I took the bike and
went over to Springers Point. There is a
nature trail that goes through the maritime forest and opens out onto the
beach.
This was also a well-known
haunt of the pirate Blackbeard back in the early 1700s when he frequented this
island. Blackbeard had really given this
area some notoriety. Although most of
his shenanigans occurred in the Caribbean, he did spend about a year here and
as many know, met his demise on this island.
It was in the spring of 1718 that he left the Caribbean with his fleet of 4 ships including his prize, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, and made his way into the Carolinas. He famously blockaded Charleston Harbor in South Carolina for a time before heading farther north to NC. During his exploits early that year in NC, he sank two of his ships including the Queen Anne’s Revenge in the inlet at Beaufort. The ship would remain lost until 1996 when rediscovered by an archeological exploration which continues to recover and document the ships remains today.
He eventually sailed into Bath, NC and married his 14th wife (the guy got around) and entered semi-retirement. It seemed to be working retirement, however, he often went on “trading” voyages from Bath to Ocracoke Island. Some of his “trading” cargo proceeds were divided with the then Governor Eden (just saying I might smell a rat). Coastal residents began complaining about the loss of their own income and fear for their safety with Blackbeard galivanting around on his “trading” exploits.
It was the fall of that year (1718) that Blackbeard and several other well-known pirates all gathered for one big block party at Springer’s Point. They butchered hogs and cows and barbequed them right on the beach. There was rum, women, and music. The party lasted for days and drew the attention of the governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood. This governor was not in Blackbeard’s pocket and he enlisted two Royal Navy men and their ships to go after the pirates. They and their crews reached Ocracoke on board their ship the Adventure on the morning of Nov. 22nd , 1718 and engaged Blackbeard and his ship in a fierce and bloody battle.
After a ferocious fight, Blackbeard was killed and his head cut off and hung from the bowsprit of the Adventure as a subtle message to other pirates. It worked as the rest of the pirates were captured or fled. Blackbeard’s body was thrown into the waters of Ocracoke and legend says it swam headless around the ship that slayed him several times before sinking (cool, right?). At any rate, that was the end of the pirate’s short, but very well-known activity in NC. Pengi the pirate penguin is a much more sociable pirate.
It was in the spring of 1718 that he left the Caribbean with his fleet of 4 ships including his prize, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, and made his way into the Carolinas. He famously blockaded Charleston Harbor in South Carolina for a time before heading farther north to NC. During his exploits early that year in NC, he sank two of his ships including the Queen Anne’s Revenge in the inlet at Beaufort. The ship would remain lost until 1996 when rediscovered by an archeological exploration which continues to recover and document the ships remains today.
He eventually sailed into Bath, NC and married his 14th wife (the guy got around) and entered semi-retirement. It seemed to be working retirement, however, he often went on “trading” voyages from Bath to Ocracoke Island. Some of his “trading” cargo proceeds were divided with the then Governor Eden (just saying I might smell a rat). Coastal residents began complaining about the loss of their own income and fear for their safety with Blackbeard galivanting around on his “trading” exploits.
It was the fall of that year (1718) that Blackbeard and several other well-known pirates all gathered for one big block party at Springer’s Point. They butchered hogs and cows and barbequed them right on the beach. There was rum, women, and music. The party lasted for days and drew the attention of the governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood. This governor was not in Blackbeard’s pocket and he enlisted two Royal Navy men and their ships to go after the pirates. They and their crews reached Ocracoke on board their ship the Adventure on the morning of Nov. 22nd , 1718 and engaged Blackbeard and his ship in a fierce and bloody battle.
After a ferocious fight, Blackbeard was killed and his head cut off and hung from the bowsprit of the Adventure as a subtle message to other pirates. It worked as the rest of the pirates were captured or fled. Blackbeard’s body was thrown into the waters of Ocracoke and legend says it swam headless around the ship that slayed him several times before sinking (cool, right?). At any rate, that was the end of the pirate’s short, but very well-known activity in NC. Pengi the pirate penguin is a much more sociable pirate.
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