Editing Roanoke Colony (section)

===1800s–1950: Site preservation===
{{Main|Fort Raleigh National Historic Site}}
[[File:Fort Raleigh National Historic Site earthworks 2 - Sarah Stierch.jpg|thumb|Reconstructed earthwork at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site]]

The ruins that Lawson encountered in 1701 eventually became a tourist attraction. [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[James Monroe]] visited the site on April 7, 1819. During the 1860s, visitors described the deteriorated "fort" as little more than an earthwork in the shape of a small [[bastion]], and reported holes dug nearby in search of valuable relics. Production of the 1921 [[silent film]] ''The Lost Colony'' and road development further damaged the site. In the 1930s, [[J. C. Harrington]] advocated for the restoration and preservation of the earthwork.{{Sfn|Lawler|2018|pp=135–141}} The [[National Park Service]] began administration of the area in 1941, designating it [[Fort Raleigh National Historic Site]]. In 1950, the earthwork was reconstructed in an effort to restore its original size and shape.<ref name="foracommemoration">{{cite web |title=Commemorating Fort Raleigh |website=U.S. National Park Service |date=August 10, 2016 |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/foracommemoration.htm |access-date=September 11, 2019 |archive-date=October 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005032558/https://www.nps.gov/articles/foracommemoration.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>