DARE COUNTY, N.C. — Let's go back to May of 1587.
The “Lion” sets sail from England. It was a ship carrying approximately 117 passengers.
Among them was 18-year-old Eleanor Dare, who also happened to be six months pregnant.
After a grueling month at sea, the colonists landed on Roanoke Island.
Shortly after, Dare would give birth to a daughter, whom she named Virginia.
She was the first English child born in the new world.
Just nine days later, Eleanor’s father was forced to lead an expedition back to England to get badly needed supplies for the struggling colony.
The only clue to their fate was the word “Croatan," which was carved into a tree.
The legend of Eleanor and Virginia’s lives, and their mysterious disappearance looms large in North Carolina and American history as a whole.
Their names still grace countless landmarks and monuments – including the county where they made their home that we know today.
This is part of a series of Women's History Month stories 13News Now is featuring in March to celebrate some of the women who have had an impact on the Hampton Roads region.