In August 1590, a pirate ship, the Hopewell landed off the coast of modern-day outer banks in North Carolina.

Traveling among the pirates, one supplied chess to his name, was Englishman, John White,

who was a prolific artist,

photographer, and a voyager to the Americas.

The last time White had laid eyes on this shore was three years prior.

The ocean had not been welcoming to the crew, because they were greeted by a hurricane

and had to fight their way to the island they sought.

Now, seas were calmer and so was white.

He couldn't help feeling optimistic.

The crew had seen smoke rising from somewhere on the island, which was a good sign.

A couple of days later, White and the others trekked inland.

The heat and humidity had them sweating before long, but they persisted. White in particular. He had a personal stake in this mission,

you see. Finding his wife and daughter, his son-in-law, and granddaughter, the first English child to be born in the new world.

If his family were still alive on the island, he would find them.

Finally, the settlement came into view.

White remembered when he first spotted this fort way back in 1587.

The dilapidated wooden structures were a far cry

from the creature comforts of home. But neither he nor the colonists he traveled with had been

afraid of hard work. They'd understood the risks and challenges that they would face in the new

world. At least, they thought they had. But the sight of the empty

fort, just as forgotten and lonely as when White had first seen it, felt goosebumps creep up

and down his forearms, in spite of the summer heat. He used to pray each night of the last

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