The True Story Behind ‘American Horror Story’ Season 6; How 'Croatoan' Connects To The Season 1 Murder House

Let the haunting begin! In September, fans of the hit FX anthology will reunite with their favorite, creepy cast when “American Horror Story” airs its anticipated Season 6 premiere.

But the network has given anxious fans of the terrifying series an early — and quite eerie — treat. Recently, FX released six chilling trailers that hinted at what the theme of the upcoming installment could possibly be. And although each video clip was spookier than the next, the tantalizing teasers didn’t exactly give viewers a concrete answer of the forthcoming series’ storyline.

After the head-scratching and nightmare inducing trailers were released, audiences received an even more in-depth look at the Season 6 plot of “AHS” thanks to TMZ. TMZ shared images taken from the set of the award-winning thriller — photos that unveiled a major connection from the upcoming season to the freshman installment.

In the obtained photos, viewers can see the word “CROATOAN” carved into the bark of a tree along with other images of what appears to be a village. But what exactly does Croatoan mean? Well, it was the name given to an island on the outer banks of North Carolina but, more importantly, it’s the only clue that was left after 117 colonists mysteriously went missing from Roanoke in 1590.

What is described as America’s oldest, unsolved mystery begins with England attempting to build a permanent settlement in the new world (off of what is now the coast of North Carolina). The colonists were led to the settlement by governor John White, who left the colony (as well as his wife, daughter and infant granddaughter behind), according to History Channel, to return to England for supplies.

White’s return to Roanoke was then massively delayed due to the Anglo-Spanish War. But when White finally returned to the colony three years later, he discovered something terrifying: The colonists had disappeared. Not a trace of the settlers was left behind except for the bones of one colonists and the word “Croatoan,” which was carved into the fort's gatepost. Roanoke was then dubbed as “The Lost City” and has been the basis of several ghost stories — like the very one that was told in Season 1 of “AHS.”

In the freshman installment, titled “Murder House,” Sarah Paulson’s character Billie Dean discusses the chilling story of Roanoke (giving the tale an entertaining twist).

“In 1590, on the coast of what we now know as North Carolina, the entire colony of Roanoke—all 117 men, women, and children—died inexplicably. It became known as the ghost colony because the spirits remained,” she explained. “They haunted the native tribes living in the surrounding areas. Killing indiscriminately. The elder knew he had to act. He cast a banishment curse. First he collected the personal belongings of all the dead colonists. Then they burned them. The ghosts appeared, summoned by their talismans. But before the spirits could cause them any more harm, the elder completed the curse that would banish the ghosts forever. By uttering a single word. The same word found carved on a post at the abandoned colony. ‘Croatoan.’”

Violet (Taissa Farmiga) attempted to use the Roanoke spell on Chad (Zachary Quinto), the ghost haunting her home, hoping to cast his spirit away. But it failed. This teases that perhaps the souls of the settlers’ are still haunting Roanoke and haven’t been banished like the elder thought.

John Landgraf, President of the FX network, previously teased in January that the upcoming season would be “principally” set in the present while still having “echoes of the past.” That would make it possible for Season 6 of “AHS” to feature the story of “The Lost Colony” within their storyline, allowing the show to flashback to the peculiar disappearances of the English settlers while also connecting the legend to the present.

“American Horror Story” will return to FX with its season 6 premiere on Wednesday, Sept. 14.