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If you’ve lived in eastern North Carolina any length of time you will have seen pirate motifs everywhere, because of East Carolina’s mascot and the region’s history with one notorious pirate, Blackbeard. 

The infamous pirate caught the attention of writers for Netflix’s “Outer Banks.” Set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the show follows John B. Routledge and his five friends as they find adventure while looking for lost treasure, the streaming service describes. The first five episodes of the newest season premiered last Thursday with Blackbeard as the focal point. 

With every uncovered treasure, the characters learn more about its history as the show progresses. However, if viewers were hoping for an accurate history lesson with a side of entertainment, they will be left wanting, says Kevin Duffus. 

Duffus is a noted North Carolina author, filmmaker and research historian who has made numerous historical discoveries. His documentary films have been honored by the George Foster Peabody Award, the World Hunger Media Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award and the National Education Association Award. In 2014, he was named NC Historian of the Year by the North Carolina Society of Historians.

He is well known in eastern North Carolina for his research into Blackbeard. 

Though Duffus has not watched the latest season, he believes historical inerrancy is the only thing viewers will uncover as they watch “Outer Banks.” In reading a synopsis of the latest season, Duffus pointed out several factual inaccuracies. 

One – Blackbeard was not killed by a man named Genrette. In the show, a new character – Wes Genrette (David Jensen) – claims his direct ancestor, British officer Francis Genrette, beheaded Blackbeard. According to Duffus’ research and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, British Lt. Robert Maynard was tasked with killing Blackbeard in 1718 which took place on November 22 near Ocracoke. 

Two – Blackbeard did not have a wife named Elizabeth and she did not have a missing, cursed  amulet, as the show suggests. Historic Bath claims Blackbeard had a wife in Bath named Mary Ormund. 

Three – Blackbeard did not sail the globe as “Outer Banks” would have viewers believe. Blackbeard primarily spent time in Ocracoke and Bath. Most historians believe he owned a home on Plum’s Point on the east bank of Bath Creek across the water from the Bonner House. Duffus, however, is not convinced. He says there’s no evidence to support that claim. That is a theory that may have been generated because of an article published in the News and Observer in 1929. Ben Dixon MacNeil, a correspondent for the N&O wrote an article claiming that Blackbeard’s treasure was located by duck hunters at Plum’s Point. 

“There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that Blackbeard lived at Plum Point—there was simply no time on his calendar of travels in 1718 to have done so. Nevertheless, thanks to MacNeil and the News and Observer, the legend of treasure at Plum Point is carved in stone and is an indelible feature of North Carolina history and folklore,” Duffus said. 

Four – Blackbeard was not a ruthless and violent killer. Again, Duffus says there is no documentation of Blackbeard being violent to those he encountered. It is part of the historic pirate’s lore. He and his mates, however, would have commandeered other ships in search of food, drink, clothing and livestock. Piracy was a quick way common men could bring small amounts of income and supplies for their families. Duffus says Blackbeard’s mates were most likely people he knew well, even grew up with, as they were willing to commit theft and die with him.  

“How often have we read in books and periodicals that Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard, was the richest, most ruthless, and bloodthirsty pirate who ever lived, and that in the summer of 1718 he arrived for the first time in North Carolina quite by accident,” Duffus wrote in an essay called The Man, the Myth, the Legend.  “Perpetuating the many pop-culture fantasies have been movies, documentary series, and articles—often promoted as well-researched—that depict the fearsome pirate as a ruthless, bloodthirsty beast with smoking, slow burning fuses tucked under his hat, not because there is credible evidence to support such a notion, but because it is what the public expects to see and it makes good drama.”  

Five – When “Outer Banks” premiered in 2020, North Carolinians laughed, because the show suggested one could travel from the Outer Banks to Chapel Hill by ferry. Not stringent on geographical accuracy, “Outer Banks,” made Duffus laugh when he read the show’s synopsis which says Blackbeard’s ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, crashed into a sandbar but sank 80 ft. deep into the ocean.  

The sole historical fact “Outer Banks” does seem to get right about Blackbeard is that his ledger, or “pocketbook” may still exist, Duffus said. 

Duffus wrote in the essay, “Was there a real Blackbeard the pirate? Yes, there was, but his heritage, his motivations, his treasure, and his demise were altogether different from what the public has been led to believe.” 

“Outer Banks” is a great option for viewers in search of an action-packed show about a ragtag group of young people hunting for treasure. Duffus, however, says the real history remains buried under enthralling storylines.