Ghost of Blackbeard - Ocracoke Island, North Carolina

Around 1718 along the south eastern coast of the new found American colonies, there lurked a terror that history has never forgotten even though his terror lasted only a couple of years.  Edward Teach otherwise known as Blackbeard, is undoubtedly the most notorious pirate that has ever lived.  And according to local legend where he met his end in North Carolina, he still haunts the shores to this day.

A depiction of Edward Teach more commonly known as Blackbeard the Pirate

Edward Teach was a crew member on board the pirate vessel La Concorde captained by Benjamin Hornigold.  When Hornigold was through with pirating, he turned the ship over to Teach.  Captain Teach then renamed he vessel Queen Anne's Revenge.  Possibly after what is known as Queen Anne's War in which Teach participated in.

Teach liked to psychologically defeat his victims before ever raising a sword or firing a shot.  In his appearance while attacking other ships, he dressed in all black and wore long black ribbons in his braided beard.  He stuffed pieces of rope under his hat and lit them so that they smoldered, billowing smoke around his head, giving him a scary unworldly like appearance to his victims.  He always attacked at dawn or dusk with the sun behind his back so that the ships and crew he victimized would not see him coming until it was too late.  Ironically though, he never attacked or harmed other ship's crews unless they resisted.  Only then would he kill them.  He commanded a flotilla of pirate ships which he commanded from the Queen Anne's Revenge, his flagship.  He was the most feared pirate of his day.

The flag of Blackbeard the Pirate

Blackbeard once captured and ransomed the entire harbor of Charleston and ransomed it.  It was in his escape that he ran the Queen Anne's Revenge aground at Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina.  He then transferred his flag to one of his other ships, the Adventure.  Blackbeard was known to use as a secret code to recruit crew members, the nursery rhyme "Sing a song of Sixpence".  Each line in the song representing coded messages to lure those who understood into piracy.

Blackbeard's pirate ship Queen Anne's Revenge ran aground at Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina and had to be abandoned

In late 1718, Blackbeard retreated to his favorite hideout called "Teach's Hole" located in North Carolina just off of Ocracoke Island. Word got out to the Governor of Virginia and the sent Lieutenant Robert Maynard and a small band of ships to capture or kill Blackbeard.  An immense battle broke out.  After his ship was severely damaged and many of the crew killed by cannon fire, Maynard feigned the destruction of the crew and hid them below decks.  When Blackbeard and his men boarded, they launched a surprise attack.  A bloody hand-to-hand battle ensued and finally Blackbeard and Maynard met face to face.  Maynard managed to shoot the pirate, but Blackbeard continued to fight on, blood gushing from his body after being cut by Maynard's sword and after he was also shot about five more times.  Blackbeard finally fell and Maynard cut off his head to make sure the pirate was dead.  After throwing his body overboard, they hung his head from the ship's beam.  It is said that Blackbeard's head called out and then his body swam around the ship five times.

To this day, many claim to have seen the headless body of Blackbeard roaming around "Teach's Hole" near what is today Springer's Point Nature Preserve and surrounding beaches in North Carolina looking for his head.  The ghost has also been seen swimming underwater casting an eerie glow as it moves along. Others have spotted an eerie light glowing off of Ocracoke Island that is believed to be a manifestation of Blackbeard. 

Ocracoke Island, North Carolina - the beach and waters off Springer's Point.  The former haunt of Blackbeard the Pirate known as Teach's Hole.

Some of Blackbeard's hidden treasure along the East Coast of the United States has never been found and they say the Blackbeard's ghost will roam the beaches until it is discovered.  According to legend, one of Blackbeard's men and a dog was buried along with treasure whenever it was hidden.  It is said that many caches along the East Coast as far north as the Chesapeake Bay area.  One of his treasures of sorts, has been found recently.  In 1996, underwater explorers discovered what is believed to be the remains of Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard's ill fated pirate ship.

