More Secrets of Blackbeard’s Shipwreck Revealed

Posted on March 2, 2011

Queen Anne's Revenge - Blackbeard

Yo ho ho a pirates life for me!

After 14 years of digging, archaeologists are certain they’ve discovered the famous Blackbeard flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, just off Ocracoke Island on the Outer Banks. After discovering Blackbeard’s sword off the North Carolina Coast, researchers believe they have found more clues about what happened to Blackbeard, his crew, and his ship.

Archaeologists say there is no doubt that what they have been diving on since 1997 is the Queen Anne’s Revenge, officially identified as shipwreck 31 CR 314.

“Absolutely” is what the QAR Project Director and Archaeologist Dr. Mark Wilde-Ramsing says. “There is no question that this could be any other ship.”

But how it got there is still a mystery. Some believe the pirates may have ran the ship aground on purpose. The debris field encompasses an area approximately 90 x 200 feet with a north-south orientation. Finding bits and pieces of the wreckage, coins, navigational instruments, pewter ware, intact bottles, lead shots of many sizes, small arms and gold dust, to name a few, there is still something missing…bodies.

“Everybody got off,” said Sr. Wilde-Ramsing. “We are not finding any human remains and actually there is very good evidence that they got off because we are not finding any clothing.”

With over half of the artifacts discovered, divers set a goal to find the rest by 2013. Weather conditions determine the dive schedule. It can be calm underwater, yet storms can cause limited visibility. Future dives will undoubtedly answer many questions surrounding Blackbeard and his ships, and confirm the Outer Banks truly is the Graveyard of the Atlantic

Outer Banks – Rewriting Blackbeard’s History?

Posted on November 18, 2010

Blackbeard the Pirate?

Blackbeard the Pirate.

Next to Johnny Depp, Blackbeard is arguably one of the most famous (or infamous) pirates the world over. “Pirate” is even in his name. Any Outer Banks history buff worth their weight knows of Blackbeard’s pillaging/piracy and hideout along the OBX coast.

Or do we? Are these facts accurate?

Blackbeard expert, writer, and filmmaker, Kevin Duffus has some alternative ideas. Rather than a murderous Englishman, Blackbeard may have been an upstanding Eastern North Carolina resident who only dabbled briefly in piracy.

Well, that’s quite a different perspective!

ENCToday.com covered a recent Duffus lecture in New Bern, NC where he discussed these alternative historical theories. Duffus felt it appropriate to deliver the lecture in New Bern because the area has strong connections to his theory a highly interested audience. The theater was crowded to standing-room-only capacity…I guess he was right.

Duffus’ lecture discusses the material he presents in his 2008 book, The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate. In total, Duffus has published three books and produced four documentaries, all related to Outer Banks history.

Duffus led the audience through his discoveries that provide a compelling argument to rewrite Blackbeard history. Letters and documents indicate that Blackbeard had a sister named Susanna who lived on property along the Neuse River, that he had a high level of familiarity with North Carolina colonial Gov. Eden and an official named Tobias Knight, and that he had never killed a single person.

“I think his name was James Black Beard,” Duffus said, referring to a sea captain and landowner in the Bath, N.C. area. “I can’t prove it. This is all circumstantial evidence.”

James Black Beard was a neighbor of Eden and Knight. The sea captain supposedly died in 1711, but there is no record of his death. Someone paid the property taxes on his land until 1718, the year the pirate Blackbeard was killed following a battle at Ocracoke. Duffus believes that Beard also had a sister, Susanna Beard Franck.

Duffus pieced together the lives and circumstances of numerous people to come to this conclusion. He also found enough evidence to dispel popular accounts in Blackbeard history and to reconstruct the pirate’s whereabouts for the last six months of his life.

His theory involves a Spanish ship that had sunk off the coast of Florida in 1715, leaving a treasure trove of gold and other riches. At the time, the North Carolina economy was faltering, and Duffus believes that Eden had sent James Black Beard and his crew to retrieve some of the booty. By the time they arrived at the wreck site, the Spaniards had already guarded the area. It is then, Duffus thinks, that Blackbeard turned to piracy. Eden also pardoned Blackbeard in the summer of 1718, Duffus said.

Blackbeard the Upstanding Citizen!? Doesn’t really have the same ring to it.

Outer Banks Pirate Bones?

Posted on June 11, 2010

Archeologists in North Carolina are ready to release their grip on a Colonial-era resident who may have been a surviving member of Blackbeard’s pirate crew.

