In the late 1600s, the profession of piracy was endorsed by the ruler of one country against another. Privateers were rewarded by their government for capturing the goods of another country. One such pirate named Edward Teach sailed the waters in and around the Pamlico Sound and made his sailing name, Blackbeard, one to be feared. Blackbeard made his home in Bath from 1716 to 1718. Just as renowned for his sailing ability as for his deadly raids, Blackbeard was at ease in coastal North Carolina's sometime treacherous waters.
Source: Greater Hyde County Chamber of Commerce
