Unlocking Blackbeard's Secrets

The year was 1717. Europeans were settling the American colonies along the Atlantic seaboard, with port cities such as Boston, Philadelphia and Charleston flourishing. Merchant ships ferried goods, such as linens, weapons and food, between Europe and the colonies, and between the northern and southern colonies. Slave ships delivered thousands of slaves from Africa to the Caribbean and the southern colonies to work in sugar and tobacco plantations. Meanwhile, countless ruthless pirates roamed the shipping waters, plundering and commandeering ships, ports and tons of merchandise.

Indeed, with so many valuables being traded across the Atlantic and a lack of a strong colonial government, the American coast became a hotspot for piracy, with the early 1700s marking a “Golden Age of Piracy.” The inlets and sounds of North Carolina’s Outer Banks in particular became a haven for many pirates and outlaws, perhaps none more famous — or infamous — than Blackbeard.
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Book: Blackbeard and crew born in Carolinas

BATH -- In a pirate-worthy broadside on conventional history, a Raleigh author claims that Blackbeard and many of his henchmen weren't rogue Englishmen, but sons of North Carolina landowners.

Most historical accounts contend that the notorious pirate known as Edward Teach or Thatch was from Bristol, England. But Kevin P. Duffus said his review of archives and genealogical research indicates that Blackbeard was probably Edward Beard, son of a landowner in Bath in Beaufort County.

"There's never going to be a smoking gun to determine who he really was," Duffus said of the pirate. "My version is a lot more plausible than what's been foisted upon us for nearly three centuries."
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Blackbeard the Pirate's Sword and Booty Discovered

Blackbeard's beloved ship Queen Anne's Revenge sank off the coast of North Carolina in the 18th Century, and now researchers have recovered a sword handle and some gold stashed aboard.

The sword guard you see to the left would have rested between the blade and the grip, and an x-ray revealed a little hole bored in it where you might hang a tassel - sort of the pirate sword equivalent of a cell phone charm.

King of Pirates hangs his shingle

Having recently settled down in Bath, NC, Blackbeard the Pirate has opened up a small shop, from which he aims to sell what he calls, "surplus goods."
Being appropriately named, "The Blackbeard Shop" (We dare not question his business sense), it boasts a wide selection of goods which all appear to have him as their theme. The inventory includes Blackbeard books, Blackbeard flags, movies about Blackbeard, and even Blackbeard art prints. The owner informed me in hushed tones that all inquiries regarding shipments of rum, plate, and contraband should be directed to the rear of the establishment.
The shop is well-organized, brightly lit, and conveniently located. The reporter was told that all local businesses need only purchase one item per month to avoid unfortunate mishaps.
Blackbeard
Blackbeard Shop