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Expedition X - Season 11 - Episode 03: Blackbeard's Ghost
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00:00If you're here with us now, ring these bells or show up on this XLS.
00:10The bell dropped.
00:11What?
00:13Right there, right there in the tree.
00:17On this episode of Expedition X.
00:20Lando.
00:21Heather and Phil set sail to North Carolina on the trail of America's most notorious pirate, Blackbeard.
00:28His hostile spirit has been reported all around the place he died 300 years ago, Ocracoke Island.
00:36I noticed this really creepy green glow.
00:40I just started popping photograph after photograph, and I saw what looked like a pirate.
00:46Is this phantom guarding his long-lost pirate treasure?
00:50Oh, that is Robodog alerting me of a fight.
00:53Or seeking bloody revenge from beyond the grave?
00:58I feel like someone's here.
00:59Phil and Heather must weather the storm to learn the truth of Blackbeard's ghost.
01:04What do you want revenge on?
01:18Ahoy, me mateys.
01:20You're okay.
01:21I'm a pirate, you landlubbers.
01:23Sure you are, Josh.
01:24I'm very concerned.
01:25All right, you joy kills.
01:27I was just trying to get us in the spirit here.
01:28Maybe this will help.
01:29This is a photo that was taken recently on Ocracoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks.
01:35And this guy said that he saw a strange green light, and then he snapped this photo.
01:40What do you think?
01:41Oh, that almost looks like a figure in a tricorn hat.
01:45Hold on now.
01:45Am I looking at a pirate ghost?
01:47Maybe.
01:47That's what the eyewitness thinks.
01:49And not just any old pirate ghost.
01:51No, no.
01:52The notorious 18th century pirate who died off of Ocracoke?
01:56Blackbeard.
01:56Oh, I remember from childhood ghost stories.
01:59He was beheaded, right?
02:00Yep.
02:01And then his body supposedly swam around the ship.
02:03That's the legend.
02:04And look, what we know for sure is that the life and death of Blackbeard was a gruesome one.
02:09He terrorized the American coast before eventually being executed.
02:13And it is said that he hasn't stayed dead.
02:16Sightings of him continue on Ocracoke to this day.
02:19And many theorize that it's tied to his long lost treasure.
02:23I love this stuff.
02:29Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard, is perhaps the most notorious pirate to sail the Atlantic during the golden age
02:36of piracy.
02:38His legend lives on more than 300 years later.
02:42But surprisingly, his entire reign of terror lasted less than two years.
02:49In early 1717, Teach acquires his own sloop and begins raiding merchant vessels up and down the coast of the
02:57American colonies.
03:01In November that year, he captures a French slave ship, freeing hundreds of African men and women, recruiting many to
03:08join his crew.
03:10He renames the ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, and outfits it with 40 guns.
03:17With a small fleet and nearly 300 men under his command, he builds a reputation for savagery and showmanship.
03:26Braiding fuses into his long, wild beard, Blackbeard lights them as he boards other vessels, giving his victims the impression
03:33they're being attacked by the devil himself.
03:39In June of 1718, the Queen Anne's Revenge runs aground off the coast of North Carolina, and Blackbeard is forced
03:47to abandon his flagship.
03:48He and his crew settle down on Ocracoke Island in the Outer Banks.
03:54Life is smooth sailing there.
03:56That is, until Blackbeard's second-in-command and trusted friend, William Howard, gets arrested in Virginia.
04:03To escape the noose, he betrays Blackbeard, revealing his location to the governor.
04:09In the bloody battle that follows, Blackbeard is wounded 20 times before being decapitated.
04:18Edward Blackbeard Teach is dead, but according to legend, his headless body swims around the boat three times before sinking
04:27to the bottom of the bay.
04:31In the centuries since his brutal death, residents of Ocracoke regularly report seeing the ghost of Blackbeard.
04:38Some claim he seeks revenge for being betrayed, while others speculate his ghost guards his lost treasure, which people have
04:47been looking for for 300 years.