A Superior Court judge ruled the bones found in 1986 should be returned for reburial to the man’s descendants. Raleigh researcher and Outer Banks historian Kevin Duffus thinks the bones are the remains of Edward Salter, a former member of Blackbeard’s pirate crew who died 275 years ago.

Salter escaped being hanged after Blackbeard’s death and became a barrel-maker and respectable member of the colonial port town of Bath.

Duffus has sought genetic testing on the bones to confirm his theory.

Blackbeard Anniversary Celebration on the Outer Banks

Posted on December 8, 2009

The thunder of a cannon sounded across Teach’s Hole on Ocracoke Island as a crowd dressed in pirate garb gathered to celebrate a solemn anniversary, the death of Blackbeard the Pirate.

The second Annual Blackbeard Pirate Memorial was held on Nov 22nd. Re-enactors were there to act out the story of the ruthless pirate. The event is held on the same date of Blackbeard’s death, which happened almost 300 years ago.

There were about 15 pirates at this year’s event, all dressed in authentic pirate attire, including cutlasses and flintlock pistols. They stayed, appropriately enough, at Blackbeard’s Lodge on Ocracoke’s Back Road, where on Saturday night they watched the Disney movie “Blackbeard’s Ghost.” There is also a replica ship, which took some 10,000 hours to build.

4th Annual Outer Banks Pirate Festival

Posted on September 16, 2009

pirate-skull-crossbones Kitty Hawk Kites is teaming up with Blackbeard’s Crew to host the 4th Annual Outer Banks Pirate Festival starting today.

The festival lasts four days, from September 16th through September 19th.

Captain Jack Sparrow and Blackbeard’s Crew plan to pillage, plunder and be pirates! The Pirates will invade several different locations and businesses throughout the Outer Banks. Rumors are circulating about a plan to take over the ship owned by Roanoke Island Festival Park. These pirates also love to pillage at all Kitty Hawk Kites stores in the Outer Banks. Captain Jack Sparrow and Blackbeard’s Crew will visit numerous local establishments. The tentative schedule is as follows:

Wednesday 9/16:
- 3pm-5pm Nags Head KHK – Jockey’s Ridge Crossing
- 6pm-9pm Jolly Roger

Thursday 9/17:
- 11am-12pm – Duck Kitty Hawk Kites
- 1pm – 2pm – Corolla Kitty Hawk Kites – Monteray Plaza
- 4pm-6pm Outer Banks Brewing Station*
- 8pm-9pm Rodanthe KHK

Friday 9/18:
- 11am-1pm Big Al’s
- 2pm-4:30pm Roanoke Island Festival Park*
- 5pm-7pm Pamlico Jack’s*

Saturday 9/19:
- 9am-11am The Dunes Restaurant*
- 10am-4pm Nags Head KHK – Jockey’s Ridge Crossing – MP 12.5

*While at the sponsored restaurants, pirates will feast and interact with other guests of the restaurant or attraction.

On Saturday, September 19th, visit the Kitty Hawk Kites store in Nags Head, NC at Jockey’s Ridge Crossing from 10am-4pm for a pirate encampment. Several pirates will pitch their tents in front of Kitty Hawk Kites, offering a full day of pirate life. Tales and stories will circulate throughout the day as each pirate tries to tell his/her best tale of the sea. Some pirates will conduct the “Scalliwag School for Aspiring Pirates” while others help with the Treasure Hunt!

Blackbeard’s first mate will be in search of new recruitments. Children of all ages will be able to train with the pirates, learning how to sword fight and become a real pirate. In addition, live cannon fire will be shot throughout the day.

Be sure to look for Skull and Crossbones Pirate Flags over participating establishments!

New Outer Banks Ghost Tour – “Graveyard of the Atlantic: Pirates, Legends, and Lore”

Posted on May 19, 2009

pirate-skull-crossbones Beginning in June, visitors to the Outer Banks will become privy to the secret life of pirates and the paranormal phenomenon of phantom ships in the new “Graveyard of the Atlantic – Pirates, Legends and Lore” tour presented by Ghost Tours of America, Inc.

The tours are an expansion of last year’s very popular “Ghost Tours of the Outer Banks.” Meeting at the Town Center Kiosk in Manteo, the 90 minute walking tour will be held every Tuesday evening beginning June 9 at 8 p.m. Cost for the tour is $13 for adults and $8 for children 10 and under.

Featured stories include: “Pillow the Life Saving Dog”; “Blackbeard the Pirate’s Pact with the Devil”; the phantom ship, “Carroll A. Deering and many more. According to owner, Andrea Martinshin, “We had so many ghost stories last year that we were unable to cover the nautical ghost stories and pirate lore which is such a big part of the Outer Banks. Individuals that enjoyed our ghost stories last year will find the same quality experience on our new tour. If you enjoy fun facts about pirates – then this is the tour for you!”

