Ocracoke Island to Commemorate 300th Anniversary of the Battle at Ocracoke
A memorial service on Thanksgiving Day will honor and recognize the fallen mariners of the Battle at Ocracoke on November 22, 1718
Ocracoke, North Carolina – May 28, 2018 – Named by The Smithsonian as #3 of the ten anniversaries worth traveling for in 2018, the Ocracoke community will host representatives from the British Royal Navy as well as pirate re-enactors for the 300th Anniversary celebration. The three-day event will include a memorial service, tea party, oyster roast, pig pickin’ and music by Molasses Creek.
At the Battle at Ocracoke on November 22, 1718, the Royal Navy, under the command of 1st Lt. Robert Maynard, defeated the pirate Blackbeard in the waters off Ocracoke Island. Much ado is made of Ocracoke’s piratical heritage, but little is acknowledged about Maynard and his men, eleven of whom are buried on Ocracoke. Islanders have recently learned their identities.
Ruth Toth, a board member of the Ocracoke Preservation Society, made it her mission to bring attention to the role of the Royal Navy and the personal sacrifice of the sailors who rid Ocracoke of pirates. “This battle was the first time the rule of law was established on Ocracoke,” she said. “Our commemoration brings a balanced approach to the history.”
OPS and Ocracoke Business and Civic Association will host a memorial service on November 22, 2018 (Thanksgiving Day) at 10:00 AM along the shore at Springer’s Point Nature Preserve, the closest land to the site of the battle. Commander Dickie Underwood, a Royal Navy attaché in Washington, D.C., will be in attendance to honor the dead and place wreaths.
Also, invitations have been extended to officers and midshipmen from the Royal Navy officer training unit who train aboard the HMS Ranger, named for Maynard’s ship. This unit holds their most formal dinner of the year on November 22nd, to celebrate Maynard’s defeat of Blackbeard.
“Calling all teacups!” Immediately following the service, all are invited to an English Tea in the Barn at the Berkley Manor. Knowing that it wouldn’t be proper to serve tea in disposable cups, OPS has secured fine china teacups.
The Oyster Roast (November 21) and Pig Pickin’ (November 23) are ticket events with limited seating. A limited number of sponsorships are available, which include tickets to both meals.
The 300th Anniversary of the Battle at Ocracoke November 22, 1718 is sponsored by Ocracoke Preservation Society and the Ocracoke Civic and Business Association with support from the Berkley Manor, David Bundy and Ocracoke Style, the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust, and Ocracoke Occupancy Tax Board.
For more information, please contact OPS Executive Director Andrea Powers at 252-928-7375 or [email protected].
Andrea Powers
Executive Director, Ocracoke Preservation Society
252-928-7375 [email protected] ocracokepreservation.org