04:50Witnesses have also claimed to see a mysterious light moving across the water where Blackbeard was killed.
04:56A phenomenon reported so often, it's even named after him.
05:01Teach is light.
05:02One man says he even had a violent encounter with a poltergeist in the woods of Springer's Point, where some
05:09say Blackbeard's treasure is still hidden.
05:11And now, with this extraordinary photograph, residents are more convinced than ever that the man once known as Blackbeard still
05:20menaces Ocracoke Island.
05:26All right, Heather, what do you think? A pirate's life for you?
05:29Yo ho. Blackbeard had such a violent life and a violent death, and it was all centered around Ocracoke Island.
05:35It makes all the sense in the world that he would still be there haunting it today.
05:38All right, get this lady an eye patch. Phil, what about you?
05:41Listen, I love this legend, but I think it is just that. A legend. Plus, think about the atmosphere of
05:48Ocracoke. It is part of an island chain. It is surrounded by warm and cold waters, perfect conditions for creating
05:54mist that could look like a shadow figure.
05:57I'm gonna make you walk the plank.
05:59That's the pirate spirit, Heather. All right, so the two of you, get ye to Ocracoke and find out what's
06:05really going on here.
06:07Is the ghost of Blackbeard seeking revenge? Is he protecting his buried riches? Or is there some other, much more
06:14boring, natural explanation? All right?
06:16Oh, and before you go, very important, what's a pirate's favorite letter?
06:20Uh, gotta be R.
06:22No, Phil, that's wrong. It's not, because pirates love the sea! Huh? Get it? It's like an ocean, but there's
06:29the sea?
06:29No, I got it. I got it. We're leaving.
06:31Yep. Thanks.
06:32Good luck.
06:34The flight from New York to Norfolk, Virginia is just two hours, but it's another three-hour drive to the
06:39Outer Banks to get to Hatteras.
06:42From there, the only way to reach Ocracoke Island is the same way Blackbeard did, by boat.
06:52All right, sail's up. Feel the wind?
06:58There's Ocracoke Island.
06:59There it is.
07:01Lando!
07:03Let's get this thing docked. Go find our witness.
07:09Once we're on the island, Heather and I meet up with Charlie Jenkins, the man who took the photo that
07:14he believes shows Blackbeard.
07:16Walk us through what happened there.
07:18So I was here on the island helping a friend of mine. It was about 11, 11.30 at night.
07:23I'd noticed there was this really creepy green glow coming from this cemetery.
07:30The whole cemetery was lit up. I've never seen that green glow before.
07:34I'm trying to see, are there any streetlights that could have lit this up?
07:37I did not see any that night.
07:39I'm telling y'all, brother, I put my hand on the Bible, and I swear to God.
07:44The place was glowing damn green.
07:46I took my phone out, and I just started popping photograph after photograph.
07:51It was like right over here by those trees.
07:55After I took my photographs, I started zooming in, and I saw what looked like a pirate.
08:01And that's the image we saw?
08:02Yes, ma'am.
08:06That looks like a face to me.
08:08Yes, ma'am.
08:11So what did you do when you saw that on your phone?
08:16I actually got scared to death.
08:18I felt like I had captured something that was looking at me that I couldn't see.
08:25Call me crazy, but I thought I may have smelled gunpowder in the air.
08:29It's like sulfur.
08:30You smelled gunpowder?
08:32Yes, ma'am.
08:32So tell me, where else on this island have you heard stories?
08:36There are a lot of creepy places on this island, one of them being the marsh.
08:40Have you ever heard of Teaches Light?
08:41Yeah.
08:42Yeah, it's been around for hundreds of years.
08:44There's one lady that Teaches Light actually chased her down one night.
08:47She was in the marsh and saw a bright orange glowing light floating across the marsh.
08:53Went to see what it was, and the light turns and starts chasing her.
08:59She fell down, and the light disappeared.
09:02Okay.
09:03That's aggressive.
09:04And somewhere else you might want to check out the lighthouse of Ocracoke Island.
