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The tale of Captain William Kidd, one of the most notorious pirates in the history of the world and the Quedagh Merchant (the last vessel he captured) – is coming to Altos de Chavón, Casa de Campo this Thursday the 8th of March and will be brought to life with a special lecture by guest speaker Dr Charles Beeker.
The Quedagh Merchant, an Indian merchant vessel was captured by Captain William Kidd in January 1698 and following a series of rather dramatic events (including the capture, trial and hanging of Captain Kidd – after which he was left to hang over the River Thames for two years as a warning to other pirates), the Quedagh Merchant was said to have been burned and sunk, with her exact whereabouts a mystery – until her remains were discovered in December 2007 by a Casa de Campo resident just meters from the shore of Isla Catalina in the Dominican Republic.
But was Captain Kidd a pirate or a privateer?
Many sources actually suggest that Captain Kidd was one of the good guys – sent on a mission by the King of England to capture pirate ships……..
Want to know more?
Muffi and Jimmy James, Casa de Campo and the Altos de Chavón Regional Museum of Archaeology invites you to enjoy the tale of “Captain William Kidd’s 1699 Quedagh Merchant” and his adventures on the high seas – this Thursday the 8th of March in a lecture by Dr Charles Beeker, the director of Academic Diving and Underwater Science at the Indian University Bloomington and Dr. Jeffrey H.Patchen, President and CEO of the Children’s Museum of Indianpolis.
For a little pre-lecture preparation on the tale of Captain Kidd – we recommend watching this 90 second video, created by the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis:
Professor Beeker is a member of the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee – NOAA, he has directed numerous shipwreck projects in the United States and the Caribbean, and is a pioneer in preserving wreck sites as underwater museums. He will also discuss the research on other sites throughout the Dominican Republic, including the Lost Fleet of Columbus, Henry Morgan’s Flagship HMS Oxford, the Spanish Merchant Nuestra Señora de Begona, the slave ship Le marquis de Galliffet, and on prehistoric life and the peopling of the Caribbean.
As well as discovering all about the legend of Captain William Kidd, attendees of the lecture will also learn about the archeological research taking place in the Isla Catalina/La Romana area as part National Geographic’s “Treasures of the Earth Expeditions.”
Following the lecture there will be a reception hosted by the Casa de Campo hotel.
Lecture: “Captain William Kidd’s 1699 Quedagh Merchant”
When: Thursday March 8th, 6pm
Where: The Regional Museum of Archeology, Altos de Chavón
Cost: Free
RSVP: 809-523-8554, aalvarez@altosdechavon.com
Today, the Captain Kidd shipwreck site (just a short boat ride from the Marina Casa de Campo) is a “Living Museum of the Sea” featuring a stack of cannons and anchor parts of the the Quedagh Merchant – the only pirate ship ever discovered in the Caribbean and one of only three discovered in the Americas.
