Fort Raleigh is part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
NPS/Kurt Moses
Centuries after the lost colony, Roanoke Island became home to a new colony, a Freedmen's Colony, which was established by the army to prepare the formerly enslaved people for life after the war. In February of 1862, the Battle of Roanoke Island left the Outer Banks under Union control, which made Roanoke Island a safe haven, a place of refuge for those who sought the protection of the Union Army. Although some freedom seekers continued their journey northward, many of the refugees remained on the island in the Freemen's Colony that lasted until 1867.
