Though these two men never stood side by side and their voyages never caused them to cross paths, Blackbeard and Isaac Hull mark are unified in their position as two prominent figures in Wilmington's history and North Carolina's former Deputy State (Underwater) Archaeologist Mark Wilde-Ramsing's career. Our very own Cape Fear River and neighboring waters were frequented by these men and their vessels, beginning with Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge in the early eighteenth century, and later in the mid-nineteenth century by Isaac Hull's namesake, the USS Commodore Hull.  The journeys that these two ships and their crews took on the waters bordering Downtown Wilmington were significantly different in their geography, motivation, and on-board lifestyle. Through the remains of an eighteenth century pirate ship and a nineteenth naval vessel, we are offered a lens into two tremendously different tales; not only of two captains, but of their crewmen and the citizens of historical Wilmington.

      Queen Anne's Revenge, pictured to the left, is speculated to have been constructed in 1710. As a 200-ton frigate used firstly as a French merchant ship, then later as a privateer fleet in the Triangular Trade, she was appointed as Blackbeard's flagship upon her capture in 1717. In May 1718, having been Blackbeard's flagship for just under a year, she was run aground in Topsail Inlet.
     
​     After her discovery in 1996, Mark Wilde-Ramsing's archaeological research confirmed that the wreckage was in fact that of Edward Teach's flagship. The archaeological record shows that when QAR was run aground, the process was slow and allowed enough time for Blackbeard and his crew to safely evacuate and take their belongings (or, rather, Blackbeard and a few men to claim the entire loot and leave the majority of the crew with nothing). 
      While many of the men's more personal and valuable belongings were taken off the ship by the crew, the materials left on the ship and discovered by Mark Wilde-Ramsing provide insight to the lifestyle and every day practices of the men on the ship. Among the loaded cannons and general weaponry, a unique conglomeration of items were found that tell us about the beliefs, practices, and routines of not only the men on the ship, but of society. 

     One of the ​most significant discoveries was the collection of medical and surgical equipment left on the ship. What makes the discovery of these so poignant is that it reveals both information surrounding eighteenth century medicinal practices and shows that Edward Teach was conscious that the health of his crew was key. Prior to this discovery, little was known about how illness was recognized and/or treated on ships like the QAR. Aside from the revelations of the shocking treatments and medicines used (for example, mercury-infused mixtures in syringes, like the one pictured above), the equipment's French origins and first-hand accounts of crew members reveal that Blackbeard had captured French surgeons, formulating a crew dedicated strictly to maintaining the health of his men. This recovered equipment paints a picture of the surgeon's responsibilities, treatments and recipes, and the cognizance of Edward Teach in maintaining his ship and crew.

     Jumping into the mid-eighteenth century, the recovery of the USS Commodore Hull similarly provides a unique scope into history and lifestyle of life on the open waters. The USS Commodore Hull, originally the civilian ferryboat Nuestra Señora del Regla, was built in New York City, then later purchased by the Union Navy in 1862. She was re-outfitted as a gunboat, and was utilized in the North Atlantic blockade and the Seige of Plymouth. After being heavily damaged in the Siege, she was repaired and further utilized throughout the Civil War, only to be abandoned here in the Cape Fear River in Downtown Wilmington in late 1886. 

     Akin to the discovery of Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge, the artifacts recovered from the USS Commodore Hull offer a scope into the landscape of the eighteenth-century waters in which she voyaged. Including recovered materials that tell us about life of the members on the ship, letters like the one above speak to the journey of the ship itself. Letters like these help paint a picture of the logistics of the ship's journey through their postage and content. Mail like that of the above picture are significant indicators in identifying contraband on captured blockade runners; the CSA postage shows us ​a timeline of the journey from Charleston, SC to New York that the ship took.

     Despite the height of their journeys being taken hundreds of years ago, these ships aren't done yet; even in their wreckage, sites like that of Queen Anne's Revenge and USS Commodore Hull can tell us the tales of the waters they sailed, the crews that called them home, and the citizens that saw them from the riverbanks and coastlines. To hear more about the discovery of the wreckage and the archaeological treasures they have to offer, attend Dr. Mark Wilde-Ramsing's lecture tonight, March 5th, at 6:30 PM here at Bellamy Mansion. As usual, doors open thirty minutes before the lecture, at 6:00 PM, and are first come, first serve!

When we learn or hear about Frederick Douglass today, his name is often preceded or followed by words like 'hero' and 'inspiration.' Albeit true considering the success and power of his activism in a structure that was designed to marginalize him, in his day, Frederick Douglass' name wasn't always accompanied by such admiration. As a free and educated young black man, originally born into slavery (the child of a slave and her slave master), many citizens of the Confederacy thought of Douglass not as a hero, but a villain. 

