Queen Anne's exhibit slated to open Friday

Artifacts from the fall dive expedition at the shipwreck believed to be the Queen Anne’s Revenge will be part of a display this month at the N.C. Museum of History in Raleigh.

A case exhibit of small artifacts from the wreck of Blackbeard’s flagship will be on display at from Friday through Jan. 30, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

The Queen Anne’s Revenge ran aground in Beaufort Inlet in 1718, and the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources has led research at the site since 1997.

The exhibit originated at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort, the official repository for the shipwreck artifacts.

Among the artifacts displayed are part of a hand-blown bluegreen window pane believed to have been in the captain’s quarters and brass buckle that may have fastened a belt or a bandolier full of weapons.

Brass scale weights for weighing reale silver coins will be on view; the reale weights were necessary because the smoothedged coins could be filed or chiseled down, thus devaluing the coins, the news release said.

A brass quillon block with gold gilding and a blade fragment from a small hunting sword will also be exhibited. The ornate scroll work and fancy handle design were unusual for pirate gear, so the sword, recovered in 2007 and now fully conserved, may have been acquired on some adventure.

For more details about the exhibit, call 919-807-7349.

For information about the Museum of History, located at 5 E. Edenton St., call 919-807-7900 or go to ncmuseumofhistory.org.

The Queen Anne’s Revenge Shipwreck Project, the N.C. Maritime Museum and the N.C. Museum of History are within the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture.

For more information, visit ncculture.com.