Pirates of North Carolina Tour

See the Pirates of North Carolina Tour map

North Carolina was a common stopping place for pirates during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, a time also known as the "Golden Age of Piracy." Many pirates frequented the islands of the Outer Banks or even called North Carolina home. It's been suggested that pirates chose these islands because the shallow waters and tricky terrain made it easier for them to evade capture. However, it could also be that North Carolina was en route between the Caribbean and the New England ports. This makes it unsurprising that knowing merchant ships carrying goods were passing through this region would attract pirates looking to steal those goods.

This was also a time of war, particularly between European countries. A lot of pirates started out as "privateers," which were essentially pirates sanctioned by the crown. As a privateer, they were allowed to attack and steal from ships that belonged to the opposing side in exchange for a portion of their goods being given back to their government. As these countries moved into more peaceful times, privateering was no longer allowed, but some men missed the thrill and chance for riches, and they became pirates. This is what happened to Edward Teach, an English man who was a privateer for Queen Anne. He later joined a pirate crew and was eventually given command over a stolen French ship, which he named the Queen Anne's Revenge. Teach sailed his new ship to North America and became known as Blackbeard.

Blackbeard is not the only famous pirate to land in North Carolina. His one-time partner Stede Bonnet was there for a time and was ultimately captured on the Cape Fear River. Bonnet was known as the "Gentleman Pirate" because he came from wealth and abandoned his family to pursue piracy. Captain Kidd was a Scottish privateer who was commissioned to attack enemy and pirate ships. However, Kidd had little luck with this and turned to piracy by attacking merchant ships, regardless of nationality. He was executed in England but is said to have buried his treasure, possibly in North Carolina.

While some stories are true and some are legends passed down for centuries, it's undeniable that North Carolina is rich with pirate history. Follow our tour and discover some fascinating history about these dangerous and ruthless pirates.

All books mentioned on the tour can be found on the NC Literary Map.

Sources:

• Cartwright, M. (2021, August 25). Captain Kidd. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Captain_Kidd/
• Gonzalez, J. (2022, December 8). Stede Bonnet and the Golden Age of Piracy: Part One. Library of Congress Blogs. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2022/12/stede-bonnet-and-the-golden-age-of-piracy/
• North Carolina History Project. (n.d.). Stede Bonnet (1688-1718). https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/stede-bonnet-1688-1718/
• Quine, K. (2015, July 20). Was North Carolina a haven for pirates? Our State. https://www.ourstate.com/was-north-carolina-a-haven-for-pirates/
• Slappey, K. (n.d.). Blackbeard, the pirate. North Carolina History Project. https://northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/the-pirate-blackbeard/
• Zepke, T. (2009). Pirates of the Carolinas for kids. Pineapple Press.

Photograph Sources:

• Blackbeard the Pirate. 1725. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2007677050/.
• Ferris, Jean Leon Gerome, Artist. Captain Kidd in New York Harbor / J.L.G. Ferris. ca. 1932. Cleveland, Ohio: The Foundation Press, Inc., July 28. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2002719524/.
• Major Stede Bonnet. 1725. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2007675638/.