09:08That lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina.
09:11I've heard stories of dark, shadowy apparitions.
09:15I've heard stories of whispers, the feeling that somebody might be watching you, especially late at night.
09:21During Blackbeard's time, that was actually the early settlement area for the Ocracoke Islanders.
09:26There is documentation out there that the Spaniards came here and absolutely massacred everyone in the fishing village.
09:33Oh, goodness.
09:34Wow.
09:35We've heard stories about Blackbeard's treasure still being on the island.
09:40Why wouldn't it be?
09:41If he died here, why wouldn't his treasure be here?
09:43And if his treasure's here, it makes perfect sense that his spirit would still be here trying to protect him.
09:47I agree with you 100%.
09:56As night falls, Phil and I return to the cemetery, hoping to witness the same green light Charlie saw,
10:01and perhaps communicate with whatever he captured in his photograph.
10:15Getting some photos?
10:20Let's see if any pirate spirit shows up.
10:24In addition to the photos we'll analyze later, I'm setting up a handy cam to run all night to see
10:30if we can capture the same green glow that Charlie described right before he allegedly encountered the pirate.
10:37First things first.
10:39Spirit bells.
10:41I wanted to use an object that the spirits of Blackbeard's time would recognize, a bell.
10:46And if they ring...
10:47That means the cemetery might be a little bit more alive than we give it credit for.
10:50Exactly.
10:51String them up.
10:53Bells like these were commonly used in the 1700s to prevent premature burial.
10:57A bell above ground would be connected by string to the finger of a dead person, just in case they
11:03were mistakenly buried alive.
11:05Tonight, we'll be using them in a call and response session.
11:08Will they trigger a response from the dead?
11:11Blackbeard, is there anyone here with us?
11:14If you're here with us now, ring these bells or show up on this XLS.
11:20We saw this incredible image of what looked like the spirit of a pirate.
11:27Blackbeard, are you here with us?
11:33Is there anyone else here with us?
11:37Did you serve under Blackbeard?
11:45The bell dropped!
11:49You're right here, hanging off this.
11:56Look at that.
11:57Well, hang it back up.
11:59Something wanted our attention, and it takes a lot of energy to pull something down.
12:04Maybe it needs to ring them again.
12:06Okay.
12:07Right there, right there in the tree!
12:10It's right there.
12:20Something's sitting on the limb right there.
12:21Looking right at you, Phil.
12:23In the tree next to me?
12:25It's on this limb right here.
12:29Oh, it's gone.
12:30It's gone.
12:35Getting anything else?
12:37No.
12:37It's so strange.
12:38It was like, when you weren't paying attention, that's when it showed up.
12:42Well, if that is your theory, let's put it to the test.
12:45What if I stand over there and close my eyes?
12:48See who shows up.
12:49Could be bait.
12:51Okay.
12:56All right.
12:59Blackbeard, if that was you in that photo, if you caused that green glow, show yourself.
13:06You could be the one to prove to me that ghosts are real.
13:10You feeling anything?
13:11I mean, you're standing in a cemetery with my eyes closed, so a little on edge.
13:17Oh, this one!
13:19What?
13:20Look, it's still swinging.
13:21That one is completely still.
13:24Did you just ring that bell?
13:26Look at this, Heather.
13:28It takes a lot to make these things ring.
13:32Look, we have confirmation of activity.
13:35We just have to get some answers now.
13:36Let's see if we can give him a voice.
13:38I'm going to go grab my Tempest.
13:39Okay.
13:45Okay.
13:51We know you were here.
13:53You wanted our attention.
13:55You've got it.
13:55We're going to give you a voice.
13:57Use this tool to communicate with us.
14:02Why are you here?
14:07What do you want to tell us?
14:12Navigate.
14:13Navigate.
14:15If we want to know more about Blackbeard, where should we go?
14:19Light.
14:20Light?
14:21That could be Lighthouse.
14:23What could be the light in the marsh?
14:25I think we've got to split up.
