Few people in history are as notorious as the pirate, Edward Teach, or Blackbeard. His violent reputation and appearance struck fear in the hearts of sailors around the coastal regions of North Carolina during the early 18th century.
Born in 1680 in Bristol, England, Edward Teach's early life is a bit of a mystery. His first appearance in early 18th century's historical records, shows he was in the Bahamas, where he served as a privateer during the War of Spanish Succession. After the war was over, he turned to piracy, quickly establishing himself as one of the most feared and successful pirates of all time.
Blackbeard's acts of piracy along the coast of North Carolina are legendary. He loved lurking in the shallow inlets and barrier islands of the Outer Banks, and used them as hiding spots for his ships.
In September of 1717, England offered a pardon to any pirate that declared loyalty to England and promised to stop pirating. In May of 1718, he blocked the port of Charleston, South Carolina, and captured several ships while holding the city for ransom. He then beached his ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, off the shores of Beaufort, NC, and abandoned it along with most of his men. After reaching Bath, North Carolina, he and Stede Bonnet surrendered to Governor Eden. They received the King's Pardon after promising to change their ways. Blackbeard then settled on Ocracoke Island, but continued to live in his old ways.
Soon after, he was hunted down and killed by a British naval expedition led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard. Although Blackbeard fought ferociously, he was ultimately killed in the Ocracoke Inlet, now known as Teach's Hole. Legend has it that his body was thrown overboard and his head was hung from the bow of Maynard's ship as a trophy.
Springer's Point, the last maritime forest in Ocracoke Village, once was the legendary hangout and party grounds of the infamous pirate Blackbeard. It is a 31 acre nature preserve that ends on the shoreline of the Pamlico Sound.
Legend has it that you may witness a ghostly sighting of Blackbeard's ship off Springer's Point in the Pamlico Sound. There is also rumors of buried treasure around the Ocracoke area.