Carolina Business Articles

Carteret County Welcomes Pirates  June 30th

The North Carolina Aquarium Pine Knolls Shores Will Open May 2006

By Christine Bonin

      With a coastal landscape teeming with history, visitors to Carteret County can't help but fall under the spell of the pirates and tall ships that have visited its shores, and the wars fought and won on its sand bars.

      It is rumored that Blackbeard the Pirate marooned part of his crew on land now occupied by the Fort Macon State Park, scuttling the Queen Anne's Revenge on one of the numerous sand banks before he left the Beaufort Inlet area and traveled north to Ocracoke where he set up his base of operations for the next few months. He was eventually killed in November 1718 by an expedition sent down from the neighboring colony of Virginia.

      Visitors to Fort Macon sitting atop the brick walls looking out over the ocean can almost see the tall mast ships gliding past. Daydreams aside, on a clear day, visitors will actually see the research vessels moored atop what is believed to be the remains of the Queen Anne's Revenge, discovered in 1996, within sight of shore. Though the wood of the ship long since disintegrated, artifacts recovered so far include a bronze bell dated 1709, a brass blunderbuss barrel similar to today's sawed off shotguns, a 21-pound lead sounding weight and several 24-pound cannon balls, some of which are on display at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort. Archeologists are still actively researching the site, hoping that the physical remains of the ship itself will provide fascinating clues into ship construction practices and naval architecture during a period where limited information survives.

      Fort Macon itself is a living testament to the history and importance of the region. During significant periods of American history, different encampments have been built on the spot, specifically during the revolutionary era and the War of 1812, but those past forts disintegrated and were claimed by the sea. In 1826, Congress appropriated funds to build the current structure, which was garrisoned in 1834. Constructed in a pentagon shape of stone and brick, its 4-feet thick sides enclose twenty-six vaulted rooms called casements. By 1840, a system of erosion control was being used initially, engineered by Robert E. Lee, who later became general of the Confederate Army.

      Only two days elapsed after the beginning of the Civil War on April 12, 1861 before local North Carolina militia forces from Beaufort arrived to seize the fort for the state of North Carolina and the Confederacy. Early in 1862, Union forces commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside swept through eastern North Carolina, and part of Burnside's command under Brig. Gen. John G. Parke was sent to capture Fort Macon. Col. Moses J. White refused to surrender even though the fort was hopelessly surrounded. In April, Parke's Union forces bombarded the fort with heavy siege guns for 11 hours, aided by the fire of four Union gunboats in the ocean offshore and floating batteries in the sound to the east.

      While the fort easily repulsed the Union gunboat attack, the Union land batteries, utilizing new rifled cannons, hit the fort 560 times and Col. White was forced to surrender the following morning. This battle was only the second time in history new rifled cannons were used against a fort, demonstrating the obsolescence of such fortifications as a way of defense. The Union held Fort Macon for the remainder of the war, while Beaufort Harbor served as an important coaling and repair station for its navy.

      The US Army actively occupied Fort Macon until 1877, as a civil and military prison. During the summer of 1898, they garrisoned the fort once again by state troops for the Spanish-American War. Finally, in 1903, the US Army completely abandoned the fort.

      In 1924, the surplus military property was sold to the state of North Carolina for the sum of $1 to be used as a public park, the second area acquired by the state for the purpose of establishing a state parks system. Civilian Conservation Corps restored the fort and established public recreational facilities, and the park officially opened in 1936 as North Carolina's first functioning state park.

      At the outbreak of World War II, the US Army actively manned the old fort with Coast Artillery troops to protect a number of important nearby facilities. The fort was occupied from December 1941, to November 1944, returning the fort to the state in October 1946.

      There is something to discover in each of the fort's 26 casements (vaulted rooms). Restored quarters and kitchen facilities offer a look into the lives of officers and soldiers. Admire the fort's powder magazines counter fire rooms with cannon emplacements and wide moat that could be flooded to protect the fort during a siege. The fort features a historic cannon, two cannon replicas, a hotshot furnace and a bake oven.