14:27Okay.
14:28There is a lot more of this island to discover.
14:31So let's chase those lights.
14:34I head to the marshy southern tip of Ocracoke Island, where the teacher's light phenomenon
14:39has been seen by several witnesses.
14:42I'll be kayaking along the very inlet where Blackbeard was murdered 300 years ago.
14:49Because this is a visual phenomena, I want to make sure that if we do see it, we document
14:55it.
14:55So I've got this GoPro up here facing forward.
14:58I have another GoPro in the back facing to my rear.
15:01All that's left to do is paddle out there and see what we find.
15:09Let's go.
15:15So a woman claims that she saw a bright orange glowing light that headed straight towards
15:23her, scared her enough that she went running and tripped.
15:27Now, the big question is, what is that orange light?
15:32And I'm trying to keep an open mind to all options that are grounded in reality.
15:36But for now, my mission tonight, gather intel, keep my eyes on the skies.
15:49I arrive at the lighthouse, the site of the earliest village on the island.
15:53It was once the stomping grounds for Blackbeard and his crew, and later, the location of a
15:58terrible tragedy.
15:59This is where people have seen full apparitions, shadow figures.
16:04They've heard whispering voices.
16:07And this land itself is the oldest settlement of the island.
16:10But there is a lot more history to this place.
16:13Shortly after Blackbeard died, the settlers during the 1700s were massacred by Spanish pirates
16:18on this very ground.
16:21That will leave an imprint.
16:23So who's going to show up tonight?
16:25I guess we'll find out.
16:34I just saw something.
16:37I just saw a shadow over there.
16:42Is that my shadow?
16:43No.
16:43I just saw something.
16:48There's nothing there.
16:51I just saw a shadow.
16:55It was very quick.
16:56It was low to the ground, but it popped up against the white of this fence.
17:02It was definitely a shadow.
17:06I need to keep an eye on both angles here, because it feels like something is definitely
17:12watching us right now.
17:17And we need to try and figure out who it is.
17:22Okay.
17:24Is this Heather?
17:27I'm recording at the lighthouse.
17:33Let's see if they want to communicate.
17:41Is there anyone here with us?
17:48Wow.
17:51The tide and the wind is pushing me right through this marsh right out to sea.
18:03Let's see.
18:04Okay.
18:10Light!
18:11Light!
18:12There's a light!
18:13Come on.
18:15Right there!
18:16Right there!
18:17What is that?
18:37I'm here to communicate with you out of the spirit box.
18:46I'm trying to understand the activity on this island.
18:51Are you the shadow figure that I just saw?
18:58Yes!
19:01Can you tell me your name?
19:06Were you massacred by the Spanish pirates?
19:16Oh, that was very quiet.
19:19Did you die in the settlement that was founded here?
19:24Blackbeard, are you here?
19:29Blood?
19:32You want revenge?
19:35Yes.
19:36Yes!
19:41What was that?
19:42Good lord.
19:43Did you hear that?
19:45That sounded like...
19:47like a whale of pain.
19:52What was that?
19:54Good lord.
20:01Unable to find a source for the light I saw,
20:04I have a new piece of tech to help track it down again.
20:07I just need some solid ground to set it up.
20:13This is our most light-sensitive camera and we have it on the most amped-up nighttime setting possible and
20:20it's connected to this tablet which is running a custom program that filters out all other colors, except for the
20:27color orange.
20:28You will see the orange color in my hand is showing up and no other colors are.
20:36So if there is anything orange flying around out here, we will get it on camera and maybe get some
20:44answers.
20:46Okay, we are rolling.
20:55Meanwhile, I'm going to grab the FLIR, look for anything with a heat signature flying around in the sky.
21:04There is nothing in the sky.
21:07Gotta be something out there...
21:18Ooh, look at that! Look, look, look!
21:22Oh, what is that?
21:35That is orange.
21:37That is not reflection.
21:39And we have it on a low shutter speed,
21:41so it's causing it to look like a streak moving across.
