900 or visit ncmuseumofhistory.org. The museum is part of the Division of State History Museums, Office of Archives and History, an agency of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. The department’s Web site is www.ncculture.com.