     Douglass, born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, was born into slavery in Maryland around 1818. Young Frederick experienced a tumultuous childhood in slavery and was no stranger to separation: having been separated from his mother in his infancy, then from his maternal grandmother at the age of six, and again relocated to a plantation in Baltimore around the age of eight, he developed an independence and self-sufficiency that his Baltimore slavemaster's wife, Lucretia Auld, recognized and cultivated. Though forbidden, Lucretia began not only teaching Douglass how to read and write, but treated and tended to him more so as an equal than a slave.

 Despite abruptly ending their tutoring sessions at the command of Douglass' slavemaster, Thomas Auld, the independence that had originally drawn Lucretia to Douglass only grew; in secrecy, Douglass continued to educate himself in any way that he could. He furtively collected and studied any materials he could get his hands on.
  Douglass's passion for knowledge didn't stop after his youth; years later, Douglass began hosting private Sunday school classes for fellow slaves, marking the beginning of his philanthropic work. The hosting of these classes was pivotal in marking a transition from a self-propelled desire for knowledge, to his developing a passion to educate and liberate others. Douglass's private Sunday meetings went relatively unnoticed for a six-month period before they were found out by their slave-owners and Douglass was subsequently sent to Edward Covey, or rather, the "slave breaker."
     The irony behind Covey's title as the "slave breaker" can be found in the first sentence of Douglass's autobiography, stating: "You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man."  Covey broke not the slave, but the slavehood, of Douglass. Five years after his relocation from the plantation in which he hosted his Sunday schools, at the age of 20, Douglass became a free man by a journey that took him less than 24 hours to complete. Resettling in an abolitionist hub in Massachusetts, Douglass attended and later led segregation protests, joined abolitionist organizations, became a licensed preacher, and cultivated his oratory skills that led him to become one of the greatest speakers of his, and arguably of all, time.

     Perhaps one of the most significant tenets of his dedication to ensuring equal rights was Douglass' commitment to intersectionality. Not only a campaign-leader for the  abolition of slavery, but for women's suffrage, Douglass's activism was especially remarkable for its inclusiveness. Douglass's awareness for issues outside of his own, despite having a story that would have made it so easy to concentrate on issues concerning those strictly affecting him, are part of what makes Douglass's activism so profound and, at the time, so influential.
     Douglass went on to travel abroad, write five autobiographies (and countless other important works), fight for emancipation and suffrage, deliver the Emancipation Memorial speech, serve as president and chairman of newspapers and governmental positions before dying of a heart attack at home at the age of 77. Through following his journey from slavery to freedom, we concurrently watch the journey of a young boys' hunger for and acquisition of knowledge, grow into the desire to share his wealth. Douglass' humble beginnings in contrast to the accomplishments he had accumulated by the time of his death in 1895 were what painted him to some, a seasoned hero, and to others, an unqualified villain.  

For those families who were proving their wealth and had an abundance of food to be served at the wedding breakfast, table utensils were absolutely vital. For those who were wealthier, utensil sets were often given as gifts. Regardless of what financial scenario a family was in, table utensils were very popular in the Victorian Era. For "New Money" families, these sets would be out in full force on wedding day. Beautiful, articulately designed silverware to be used for particular foods were common and collected. Silverware sets were sold for a high price, so collecting various different sets was a sign of wealth. Each piece was designed for a particular purpose. For example, a table may have many different fork-like objects however, only one fork was designed for strictly ice cream, while another fork would be only for pastries. The incorrect usage of any of these utensils was not only considered rude, but also an indicator to bad social standing. That being said, a wedding was a very important place to make sure you were all caught up on the current table manners.  
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​With companies printing out a great deal of Christmas cards concentrated on the aesthetic and finer arts of the time, there were some Christmas cards that stuck out more than the others. Some cards had strange designs that range from dead robins, dancing frogs, and little girl heads on flowers. Not much is known as to why these cards were designed for Christmas. One explanation from Katie Brown of York Castle Museum is that many of the cards during this time period were meant to be conversation pieces. Victorians collected cards they had received and put them into scrapbooks. Another explanation for the peculiar iconography, is due to mail delivery being more affordable for people. When mailing of letters and cards became cheaper, the production of cards simultaneously became cheaper. This cheaper production leads to a wide variety of imagery for consumers. For Victorians there was more of an interest in having a multitude of images presented on their cards. They were not concerned necessarily with seeing typical Christmas images. Victorians were interested in animals, and during this time Charles Darwin’s On the Origins of Species and changed what people thought about animals.