21:44But it's definitely a focused point of light.
21:47And I did not hear any planes in the sky.
21:50Swamp gas with this kind of moving water, I doubt that.
21:54And it's not in a species of lightning bug.
21:57Typically, they have a blinking pattern,
21:59not a solid light like that.
22:00So that is something I cannot figure out.
22:04Heather, you there?
22:07Yeah, what's going on?
22:09I've seen the orange light twice, and we got it documented.
22:13No way.
22:14That's incredible.
22:15It is really unusual.
22:17I can't wait to show you the evidence.
22:18How's it going at the lighthouse?
22:20The spirit box has been really active.
22:22I've been hearing things, and I swear
22:25I saw a shadow figure.
22:26So I want to keep looking around here.
22:28I'm getting some great evidence out here, too.
22:30So let's just keep pursuing our leads,
22:32see where the night takes us.
22:34Copy that.
22:35Stay on walkie.
22:36You got it.
22:42After the responses I got when asking about revenge,
22:44I want to dig deeper into the life of Edward Teach,
22:47the man who became Blackbeard.
22:50So I'm meeting with local historian Chester Lynn.
22:54His family goes back generations on Ocracoke.
22:57Lovely to meet you.
22:59Good to meet you.
22:59He claims to have insider knowledge about Blackbeard's life
23:02and death on the island.
23:04You're born and raised here.
23:06My family came in the 1600s.
23:08Your family's been here since the 1600s?
23:10The year in Portsmouth.
23:12Now, I hear you have a theory about what happened
23:14to Blackbeard's body after he was betrayed
23:16by William Howard and killed.
23:18In the records, it does say they buried him.
23:22Hmm.
23:23He would have been buried without his head.
23:25Where do you think they buried him?
23:27They buried him in Springer's Point.
23:30So Blackbeard is buried somewhere on Springer's Point.
23:33Of course, yes.
23:34I certainly believe that.
23:36He hung out there at different times.
23:38There was a house at Springer's Point,
23:39and he lived part of the time.
23:41So essentially, Springer's Point was his home.
23:44Yes, yes.
23:45And somewhere in the area is a big, big oak,
23:49over 300 years old.
23:50Growing up, some people used to call it the Blackbeard Oak.
23:52So that oak was there when Blackbeard lived and died?
23:55Yes.
23:56Blackbeard could have set in the limbs of that oak
23:58or underneath of it.
23:59Wow.
24:00Find a giant tree, and we know we're on the right track
24:02of the area of where Blackbeard was.
24:04Yeah, yeah, yeah.
24:05What about Blackbeard's treasure?
24:06Do you think it's on this island?
24:08I think there's a good chance of that,
24:11because it was one of the few places
24:13Blackbeard hung out all the time.
24:16These artifacts were found at Springer's Point.
24:18OK.
24:19And these definitely belong to Blackbeard.
24:23Oh, my.
24:24These are off Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's bench.
24:27And they have been firefighted.
24:29Wow.
24:29Essentially, that's evidence of Blackbeard being there.
24:32They can't deny it.
24:33I mean, see, it's what it is.
24:34But if I had known where his treasure was,
24:36I'd already dug it up.
24:41While Heather talks to the historian, I'm heading to Springer's Point to speak with another eyewitness.
24:47Wade McVeigh is a longtime local who had a frightening experience in the nearby woods that he cannot explain.
24:54What brings you to Ocracoke?
24:56I've heard too many stories about this place, and I understand you've got some yourself.
25:00Yes, sir.
25:01I've got a few stories.
25:02One particular time, I was out here, a little buddy of mine, catching sunset.
25:06But before the sun had even finished setting, he got real antsy.
25:11And he demanded that we leave the beach right then, being like, we need to go.
25:15And I never seen a Mac like that.
25:18And as we started up the path, he had a glass bottle in his hand.
25:24And as we're walking, he smacked that bottle out of his hand,
25:30hit the tree next to it with a fair amount of force, shattered.
25:35He didn't just slip and had to go flying?
