June 6 – January 24, 2027
The Upcountry History Museum, in partnership with Walt Disney Archives, The South Carolina State Museum, The Charleston Museum, and private collectors, will explore the perception of piracy in popular culture – from comical characters like Captain Pugwash and Captain Hook to anti-heroes like Long John Silver and Captain Jack Sparrow – to examine why the idea of a pirate’s life still fascinates us today.
Pirates have operated on all the oceans and seas of the world, but there were certain areas which became notorious for piracy.
While often portrayed as swashbuckling scoundrels, the real history of pirates is far more complex. The Upcountry History Museum’s special exhibition will invite visitors to step into the world of pirates as they discover the truth behind history’s most infamous seafarers.
This major exhibition will follow the global history of piracy from the South China Sea to the Caribbean, and on to the coasts of South and North Carolina. The Carolina coasts were key areas during the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1730) due to their strategic location on major trade routes and to their shallow waters offering convenient hideouts.
Pirates of the Caribbean and the Carolinas will demystify the image of piracy by uncovering the many layers that the term “pirate” has undergone through history, literature, and popular culture. The stories of Carolinas notorious pirates Edward Teach (Blackbeard), Stede Bonnet, William Kidd, Mary Read, and Anne Bonoy, will compare the pirates of fiction with the real pirates of history.
