Arrrrrrrchivists will find lots to do

Ahoy thar, mateys! Join us in Williamsburg for the MARAC Fall Conference and ye will find much related t' pirates. Or you could just watch this and learn t' talk more like pirates. It appears that some arrrrchivists have been exhibiting pirate tendencies for some time now.

Among the College of William and Mary's first financial supporters were three accused pirates captured in Virginia waters who gave a fourth of the value of their loot to the College in return for a pardon and the recovery of the remaining money. We can't thank 'em enough and ye should visit the College to see the legacy of that early "investment." Note that pirates can still be found on campus, so beware! One of the College's most heralded alumni, Thomas Jefferson, signed a document while he was Secretary of State under George Washington (who was also the College's first American Chancellor after the Revolutionary War) authorizing the payment of what were essentially bribes to the sultans of the Barbary states to ensure the safe passage of American vessels. The young American navy later fought the Barbary pirates under Jefferson who had described the tribute as "money thrown away."

If hockey be yer game, then yer in luck as the Richmond Renegades play the Twin City Cyclones at home on Friday evenin'.

Stonehouse Golf Course is where Blackbeard, one of the most ruthless pirates of them all, may have buried his treasures. I don't think Blackbeard ever visited Pirate's Cove Mini Golf, but on the other hand do we know for certain that he didn't?

Williamsburg does have a number of genuine connections to Blackbeard and other pirates. Blackbeard quartermaster William Howard, while incarcerated in Williamsburg, was defended in court by the town's first mayor, John Holloway, characterized by Governor Spotswood as "a constant patron and advocate of pirates." In 1718, the burgesses passed a bill offering 100 pounds for the death or capture of Blackbeard. After Blackbeard was killed in battle, his body was thrown overboard while his skull hung for many years from a pole at the confluence of the Hampton and James Rivers. The site is still known as Blackbeard's Point. According to an article from the Colonial Williamsburg Journal, sources declare that the relic was later taken down and fashioned into a silver-mounted drinking cup used in the Raleigh Tavern in Williamsburg. While the cup is gone, visitors can still visit Raleigh Tavern, which also served as the first meeting place of Phi Beta Kappa.

All of this may explain why Presidents Park has so many pirate items in its gift shop. Or it could simply be that there is no explanation for a theme park built around the giant heads of presidents.

If ye won't be joinin' us in Williamsburg, ye be a scurvy dog, but you could always just join the Arrrrrchivists on Facebook.