25:38Nope.
25:38He didn't slip.
25:39He didn't fall.
25:40I saw the whole thing, and I don't have an answer for that.
25:46He goes, we need to get out of here now.
25:49We ran down the trail.
25:52Once we were out of Springer's Point, he told me, man, when we were watching that sunset,
25:57I just started getting these creepy vibes, like something was watching him.
26:01All right.
26:02Let's suppose that there was some force that knocked his bottle out of his hand and smashed
26:06it.
26:07Why?
26:08Could have been the ghost of the pirates.
26:09You see, Blackbeard had a camp here.
26:13Being that pirates are known to be pretty territorial, they're going to guard this area.
26:18Not to mention, nobody really knows where Blackbeard's treasure's at.
26:22Could be here.
26:24He doesn't want one of us to find it.
26:26And you think you've seen enough to convince you that the legends are real?
26:29Knowing the history here and everything that's happened, it's easy to put the dots together.
26:35It seems like Springer's Point is the place to be.
26:38Oh, definitely.
26:39A lot of really creepy stuff happens here at night, and you might just run into it.
26:47As the sun sets, I meet with Phil at Springer's Point on the southern end of Ocracook, where
26:52Blackbeard and his crew once had their camp.
26:55And where my expert Chester believes Blackbeard, and maybe even his treasure, is buried.
27:06It's crazy to think we're on Blackbeard's turf right now.
27:09Not just this turf.
27:10This could be where Blackbeard is actually buried.
27:13And my historian did say that some artifacts from Blackbeard's time have been found out
27:17here.
27:18Great.
27:18I brought a metal detector if I want to look for any remnants of the past, and where Blackbeard's
27:23treasure might be.
27:24And while you're doing that, I want to find Blackbeard's oak.
27:27This tree is a living connection to the past.
27:30If Blackbeard's ghost is here, being close to that tree is my best shot at communicating
27:34with him.
27:35Well, I'll look for a shiny treasure, and you look for your tree.
27:37Okay.
27:38Well, good luck finding anything in this terrain.
27:40Don't worry.
27:41I brought backup.
27:42I got a robo-dog.
27:44All right.
27:45Stay walkie.
27:46All right.
27:55So, we have rigged Spot with a mobile metal detector.
27:59I'm going to set one up on my own, so while Spot takes on the south side of Springer's
28:03Point, I can take on the north, and if he finds something good, I'll get an alert.
28:08All right.
28:09Here we go.
28:15I'm going to use his laser radar, or his lidar, to perform a grid search of the area.
28:31People have been seeing Blackbeard's ghost at Springer's Point for over 200 years.
28:38And I got to say, it is very creepy.
28:49Is there anyone here with me?
28:54Blackbeard, do you want me to find Blackbeard's oak?
29:01I'm not going in the right direction.
29:14Blackbeard, is your treasure buried on Springer's Point?
29:19Ooh!
29:20Big spike.
29:21Big spike.
29:21Big spike.
29:22Okay.
29:25I'm going in the right direction, I think.
29:30What was that?
29:34Is there anyone there?
29:36Ooh!
29:37Ooh!
29:38Okay.
29:40Somebody's there.
29:43Is this where Blackbeard used to camp?
29:52Ooh!
30:00Ooh!
30:00Bad!
30:01Did y'all see that?
30:08Okay.
30:09Ooh!
30:11And I'm going in the right direction.
30:18Ooh!
30:19Big spike.
30:20Big spike.
30:24Ooh!
30:35Big spike.
30:39Why?
30:40Okay, we got something.
30:44Come on.
30:45He brings a robot, but forgets a shovel.
30:51Get some of this dirt aside.
30:54Let's see if...
30:57whatever I'm detecting is inside.
31:00This pile?
31:01What's that?
31:03What is that?
31:05There's something in here.
31:12What is that?
31:15Look.
31:17Look at that.
31:20This must be part of a chain.
31:24We got one loop right here.
31:26Another loop right there.
