History with ‘Hud’: Remembering famous pirates who once ruled the Cape Fear coast

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — When discussing famous pirates, one name always tops the list. Edward Teach — better known as Blackbeard – once called the North Carolina region home, frequently moving up and down the coast. While he only made brief appearances in the Cape Fear, other pirates had a more-permanent impact in the area.

Shortly before “the golden age of piracy” began in the 1700s, it’s rumored Captain William Kidd buried treasure on appropriately-named Money Island off Wrightsville Beach in 1699. The legend has him supervising while workmen buried two iron chests full of gold and silver. While locals have spent hundreds of years searching for the buried treasure chests, none have ever been found.

Several years later in 1717, the notorious pirate Blackbeard captured a French slaving vessel off the coast of Martinique and made it his flagship, renaming it Queen Anne’s Revenge. Over the next six months, the heavily armed ship and its crew captured riches between the Carolinas and the Caribbean. The run lasted for around a year, before Blackbeard was captured and killed in November of 1718 off the coast of North Carolina.

Blackbeard protégé Stede Bonnet, known as “the gentleman pirate”, was captured that same year at the mouth of the Cape Fear River near Southport. This came following the Battle of the Cape Fear River in September of 1718. A six-hour fight took place between Stede Bonnet and Colonel William Rhett of South Carolina, leading to Bonnet’s eventual capture. Bonnet was taken to Charleston, South Carolina and hung along with his crew.

Other lesser-known pirates have been rumored to spend time in the Topsail Island area between their trips to the Caribbean to plunder passing ships along the trade routes. Bald Head Island was also a hot spot for pirates, who would hide out in the many waterways.

While the Cape Fear’s pirating days are long gone, the region will forever be connected to some of the biggest figures in Buccaneer history.

Meteorologist Matthew Huddleston (‘Hud’) has always had two major loves – weather and history. While you can watch him talk about weather each evening on WWAY, he looks forward to bringing you a little piece of history each Thursday on WWAY’s website.

To read other History with ‘Hud’ segments, click HERE.