Virginia Beach - Sandbridge on Dwellable

White Deer of Roanoke, the Lost Roanoke Colony - Roanoke Island, North Carolina

In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh commissioned an exploration team to the outer banks off the coast of what is today, North Carolina.  They returned to England reporting that they had found a suitable place to establish a colony.  A party was put together of one hundred and seventeen men, women, and children including Governor John White and his daughter Eleanor Dare.  They set sail aboard The Elizabeth II for the new world and Roanoke Island, however, what they didn't know is that they would sail into history as the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

Lost Roanoke colonist Virginia Dare is believed to still haunt Roanoke Island, North Carolina to this day as a white deer

The colonists arrived at Roanoke Island in 1584 where they established their new colony of Roanoke.  However, arriving too early, the settlers did not have time to grow food stores for the winter and their supplies would run short.  Governor White sailed back to England to acquire more supplies to help see the colonists through. He left instructions that if they were forced to leave in a emergency, to leave the sign of a cross.  Unfortunately, White was unexpectedly detained on his return to England due to the war that broke out with Spain. 

White was finally able to return to America in 1590 with a ship  load of supplies for the Roanoke colony.  However, upon his arrival he found the colony completely empty.  Shelters were disassembled and items were gathered up in a orderly fashion as if they were in no hurry.  Only the fort that was constructed for defense against hostiles remained.  Carved into one of the posts was the word "CROATOAN" and on a tree nearby the partial word "CRO", but no cross was found indicating that the colonist may have packed up and moved elsewhere.  Strangely, the inhabitants were never heard from again and no direct evidence indicating their whereabouts.  The relief expedition were forced to return to England and White never had the chance to return and search for the lost colony.

Governor John White returned to the Roanoke Colony only to find them missing.  The only clue was the word 'CROATOAN' scratched onto one of the posts on the fortifications.

Many believe that the colonists moved further north or were all killed by hostile Natives as were many colonists who previously had attempted to colonize the area.  However, there are some who believe that the colonists fled to Croatoan Island which was nearby.  It is thought that they were assimilated into the Croatoan tribe.  There exists some proof in that a few of the Croatoan descendants in later years had fair skin and light colored eyes which was never seen among Native tribes in the Americas.  Croatoan Island and the tribe that the island was named after later became the Hatteras tribe and hence Hatteras Island.

It is thought that daughter of Eleanor Dare, who was pregnant on her journey to America, survived and lived with the Croatoan tribe.  Her name was Virginia Dare and it is said that she was the first white English person to be born in America.  Legend has it that Virginia, after living among the natives,  became transformed into a white doe in death by a Native witch doctor with whom she had a dispute with. It is said that the ghost of Virginia Dare roams Roanoke Island to this day in the form of a white deer which has been seen on the island occasionally by locals and visitors alike.

It is believed that the ghost of Virginia Dare of The Lost Roanoke Colony manifests herself as a white doe

The remains of the colonial fort at Roanoke Island still stand today and are maintained as a National Park.  Re-enactments of the trials of the Lost colony of Roanoke are played out each year at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.  A replica of The Elizabeth II is also anchored nearby at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo, North Carolina.

Fort Raleigh is all that remains of the Lost Colony of Roanoke and is maintained as a National Park

Ghosts of Dromgoole's Rock (Gimghoul Castle) - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

According to popular legend in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1832 at the University of North Carolina there was a student named Peter Dromgoole.  Peter was in love with a girl named Fannie who was a fellow student at the University.  They used to take long walks and spent many hours at a popular place nearby called Piney Point where they would meet off campus.  As the story goes, the two love birds can still be seen at Piney Point more than one hundred and ten years later!

Gimghoul Castle circa 1927

Another man on campus fell for Peter Dromgoole's girl, and a rivalry ensued.  Before long, Fannie's other suitor challenged Peter to a dual even though they were out of fashion and not really a legal way to solve a dispute any more.  The two met at Piney Point, the very place where Peter and Fannie spent so many hours.  Well, it turns out that Peter was not very good at dueling and was mortally wounded.  He fell and lay draped over a large rock and bled to death on the spot.  In a panic after realizing that he just committed a murder, the man who shot him got his friends to help bury him, then moved the large rock over the freshly dug grave to hide the dirt.  All who were present made a pact to keep the secret or they all could be held responsible for allowing the duel to even take place.

