Road Scholars Speakers Bureau

Kevin P. Duffus                                       

Researcher, author, award-winning documentary filmmaker

Raleigh, NC                               

looking_glass@earthlink.net 

Travel region: Statewide

About Kevin P. Duffus:

Researcher, author and documentary filmmaker, Kevin Duffus has published two books and produced four award-winning documentary films on North Carolina maritime history. Through extensive research, he solved the long-standing mystery of the missing 1854 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Fresnel lens, discovered the lost history of the builder of the 1870 Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, preserved the amazing stories of the World War II “baby born in a lifeboat,” and island residents, sailors and merchant marines, who survived “Torpedo Junction.” Duffus has also produced documentaries in England, East Africa, Central America and the Philippines. His honors include a George Foster Peabody Award, the World Hunger Media Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award and the National Education Association Award.

How Shipwrecks Shaped the Destiny of the Outer Banks

For more than 450 years, shipwrecks shaped the destiny of NC’s Outer Banks, creating one of the most intriguing histories and cultures in America. Kevin Duffus, author of the 2007 book Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks—an Illustrated Guide, presents a wide-ranging discussion of shipwrecks and their legacy—lifesaving, salvage, rumors of wreckers, and the hundreds of forgotten shipwreck victims buried among the dunes. Duffus explains the various causes of shipwrecks, and why there is a Graveyard of the Atlantic in the first place, what it was like for passengers and crew when ships crashed into the breakers along the banks, and the true stories of some of the most incredible rescues. Duffus shares the memories of the last living lighthouse keeper on the Outer Banks, the descendants of lifesavers, residents who played on shipwrecks as children, and one well-known historian who used to dance on the deck of a wrecked vessel. Audience members will also learn precise locations of famous and deadly wrecks, as well as places to see remains of shipwrecks today.

Program requirements: LCD projector and screen preferred

The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate

What happened during Blackbeard’s last days that precipitated his demise? Who, truly, was Edward Teach, and from whence did he come? What was his true name? And where may he have hidden his treasure? 

For many years researcher and author Kevin Duffus observed that most historical accounts describing Black Beard the pirate’s last days were inaccurate, insufficiently researched, and, as it turned out, not nearly as interesting as the truth. Duffus posed the question: “Is it possible to go back to the trodden ground of original sources and learn something new about a popular historical figure? After conducting extensive research at the archives of Great Britain, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, and exploring the pirate’s favorite haunts at Bath, Ocracoke, and Philadelphia, Duffus discovered the answer was, yes, it is possible to learn something new. And the true facts about Blackbeard’s last days promise to substantially change his story—and history.

With his newest lecture, author Kevin Duffus invites audiences to enter the dimly-lit passageway of time and learn surprising contradictions to previously-published historical accounts of the last days of Blackbeard the pirate. He discloses new information about how the pirate captain was cornered and attacked at Ocracoke in 1718, why he tried to escape rather than to fight back, and how his life might have been spared had he lived for three more weeks.  He reveals the true meaning of a mysterious letter found in Blackbeard’s possessions, and explores the possibilities of government conspiracies and coverups. New research finds that many of the 25 pirates who remained with Blackbeard after the wreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge were sons of North Carolina families. And for the first time, Duffus proves that most of Blackbeard’s captured crew members were not hanged in Virginia, and that one of them—10 years after purportedly being executed—became a respected and wealthy landowner and the grandfather of heroes of the American Revolution and a Tennessee governor.

For the first time, Duffus exposes the truth behind many of the enduring Blackbeard myths—his Bristol, England, birthplace; his 14 wives, including Mary Ormond; the burning of fuses in his hair to frighten his victims; and the countless tall tales of buried treasure, secret tunnels, and the shocking origins of the legend of his silver-plated skull used as a drinking cup by a secret society.

In addition to dozens of new discoveries one revelation promises to stand-out as the most amazing. With the help of groundbreaking research by three courageous genealogists, Kevin Duffus shares long-forgotten clues to the potential identity of Blackbeard, beginning with a long-held myth about his sister, Susannah—and the conclusions are staggering and certain to be controversial.

Requirements: LCD projection system and screen preferred

War Zone: World War II off North Carolina’s Outer Banks

In 1942, the United States suffered one if its worst defeats of WWII, not in Europe or the Pacific, but along the nation’s eastern seaboard. Three hundred ninety-seven ships were sunk or damaged, and 5,000 people died. For six months, sixty-five German U-boats hunted merchant vessels, practically unopposed, within view of coastal communities. The greatest of these attacks occurred off NC’s Outer Banks. For this program, Kevin Duffus has compiled a stunning collection of eyewitness stories of merchant sailors, Coast Guard recruits and coastal residents who survived the events. He discusses the facts behind decades-old urban legends of German spies, sympathizers, and saboteurs. His story is one of faith, courage, and determination as well as infamy, irony, and innocence.