BATH — Pirates are the featured theme of the weekend at Historic Bath State Historic Site.

The town will celebrate its status as first port of North Carolina, and home to the notorious pirate Blackbeard, during Pirates in the Port on Saturday. Friday, living history re-enactor Leland Smith will given an interactive presentation, “An Evening with Israel Hands,” and discussion about a lesser-known pirate who sailed the seas with Blackbeard.

Through re-enactments — camps, pirate funerals, demonstrations of small arms and making rope — modern-day Bath visitors can learn first-hand about the very different lives of those of the people, and pirates, of Bath 300 years ago, according to Elizabeth Midyette, assistant manager of Historic Bath State Historic Site.

“I think (re-enactment) does make it more real,” Midyette said. “It’s kind of like you’re in that time frame.”

At 10 a.m. Saturday, the event will start with one of the most important moments in Bath history: living history troupe, Devilmen of Cape Feare, will arrive at the state dock, much as Royal Navy sailors did nearly 300 years ago, victoriously returning from Ocracoke after killing Blackbeard and capturing of some of his crew.

Noted Blackbeard historian Kevin Duffus will narrate the event, as prisoners are marched to Bonner Point and interrogated.

Later, Duffus will also speak at Noe Building, on the campus of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, sharing with pirate-history lovers his research into the life of Blackbeard. Duffus is a firm believer that Blackbeard was a native of Bath who gathered a crew to set sail to Florida in search of riches from a sunken Spanish flotilla — as many other colony residents did. Blackbeard’s “bloodthirsty” crew was no more than local sons of landowners and slaves, Duffus believes.

“Quest for Blackbeard” author and maritime historian Baylus Brooks has a different view of Blackbeard’s origins— that of a wealthy planter in Jamaica who hailed from Gloucester, England. Baylus will also speak Saturday at the Noe Building.

“Kevin Duffus certainly has one idea of Blackbeard,” Midyette said. “And then Baylus Brooks … certainly has a different interpretation and theory of Blackbeard.”

“Maybe one day we will know who really who he is,” Midyette said with a laugh.

This is the historic sites’ second Pirates on the Port weekend, though last year’s was augmented by the travelling exhibit of treasures recovered from Blackbeard’s ship Queen Anne’s Revenge. Now a standalone event, Midyette said there are plans to continue to expand the festival each year.

“We’ve certainly come a long way on this event since last year,” Midyette said.