feature article - may 2013

See treasures from Golden Age of Piracy
at Milwaukee Public Museum’s Real Pirates

REAL PIRATES, a National Geographic exhibition featuring treasures from the only authenticated pirate shipwreck found in U.S. waters, sailed into the Milwaukee Public Museum in December and will be a top destination for families through May 27.

The touring exhibition separates fact from fiction about the pirate trade and gives visitors glimpses into the lives of pirates through artifacts, hands-on activities, captivating re-creations, enactors portraying crew members, and a fascinating exploration of underwater archaeology.

Visitors learn the captivating true story of the Whydah, one of the most successful pirate ships of the Golden Age of Piracy, from its roots as a slave ship to its takeover and conversion into a pirate ship in the early 1700s.

After only two months of conquests and plundering under the direction of Captain “Black Sam” Bellamy, one of the boldest pirates of his day, the Whydah sank off the coast of Cape Cod nearly 300 years ago, taking its famous captain and all but two of its 146 crew members with it. The Whydah was located by underwater explorer Barry Clifford in 1984. Clifford is still actively excavating the wreck site and continues to bring treasures to the surface every year.

Stories of four members of the Whydah crew, actual people who ended up on the same pirate ship for very different reasons, are highlighted. Included in the group is John King, the youngest known pirate on board the Whydah, who was believed to be younger than 11 at the time of the shipwreck. When the ship he was traveling on with his mother was taken over by Bellamy, young John insisted on taking up with the pirate crew, despite his mother’s objections.

A dozen multimedia galleries showcase the reality of the slave trade in West Africa and the economic prosperity in the Caribbean in the early 18th century that gave rise to piracy. Also examined is the Whydah’s journey, the ship’s capture by Bellamy, the violent storm that sank the ship, its discovery by Clifford, and the recovery and conservation of its artifacts.

At the core of Real Pirates are artifacts that have been painstakingly recovered from the ocean floor over the past 25 years by Clifford and his team. Highlights include:

• The Whydah’s bell, inscribed “Whydah Galley 1716,” which was used to authenticate the shipwreck site and which various explorers fruitlessly sought after the fateful storm that sank the ship in April 1717.

• Technologically advanced weaponry of the time – cannons, muskets and pistols.

• Pieces of the Whydah’s rigging and the tools crew members used to maintain it.

• Artifacts that represent the daily lives of real pirates – from a real commode to plates and flatware to jewelry and clothing items to game pieces.

• Navigational tools like sounding weights and ring dials.

• A treasure chest filled with authentic coins last touched by real pirates.

Clifford is still actively excavating the wreck site and continues to bring gold and silver to the surface as well as everyday items that shed light on this tumultuous period of American and world history. At the end of the exhibition, visitors see first-hand how Clifford discovered the ship and can delve deeper into the extensive recovery and conservation process.

Visitors see what the Whydah’s artifacts looked like in their final resting places on the ocean floor and explore the involved process of extracting them, intact, from these conglomerations of metal, sand and salt.

In addition to displaying centuries-old artifacts, the exhibition includes hands-on activities where visitors can try their hands at raising a pirate flag, tying real sailors' knots, touching real pirate treasure, and looking through a telescope to find ships with treasure on board.

Visitors also have the opportunity to walk through a re-creation of the Whydah, explore the roles of the different members of her crew and ask questions of pirate re-enactors strolling through the exhibition.

Visitor Information

Real Pirates tickets include both admission to the special exhibit and to the Milwaukee Public Museum’s outstanding permanent exhibit galleries.Ticket prices are $24 for adults Monday-Thursday; $26 for adults Friday- Sunday; $17.50 for children Monday-Thursday and$18.50 children Friday-Sunday

The exhibition will be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, with extended hours every Thursday until 8 p.m. The last entry into Real Pirates will occur 60 minutes prior to closing on all dates. Visit www.mpm.edu for additional information about the exhibition.

The Milwaukee Public Museum at 800 W. Wells St. is a natural and human history museum in 1882 and opened to the public in 1884. The museum has three floors of exhibits that encompass life-size dioramas, walk-through villages, world cultures, dinosaurs, a rain forest and a live butterfly garden, as well as a Dome Theater and the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium. The museum houses more than 4.5 million objects and hosts nearly half a million visitors each year.