fort is beautiful in its own way, and the five-sided shape is intriguing. Exhibits and displays include the fort’s powder magazines, counterfire rooms with cannons, and furnace and bake ovens. Some quarters have been restored to show how soldiers and officers lived at the fort.
While touring Fort Macon, I didn’t experience any paranormal activity. It was a gorgeous day when we visited the area, and everyone there was enjoying the beautiful weather. Some of the techniques used in ghosthunting include checking for increased solar activity, which has been reported by many paranormal researchers to cause an increase in paranormal activity, as spirits need an energy source in order to appear. When the sun has a solar storm or is releasing solar flares, radioactive particles enter the Earth’s atmosphere, which charges the geomagnetic fields. Ghosts can then access this energy, which allows them to be more active on the earth plane. Moon phases have also been studied, and certain phases, including the full moon cycle, often produce more ghost sightings and paranormal activity.
During my visit, the geomagnetic field was quiet, and solar storms were low. I was also there during a low lunar cycle. I didn’t detect any paranormal activity to note other than the usual energy imprints I detect any time I’m near a battlefield. This doesn’t mean that the fort is not haunted; it just means that I didn’t encounter any activity during my visit. As with any paranormal investigations, it often takes time and repeated visits to a location under the right conditions to find proof of ghostly activity. Locals and visitors continue to report ghostly experiences while visiting, and I hope to return again to investigate further.
The Flaming Ship of New Bern
In New Bern, North Carolina, the Atlantic Ocean meets the Neuse River, providing an idyllic setting to spend a vacation on the beach each summer under sunny and star-filled skies. Gentle, warm breezes drift in from the ocean, and many locals and tourists enjoy a peaceful stroll on the beach under the moonlight. Yet on one night of the year, a horrifying site appears on the water near New Bern.
In the early 1700s, a group of German Protestants hired a captain and crew to sail them from England to North Carolina. Their plans were to settle in New Bern and begin their new lives there. This group was known as the Palatines. They carried all their worldly goods with them, and reportedly they had quite a large amount of gold and silver, which they had kept hidden from the captain and crew.
As the ship approached the North Carolina coast, the Palatines excitedly prepared for the landing, pulling their belongings up onto the deck. They were preparing to disembark from the ship as quickly as possible. The captain and crew, seeing the substantial wealth of the Palatines, told them that for their own safety, the landing could not be made until the next morning.
That evening, as the Palatine passengers slept aboard the ship, the crew stabbed and killed all of them. They collected all of the Palatines’ gold and silver and loaded it into rowboats. As the captain and crew made their escape, they set fire to the ship to destroy any evidence of the Palatine passengers. The ship quickly caught fire, and as the murderous captain and crew watched, the ship became engulfed in flames, but to their surprise, it never sank. Instead, while on fire, it began to sail toward them. Terrified, the crew rowed as quickly as possible to shore and ran to hide in the woods. Local reports at the time stated that at daybreak the ship was no longer on fire, but it still remained floating on the water in a blackened and charred state. That evening, the ship appeared to be on fire again, and then sailed away out to sea until it disappeared from the horizon.
Each year, during the first night of the new moon in September, the “Flaming Ship of New Bern,”—as described by locals—is reported to make its appearance off the shores of New Bern. Others say that it now appears during the full moon of a summer evening in July or August, and other reports say that it is during the first full moon in September.
It has also been reported as the “Flaming Ship of Ocracoke.” The legend states that the Palatines were supposed to live in New Bern but that they were killed on the ship near Ocracoke. Witnesses have reported seeing the ship in both locations. Perhaps the Palatines are chasing the evil captain and crew along the entire watery trail. The oldest reports date back to seeing the ship off the coast of Ocracoke, while more recent sightings report the ship near New Bern. Over the years, it looks as if the Palatines are drawing ever closer to the place they wanted to call home.
The ship reportedly appears out of nowhere and burns brightly in the water three times before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. Local lore states that the Palatines will continue to appear each year in search of their treasure. Until they have their gold and silver returned to them, they refuse to rest in peace and are looking for revenge on the captain and his crew.
CHAPTER 4
The Lost Colony of Roanoke
ROANOKE
What happened to Virginia Dare and the rest of the colonists of Roanoke remains a mystery to this day.
“How like a winter hath my absence been
From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year!
What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen!
What old December’s bareness every where!
—William Shakespeare, “Sonnet XCVII”
IN 1584, EXPLORERS WERE SENT to Roanoke Island (a narrow island situated between the Outer Banks and the mainland of North Carolina) by Sir Walter Raleigh to determine if the area would be well suited to establishing a colony. Upon their return, they delivered a positive report of the location, which included a list of the abundant natural resources surrounding the area and findings that Roanoke was better protected from the elements than the Outer Banks. They also brought back with them a Native American chief to show that relations between the tribe’s people and the settlers could be peaceful. The island appeared to be a good all-around choice for a settlement, with live oaks and plenty of other trees with which to build cabins and a variety of wildlife to hunt for food. Raleigh delivered the information to Queen Elizabeth, and she granted him a charter to all the lands that he could claim in the area.
The next year Raleigh sent out a group of 100 men, mostly soldiers and craftsmen, to establish the colony under the guidance of Ralph Lane, a military captain. The group met with poor results from the beginning. One of their ships struck a sandbar and tilted onto its side during their attempt to land. As a result, a good portion of their food and other supplies were lost as they tumbled into the water and sank. In addition, they arrived in late summer and were unable to plant the crops they needed for food. The third and most disastrous occurrence was that instead of making friends with the natives, Lane fought with them and ended up killing their chief over a cup that he believed the natives had stolen. Reports state that the natives retaliated by ransacking the village and setting it on fire. This ended the opportunity of receiving any help from the native tribe. With cold weather approaching, Lane and his men abandoned the area, reportedly leaving a few of the craftsmen behind. As luck or karma would have it, a ship with reinforcements and supplies arrived a week later. Fifteen men from the ship’s crew were ordered to remain behind to secure the area while the captain and the rest of his crew, along with the craftsmen who didn’t leave with Lane, returned to deliver this information to Raleigh in England.
Raleigh responded to the news of Lane’s departure by gathering a party of 117 men, women, and children who were willing to sail from England in order to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. John White was selected to be the new governor of the charter land, which Raleigh had once proclaimed would be called the “citi of Raleigh.” As the group boarded the ship to sail back to the New World, White included