Peter Dromgoole was reported missing.  A search was made for Peter, but he was never found.  After time passed and when it seemed that it was hopeless for finding Peter alive, his girlfriend Fannie, in a depressed and deprecated state, passed away grieving for her lover.  Some sixty years after the disappearance of Peter Dromgoole, one of those present at the duel confessed to what happened to Peter that day back in 1832 before passing on himself.

Gimghoul Castle on Piney Point circa 1940

Today, the rock that Peter was buried under can still be found at Piney Point.  They say that Peter Dromgoole's blood can still be seen on the rock and it has inherited the name of Dromgoole's Rock.  Many claim to have seen two shadow figures lingering around the rock.  Some believe that these are the ghosts of Peter and Fannie haunting the place where they spent so much time together and may have spent their last minutes together.

Dromgoole's Rock with Gimghoul Castle in the background

There is now a castle on the site near the rock known as Gimghoul Castle which for a time served as a fraternity house.  It is said that a secret group was formed there called the Gimghoul Society which is similar to a Skull and Bones society that many colleges and universities have on campus. It is thought to be loosely inspired by the tale of Peter Dromgoole.  Today, the Gimghoul Castle is a private residence and is not open to visitors.  There are however, trails nearby that are available for hiking and possibly getting a glimpse of the shadows of what once were Peter Dromgoole and his girl Fannie.

Ghost of Theodosia Burr - Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks and Bald Head Island , North Carolina

Theodosia Burr was the daughter of the 3rd Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr who served with Thomas Jefferson.  Aaron became a notorious character who engaged in a pistol duel with Alexander Hamilton and killed him.  He was indicted for murder, and later on another occasion tried for treason, but went into hiding outside the country.  He later returned to live in  New York.  His daughter Theodosia eventually married the governor of South Carolina, Joseph Alston and moved to the state with him.

Theodosia Burr-Alston

There are many accounts of how Theodosia's life ended, but there is one fact for certain, on December 13, 1812 she boarded the the Patriot, a schooner headed to New York City.  The ship sailed from Georgetown, South Carolina and the ship, crew, and passengers were never seen again.  Some believe that the ship was lost at sea in a terrible storm, others believe that the ship was lured into the treacherous rocks of Cape Hatteras by placing lanterns on the top of the dunes near Kill-Devil-Hills where it ran aground off shore and was then boarded by pirates who killed all of the passengers.   There are stories of pirates later on their deathbeds confirming these stories and of Theodosia's death.  Other people claim that she was spared and made it to shore to live as a recluse, not wanting anyone to know of her identity due to her fathers exploits in the past.  Some believe she lived near Bald Head Island, others claim it was in Alexandria, Virginia where she became very ill then died and that she is buried there in an unmarked grave.

No matter how she died, it is certain that many have claimed to see the ghost of Theodosia wandering along the eastern coastal beaches.  Many have claimed to spot an apparition of a lady wearing a green dress roaming the beaches of Bald Island who has become known as the Grieving Ghost of Bald Head Island.  Some witness claim to have seen a transparent figure of a woman in a dress roaming the shores of Cape Hatteras as if searching for something.  A figure of a man has been spotted roaming the beaches of Cape Hatteras as well.  Many believe this is the spirit of her father, still looking for his daughter.  

The beaches of Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks of South Carolina is where many have claimed to have seen the spirit of Theodosia Burr

Believers in Alexander Hamilton's curse claim that Theodosia was killed by the spirit of Hamilton.  It was he who came up with the idea of building a lighthouse to protect ships from the rocks of Cape Hatteras.  When he was killed by Burr, he was no longer around to promote the idea and they say Theodosia Burr's disappearance was Hamilton's revenge.

The Grieving Ghost of Bald Head Island (Photo by Briana Brough of Wilmington-Star News)

 Outer Banks on Dwellable

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