Not far from this point between the Chowan and Roanoke Rivers, is the fort indicated on John White's "Virginia Pars" map. Across the Chowan, lies the place where the first Dare Stone was found in 1937. The text on the stone indicates that "shortly after" John White left for England to obtain supplies in late August, 1587, more than 48 members of the original colony moved to the Chowan site. In my blog of Nov. 19, 2014, I have a Google Map image that shows what looks like the traces of a man-made, fort structure, complete with defensive gate opening, visible in a plowed field at the same location. Until recently, however, no archaeological investigation had been made on or near the supposed site. All searches for the Lost Colony centered around Roanoke and Hatteras Islands. Now, in 2013, an investigation of the site was started by The First Colony Foundation and artifacts are finally coming to light. On January 19, 2015, an article in the Star News of Wilmington, NC reports their latest findings: "Researchers hopeful N.C. site is that of Lost Colony." Pottery found at the site may yet confirm the English occupation of 1587-1589/90 that Eleanor Dare writes of on the Dare Stone. A photographic examination of a handful of Georgia-based "Dare Stones" has changed my mind about the so-called Dare Stones of Georgia. Though photos of the entire collection located at Brenau University (but stored away from public view) are not available, a few images have been made public. Those photos have convinced me that the Georgia stones are fakes. The carving on all Georgia stones is in a completely different style and size from the original Dare Stone found near the Chowan River. In many cases, the text is very problematic, or the names are not those of the known colonists. Why was the Dare Stone found across the Chowan River at a site near Edenton, NC? What happened to the colony in the years between 1587 and 1591? Where is the grave marker, mentioned on the Dare Stone, for the colonists massacred in 1591? And most enigmatic of all, what happened to Eleanor Dare, the first woman leader in American colonial history?
Answers exist. My screenplay, Dare to Follow, tells why this powerful story, and this brave woman, were silenced for almost 80 years. But no more.
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