On Wednesday evenings at 8 p.m., more paranormal happenings will be presented in the “Ghost Tours of the Outer Banks tour. Using the same format, ghost stories from Kitty Hawk to Cape Hatteras are told as well as segments on “How to Communicate with Ghosts” and “Ghost 101”.

In order to be sure that each visitor has an entertaining and enjoyable experience, reservations are required for both tours. Reservations can be made by calling 252-573-1450.

Pirate Bones?

Posted on May 19, 2009

pirate-skull-crossbones Kevin Duffus, Blackbeard historian and author, is attempting to reopen a 274 year old estate of a man from Beaufort County that he thinks was a member of Blackbeard’s pirate crew.

Duffus believes the crew members’ bones are stored in a box in Raleigh, and says that he will need access to the estate to clarify if the man was in fact part of Blackbeard’s crew. Edward Slater is the possible crew member’s name, a landowner and merchant who died in 1735.

With a little help from Slater’s descendants, Duffus is planning to run a series of DNA tests to determine whether or not the bones are of Edward Slater. If the bones prove to be Slater’s, history could be rewritten. Duffus believes that if the bones are in fact Slater’s, this will prove that not all of Blackbeard’s pirates were murdered in Williamsburg, VA, as popular history states.

State officials have neglected to recognize Dufus’ petition to be named executor of the estate. State law provided that the state archaeologist is required to preserve human remains that are in state custody. Brian Blount of Springfield, MO, is supporting Duffus’ suggestion, and is considered Slater’s grandson times seven. He testified in court in support of Duffus’ petition. Supporters of this petition will also help support a fund to pay for the DNA analysis, which is estimated to cost about $1200.

Blackbeard’s Ship Found Off the Coast of the Outer Banks?

Posted on April 23, 2009

Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard the Pirate, is quite possibly the most famous pirate that ever roamed the earth. PBS aired a show last night at that discussed the life of Blackbeard and his journeys pillaging at sea.

There was a time during his reign of terror that he commanded four ships that consisted of a crew 400 strong. The crews were unrelenting, pillaging ships all across the Atlantic. Many of these vessels were terrorized in American waters. In the year of 1718, Blackbeard blockaded the city of Charleston, which had great impact of the city’s economy. Eventually, the pirate was caught and beheaded off the coast of the Outer Banks.

A marine archeology team recently discovered what they believe is Blackbeard’s sunken flagship, The Queen Anne’s Revenge, off the OBX coast. They are hoping that this discovery will help answer some long enduring questions about Blackbeard’s life and death. Check local listings for details and scheduled reruns.

Outer Banks Named One of the Top 10 Places to “Live Like a Pirate”

Posted on April 20, 2009

Away.com recently created a top ten list of places to live like a pirate, and the Outer Banks landed at # 2.

Ocracoke Island receives attention from pirate lovers everywhere. The quaint island located on the southern end of the OBX was the home of Blackbeard the Pirate, and much lore still surrounds the island.

Ocracoke offers a variety of pirate related activities and history. Two must-sees for any pirate enthusiast are the Blackbeard museum and Tech’s Hole, now a great fishing spot, but in 1718 it was the site of the Battle of Ocracoke that cost Blackbeard his life.

Blackbeard to Sail the Outer Banks Again?

Posted on March 11, 2009

Kevin Duffus, an author, researcher, and filmmaker has spent 35 years researching Blackbeard’s life. To other historians, he is known simply as the “Blackbeard Expert.”

Duffus recently published “The Last Days of Black Beard The Pirate” where he explains his well-researched theories of the infamous pirate’s life. Blackbeard is the source of many tales and legends on the Outer Banks.

To honor the memory of Blackbeard, Duffus hopes to build a full size replica of Blackbeard’s famous ship, The Adventure. The Adventure was a Jamaica sloop, a common merchant vessel of the times that Blackbeard captured and converted to a pirate ship.

On March 5th, Duffus made a presentation for funding the $5.2 million dollar project to The Committee of 100’s. His ideas for the project were enthusiastically received by the members. The Duffus plan would have a team of marine craftsmen, augmented by skilled volunteers, take about a year to build the vessel. When completed, the ship would be used for dockside tours and demonstrations; corporate and special-event charters; festival and re-enactment events both within and outside of the state; and sailing and seamanship instruction.

The ideas are in place, all that remains is getting $5.2 million in funding in a difficult economic climate. Good luck Kevin; we hope to see The Adventure setting sail soon.