Maritime Museum Opens Pirates: Myth & Reality

This summer, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic will set sail to discover the romantic myths and grisly realities of a way of life that is as old as the ocean, piracy.

Opening on Friday, June 1, Pirates: Myth & Reality explores the stories of real pirates connected to Nova Scotia's history, and contrasts those true accounts with the swashbuckling reputation pirates have in today's popular culture.

"This exhibit has deep and immediate interest for a huge number of people from many age groups," says Dan Conlin, the museum's curator of marine history. "We have the great challenge of balancing the powerful pirate myths people love, with pirate realities that are grittier, but I believe no less absorbing."

Highlights from the exhibit include, an actual skull of a pirate executed in Halifax in 1809, the largest public display of Oak Island artifacts ever mounted, rare and deadly weapons from the Golden Age of Piracy (1680-1730), an accurate replica of a skeleton in a gallows, and a surprising display on modern day piracy including a real AK-47 machine gun.

"The exhibit is a wonderful opportunity for the museum," said Mr. Conlin. "We get to tell these stories, with provocative real pirate artifacts like a pirate's skull, unmatched by any museum in the world."

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is located at 1675 Lower Water St., Halifax.