31:28This could easily be from the 1700s.
31:30A remnant of Blackbeard's life.
31:35Okay, let's keep searching.
31:47There it is.
31:50Look at that.
31:53I found Blackbeard's oak.
31:56Wow.
31:58The stories say Blackbeard and his men camped next to this very tree, which has been standing
32:03here ever since.
32:05It's like a witness tree.
32:06I think it's my best chance to actually communicate with Blackbeard himself.
32:18Oh.
32:20Hear that?
32:21That is Robodog alerting me of a find.
32:24Okay, let's go.
32:33I see it.
32:35All right.
32:38I can back it off.
32:42So, it was right over here, right under that poison ivy, that I will brush aside into the
32:52sand.
32:52This is the good part.
32:58Oh.
33:00Oh, wait.
33:02Wait.
33:04Oh, my God.
33:06We got a coin.
33:09This could be a coin that was used by Blackbeard's pirates.
33:13Even used by Blackbeard himself.
33:15I see how it's oxidized a little bit.
33:17But it has enough features that if I get some photos, send it to Josh, I guarantee he will
33:23be able to give us a date.
33:24And if only I could take the credit for actually finding it.
33:29Good job, Spot.
33:31Phil, do you copy?
33:33Yeah.
33:33What's going on?
33:34I found Blackbeard's oak.
33:37Amazing.
33:38Send me the coordinates.
33:39I'll be over there.
33:40Copy that.
33:41Hustle.
33:41Good boy, Spot.
33:43I leave Robo-Dog to keep patrolling Springer's point and head off to meet up with Heather.
33:49Whoa.
33:49So this is Blackbeard's oak?
33:51I know.
33:51Isn't it incredible?
33:53Absolutely amazing.
33:55Well, I found a few things it might recognize.
33:58What'd you find?
33:58Take a look at that.
34:00That is a chain.
34:01Could have been used on a ship.
34:03Could have been used to lock up your treasure.
34:05That's incredible.
34:07And this isn't all we found.
34:08Spot had one up me and found this.
34:13No way.
34:14Oh my gosh.
34:15This to me looks 1700s.
34:17These artifacts could be from Blackbeard himself.
34:21And we know this tree is from his time.
34:23This is a golden opportunity to do a really powerful call and response session.
34:28Let's get set up.
34:29Okay.
34:34All right.
34:35This is Blackbeard's flag.
34:38This would have been like his coat of arms.
34:39So you've got to hang it up.
34:40Okay.
34:49So we have objects that are most likely from Blackbeard's time.
34:53And from.
35:00I'm going to start the audio recorder.
35:03This is Heather and Phil.
35:06Blackbeard, if you're here, we've come to communicate with you using this flame.
35:13If the flame goes higher, I'll take that as a yes.
35:17If it goes lower, I'll take it as a no.
35:23Blackbeard, if you're here, give us a sign.
35:30Oh, it seems like a yes.
35:41The pirate Blackbeard lost his head.
35:44Literally, his actual head is missing.
35:46After killing the pirate in 1718, Lieutenant Robert Maynard gifts Blackbeard's head to Virginia's governor, Alexander Spotswood.
35:55The skull is then mounted on a pole at the mouth of the Hampton River as a warning to any
36:00would-be pirates.
36:01But then, one day, it vanishes.
36:03In the 1800s, it's alleged that the skull is plated with silver and used as a punch bowl.
36:10Then, in the 1980s, this disturbing drinking vessel is seemingly rediscovered.
36:15The estate of historian Edward Snow hands over what they say is Blackbeard's silver-plated noggin to Salem's Peabody Essex
36:23Museum.
36:24The museum is unconvinced, but it certainly seems like a fitting end to me.
36:28Your skull filled with alcohol?
36:30Sounds like every pirate's dream.
36:32Cheers, Blackbeard.
36:39Is this where your camp was?
36:47That flame just went up.
36:48Did it?
36:49Yeah.
36:50Okay, keep talking.
36:52Blackbeard, are you still on this island because you're guarding your treasure?
