Ghosthunting North Carolina. Kala Ambrose
evidence of paranormal activity. Besides the fact that the ship is mostly metal and the flash from the camera bounces everywhere, many of the displays on the ship are behind glass, which also makes it difficult to take pictures without light of some kind bouncing off the glass and metal and creating the effect of orbs and other anomalies that could be misconstrued as supernatural in nature. I loaded new batteries in my camera but decided that it was time to put the gadgets away and use the best tool I have—my psychic sense. I continued through the ship for about a half hour after that, no longer sensing the ghostly presence. The ship has been wonderfully restored, and it was a pleasure just to take the self-guided tour of this living legend.
Just as I was about to wrap things up and head for the exit, the angry spirit appeared. I was standing by some stairs when I noticed someone looking at me.
The only way I know to describe him to you is that he was intense, forbidding, and not at all interested in conversation. Reports from various paranormal investigators and researchers have said that the man they encountered offered his name and, at times, his rank. The being that I encountered was not in the mood to talk, and though he startled me at first, I soon realized that he wasn’t particularly interested in me at that moment, unless he thought I would be interfering with his activities. He was not the ghost I had seen materializing near the mess hall; that presence had been fun to follow around the ship. He was pleasant enough and simply engaged in his daily activities. This entity, on the other hand, sucked the energy out of the area where he appeared and filled it with an angry energy. I held my ground, using what I had been taught over the years to keep a protective shield of light energy around me so as not to allow him to come any closer to me.
The entire encounter lasted a few seconds and felt like several minutes. I know nothing about this spirit, not his name nor his rank, but I do know what I felt when meeting him. He’s moved past the point of being reasonable; anger has overtaken him, and it’s how he feeds his energy. He takes the form of a man when he appears, but I don’t think that his true form is human. I feel that this spirit attached itself to one of the men who served on the ship and now uses that man’s form to manifest as a human when it desires. The sailor to whom he attached himself during the time he served on the ship was never a mentally well-balanced person. He wrestled with his dark side all throughout his life and enjoyed being cruel to others onboard, which made him prey for this dark spirit.
He’s definitely not giving out information as to whether or not he was one of the men who died aboard the ship, but it’s clear that he’s attached to the ship with no plans to leave anytime soon. Should you encounter him during your visit, you’ll know immediately. Even if you do not see him, you’ll feel his presence, a mixture of anger and dread, and you’ll struggle not to run as far away from this energy as you can.
As I kept my light force field shield around me, the spirit disappeared and I could no longer detect his presence. He’s motivated through creating fear and making other people feel afraid, so if you bump into him on the ship, don’t engage with him. The best thing you can do if you run into him is to ignore him and move away to another area.
If you encounter the other ghosts here on the ship, they feel very different from this spirit. Should they materialize in front of you, they are lighter in color and go about their daily tasks on the ship. In comparison, the dark spirit appears to be hunting for something or someone on the ship.
Finished with the tour, I gathered myself and prepared to disembark. Turning back to look at the ship one last time, I found myself agreeing with those sailors in Hawaii; the ship is a beautiful sight. Wonderfully preserved, we can’t quite call her a landmark, but she is a presence to be dealt with and honored. The nickname given to the USS North Carolina was The Showboat, and she continues to live up to her name today.
The Life and Legend of Blackbeard’s Ghost
Blackbeard the Pirate may be the most famous pirate ever known, and his legend, his legacy, and his ghost remain with us to this day. His proper name was Edward Teach. He gained the nickname of Blackbeard from his long mass of tousled black hair that whipped around his head, as well as his scruffy black beard. They gave him a dark, forbidding look, and it was reported at times that he would place lit fuses under his hat that would shower his face in sparks, in order to further intimidate and scare people.
He was ruthless as a pirate, but reports also state that no captive of his was ever injured or killed. Before his death in 1718, Blackbeard lived in several areas of North Carolina, including the villages of Bath and Beaufort. Blackbeard’s final battle was with Lieutenant Maynard of the British Navy on Ocracoke Island. Blackbeard fought valiantly with his sword but at the end was overtaken by the sheer numbers of Maynard’s crew. By the time he was taken down, he had been shot five times and stabbed more than 20 times.
Once he was confirmed dead, Lieutenant Maynard ordered that Blackbeard’s head be cut off and hung from the bow of Maynard’s ship. Blackbeard’s headless body was then thrown into the water near Ocracoke Island.
Reports of Blackbeard’s ghost began in the 1800s. Locals reported seeing and hearing an epic battle with ghostly ships and men waging war against each other near Bath Creek and the inlet. Massive balls of fire were also seen moving back and forth across the water toward the ships. Legends state that Blackbeard’s ghost most often appears right before a storm rages along the coast of Ocracoke, Bath, Albemarle, and Pamlico Sound. He seems drawn to the sea when the waves pick up and are thrashing, and some say he is looking for his head. There is often a light seen accompanying his ghost, which is referred to as Teach’s Light.
Blackbeard continues to roam the coast of North Carolina and is said to frequently visit the coastal towns where he once lived. On a dark stormy night, don’t be surprised if you run into the pirate walking along the coast.
CHAPTER 2
Civil War Ghosts of Fort Fisher
KURE BEACH
Fort Fisher was one of the largest forts built of earth and sand. In 1865, it covered one mile of sea defense and one-third of a mile of land defense.
“The importance of closing Wilmington and cutting off Rebel communication is paramount to all other questions—more important, practically, than the capture of Richmond [Virginia].”
—Gideon Welles, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, September 15, 1864
FORT FISHER IS LOCATED near the Cape Fear River and is one of the largest forts built in the South. The entrance to the fort is imposing, and the giant oaks surrounding the fort stand as guardians with deep, sorrowful stories to tell. The construction of the fort is interesting; rather than being built of brick and mortar, it was made with earth and sand in order to absorb the shock waves from explosions.
The fort’s ramparts were built to be 32-feet high and were connected by underground passages and a telegraph system. More than 1,000 men worked to complete the fort, and upon its completion, 22 guns faced the ocean and another 25 guns covered the approach by land.
In 1864, Wilmington was the last major seaport to remain open during the Civil War to receive goods smuggled in from blockade-runners, the others having been blockaded or occupied by Federal forces. Norfolk, Virginia, fell in May of 1862, and the supply line in Wilmington was the last one standing to deliver necessities to Robert E. Lee’s men in Virginia and other troops further inland. The only reason that the port of Wilmington was still open was due to the protection provided by Fort Fisher.
On Christmas Eve 1864, Union troops and ships attacked Fort Fisher and bombarded the fort through Christmas Day. The troops then retreated after two unsuccessful days of fighting. Union forces returned in January of 1865, when they bombed the fort from tactical areas both on land and by sea for almost three days. At the end of these three days, more than 3,300 Union soldiers attacked the fort. With these large numbers, they were able to take the fort by nightfall.
When Fort Fisher fell to Union troops, it was one of the final nails in the coffin of the Confederate army. They evacuated the area, and the port of Wilmington was no longer able