      Fort Macon's beach is a popular source of recreation, featuring a seaside bathhouse and refreshment stand, and lifeguards during the summer season. Fishing may be enjoyed throughout the year with abundant supplies of flounder, bluefish, spot, croaker, sheepshead and whiting. Hike the Elliot Coues Nature Trail, a .4 mile loop through a dense shrub thicket and over low sand dunes to the edge of Beaufort Inlet, offering a close look at a variety of vegetation, including live oak, yaupon, cedar and black locust.

      Continuing to celebrate its romantic history, Carteret County once again welcomes pirates to its shores. The North Carolina Maritime Museum is bringing some of the world's most spectacular ships to the Crystal Coast this summer for Pepsi Americas' Sail 2006.

      The Friends of the Museum, the non-profit support organization that provides membership and significant funding for our museum, is bringing the tall ships program to Carteret County, explains Dr. David Nateman, director of the museum. It provides a unique opportunity for visitors to experience these magnificent ships. We are very excited.

      This celebration of tall ships - majestic sailing vessels featuring towering masts and billowing sails - takes place in Beaufort and Morehead City from June 30 to July 5, 2006. Throughout the week, visitors to the area have the opportunity to get an up-close view of ships typically seen only in the pages of our history books. Beaufort earned the right to host Pepsi Americas' Sail when Capt. Horatio Sinbad, a local pirate and sailing legend, won a race to Montego Bay, Jamaica during Americas' Sail 2002. His victory earned him the right to bring the tall ships gala to his homeport of Beaufort.

      The Pepsi Americas' Sail festival, sponsored by a New York-based organization committed to the celebration of sailing, is held every four years. This year's events begin in Brazil, where the world's largest tall ships embark on a race to the Dominican Republic. Those ships then travel the seas to Beaufort for the conclusion of this year's festival. The Beaufort festivities begin with a magnificent Parade of Sail as the tall ships come to port. The larger ships will dock at the state port in Morehead City, while the smaller ships are to be stationed along the Beaufort waterfront. Other highlights include a race along the shores of Atlantic Beach featuring Capt. Sinbad's Meka II, a 54' replica of a 17th century pirate ship. The event is expected to bring 150,000 guests or more to the Crystal Coast with all proceeds benefiting Olde Beaufort Seaport, The Maritime Museum's redevelopment project along Gallant's Channel in Beaufort.

      And even before the main event, the museum welcomes the Columbus Foundation's Nina, the most historically accurate replica of a Columbus ship ever built, to the city of Beaufort May 10th through May 13th. For a small fee that benefits the Columbus Foundation, visitors can come aboard and experience the best open water sailing vessel of its time, that pivotal period referred to as the Great Age of Discovery.

      In May 2006, Carteret County will celebrate the long awaited re-opening of the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shores. The new facility will be three times larger than before, and feature exhibits and animals from across North Carolina. Mountain waterfalls, piedmont rivers, coastal swamps and offshore shipwrecks will be some of the new habitats. Three new classrooms and a new 150-seat auditorium will accommodate an expanded range of educational programs and activities. Visitors will get a glimpse of what the Queen Anne's Revenge, and the sunken German sub U-352 look like on the ocean floor. The Living Shipwreck, which will display the wreckage of the sub, will feature a viewing window more than 60 feet long!

      And certainly, visitors can simply enjoy the natural beauty of Carteret County's more than 81 miles of shoreline. One of North Carolina's seven famous lighthouses, Cape Lookout Lighthouse, keeps a watchful eye over the Cape Lookout National Seashore, a 56-mile long section of the Outer Banks running from Ocracoke Inlet on the northeast to Beaufort Inlet on the southeast, made up of three undeveloped barrier islands - a great place for shelling, exploring a local landmark, viewing the Shackleford Banks Horses and a terrific spot for camping. Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle offer quaint seaside retreats with shopping, dining, and all things aquatic, sightseeing, golf and much, much more.

      Christine Bonin is a freelance writer in Cary, NC and can be reached at bon2l3@bellsouth.net.

Reprinted from Carolina Business online.