36:58It's dying down.
36:59It is.
37:00That's a no.
37:01That's a no.
37:03Are you looking for revenge?
37:05Ooh.
37:07That guy.
37:09Right when you said revenge?
37:10Yeah.
37:11I mean, did you see that?
37:12I felt like I needed to scoot back a little bit.
37:18And it's raining.
37:20We asked for a sign.
37:24So we have a sign of revenge.
37:26Yeah.
37:27Stay on that.
37:28Okay.
37:29Are you still here on this island because William Howard betrayed you?
37:33Your own crew member.
37:35Ooh.
37:36One picked up.
37:38Your own crew member.
37:40Ooh.
37:41That seems like a yes.
37:42I'd say I would be very angry if it was my own crew member that I'd worked with forever.
37:51Wow, it's really starting to pick up.
37:53Yeah.
37:54Are you here looking for revenge?
37:56Who do you want revenge on?
37:58William Howard?
38:04Flame just went out.
38:06That's still recording?
38:09Yeah.
38:10All right.
38:11Flame's out.
38:12Storm's coming in.
38:13Let's get out of here.
38:14Yeah.
38:15All right.
38:15Let's move.
38:15Let's move.
38:17Oh, God.
38:21Phil and Heather escaped a storm worthy of the high seas.
38:25Once they dried off and reviewed their shipload of evidence, Heather believes they not only
38:30found the man, but also his motivation.
38:34She is convinced they were communicating with the ghost of Blackbeard and even thinks she's
38:39worked out why.
38:40But we begin with what on the surface is the most valuable find of all, the coin Phil and
38:46Robodog discovered.
38:48Wait, we got a coin.
38:51It's a colonial Spanish-ate maraberry dated 1659.
38:56Given that Blackbeard pillaged the seas just 58 years later, it's possible this coin really
39:02could be one small part of the pirates' lost treasure hoard.
39:07So perhaps there was evidence of the treasure, but what about the evidence of the man who might
39:12have owned it, Blackbeard himself, Edward Teach?
39:17Light!
39:18Light!
39:19Light!
39:19What is that?
39:20Phil analyzed the footage he captured of the so-called Teaches Light phenomenon.
39:25Its uniform movement and consistent light signature has Phil convinced that, far from being an echo
39:32of something from 300 years ago, it's something entirely modern, a local resident flying a drone.
39:40The photos Phil took in the cemetery also failed to capture the same eerie green glow, or more importantly,
39:47pirate-shaped shadow figure that those of our witness did.
39:50But while there wasn't visual evidence of Blackbeard's phantom presence, Heather feels there was a disturbing
39:57amount that was audible.
39:58You want revenge?
40:02Yes!
40:03Yes!
40:05Yes!
40:06Yes!
40:06What was that?
40:08Throughout the team's time on Ocracoke, whenever Heather brought up the topic of betrayal,
40:13or revenge, not only did the paranormal activity pick up, but so, curiously, did the weather.
40:26Heather points to the theory that spirits can influence wind and rain.
40:30If that's really true, then the ghost pirate's presence was most certainly felt.
40:36And there's more.
40:39Right there, right there in the tree!
40:40In the tree!
40:41In the tree!
40:41A cannonball-sized revelation.
40:44The cemetery where Blackbeard's supposed ghost was seen is the Howard Family Cemetery, named
40:51after a William Howard who purchased Ocracoke Island in 1759.
40:56For decades, historians believed this was a descendant of the William Howard who was Blackbeard's
41:01quartermaster before betraying him.
41:04But now, recently discovered documents suggest this was no descendant of William Howard.
41:10Stunningly, it was William Howard himself.
41:13Yes, the same man who betrayed Blackbeard went on to purchase the entire island of Ocracoke,
41:20and is most likely buried in the very same cemetery the pirate seemingly haunts.
41:25If Blackbeard's ghost really is looking for revenge, it seems we can now prove something seriously shocking.
41:32He's looking in exactly the right place.
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