On my recent trip to Charleston, I was especially fascinated by the historical stories told by the exceptional Pirate Tour Guide, Eric Lavender while on a walking tour of the city. His accounts of pirate history were far more colorful than any of the fantasy stories often told about pirates, and their lives. With the pirates, truth trumps fiction! Eric recounted the lives of Stede Bonnet, Blackbeard, and other pirates of the Golden Age.
In summer 1717, Stede Bonnet originally a wealthy plantation owner from Barbadoes, came down with an obsession for pirating. Alas, Bonnet wasn’t the most adept of pirates, and several of his outrageous blunders would have made crazy, comical episodes on a “Stupid Criminal” show. Yet, at one point he partnered up with Blackbeard, and their exploits make riveting stories.
Blackbeard’s pirate days lasted a mere 20 months or so. For Bonnet it all ended on December 10th 1718, when he was executed on the orders of Judge Trott, who during sentencing announced, “You will be severely hanged, until you are severely dead.”
At the end of the pirate tour, with Eric, I wanted to fill my arms with books, books and more books about the pirates and their lives. Eric helped me select 4 especially great titles to bring back home.
On Saturday, I finished reading the first book titled, “Stede Bonnet – Charleston’s Gentleman Pirate,” written by Christopher Byrd Downey. Downey received his degree in history from Virginia Tech. He worked in the maritime industry for 15 years, and is a United States Coast Guard licensed captain. He lives in Charleston, and offers pirate boat tours in Charleston.
I creased the cover of the second book, “The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate,” yesterday morning. This book written by Kevin P. Duffus, is as fascinating as Downey’s book. I had always thought the tale of Blackbeard’s flaming beard was Hollywood fantasy, but it turns out to be factual that Blackbeard (aka: Edward Thatch or Edward Teach), would dip hemp rope in saltpeter and lime, insert them under his hat, and ignite them. The sizzling wafting smoke made him a fearsome vision to his enemies, who thought him a demon. Kevin Duffus is a serious researcher of pirate history, and is an award-winning filmmaker, researcher, and investigative journalist of historical events.
There are two more books waiting for my curious eyes. They are “Jolly Roger – The Story of the Great Age of Piracy” by Patrick Pringle, and “The Republic of Pirates” by Colin Woodward.
These books are available at the Powder Magazine Museum, and also at the Old Exchange in Charleston. They are also available at Barnes and Noble, or Amazon.
The Pirate Museum is housed in the old Powder Magazine Museum, at 79 Cumberland Street in Charleston. For those unfamiliar with Charleston, the Powder Magazine is the oldest building in South Carolina, dating back to about 1713. It is ironically next door to Judge Trott’s historic home.
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