01/17/08 — Blackbeard lecture Saturday

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Blackbeard lecture Saturday

By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on January 17, 2008 1:45 PM

Legend depicts Blackbeard the pirate as one of the most notorious and horrifying rogues to sail the seven seas.

But was he truly a murderous villain, or a hero trapped in the annals of historic change?

Why was he able to link up with the highest levels of North Carolina's colonial government and become the confidant of royal Gov. Charles Eden?

The Old Dobbs Genealogical Society invites the public to a presentation on the famous pirate on Saturday by Margaret Hoffman, a Rhodes Scholar with the North Carolina Humanities Council.

The presentation will be given in the Weil Auditorium at the library, starting at 10:30 am. The lecture is free. Anyone interested in this fascinating period in the state's history is invited to attend.

As the author of "Blackbeard: A Tale of Villainy and Murder in Colonial America," Ms. Hoffman will talk about the truth behind the myth of the man and why, after 300 years, he remains a controversial figure.