Yorktown in York County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Pirates in Yorktown?
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 20, 2013
1. Pirates in Yorktown? Marker
Pirates plundered ships along the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean routes from the earliest days of New World settlement. William Berkeley, governor of the Virginia colony in 1660, wrote that the “Seas are soe full of Pyrates that it is almost impossible for any Ships to goe home [to England] in safety.”
Privateers were private owners of vessels authorized by their government to attack enemy ships. During the 1600s, European powers were continually at war and privateers were used as an inexpensive means to avoid the costs of creating and maintaining a navy. After the 1713 Peace of Utrecht, many unemployed sailors turned to unlawful piracy, attacking and seizing ships regardless of their nationality.
The early part of the eighteenth century has been called the “Golden Age of Piracy” since pirates were a real threat to commerce and merchants’ cargoes traveling in the Atlantic. Ships entering and leaving the busy port of York at this time had to constantly be alert for pirates on the high seas.
[Caption:]
Pernel Taylor portrays a member of Blackbeard’s Crew. Photo courtesy of York County.
Erected 2010 by
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1660.
Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 37° 14.134′ N, 76° 30.317′ W. Marker was in Yorktown, Virginia, in York County. It could be reached from Water Street west of Comte de Grasse Street, on the right when traveling west. Located along Yorktown's Riverwalk. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Yorktown VA 23690, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was on Virginia’s Peninsula, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It was also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 20, 2013
2. Yorktown's Riverwalk
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: An Archer House (within shouting distance of this marker); Remembering Ancestors (within shouting distance of this marker); Yorktown’s Waterfront (within shouting distance of this marker); York Under Siege 1781 (within shouting distance of this marker); York “Under The Hill” (within shouting distance of this marker); Yorktown Waterfront (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Great Fire of 1814 (about 300 feet away); Tobacco Inspection (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Yorktown.
Other markers no longer nearby. Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater (was here, next to this marker but has been confirmed missing); The Brig Betsy (was about 300 feet away but has been confirmed missing); Yorktown's Sunken Fleet (was about 300 feet away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 989 times since then and 46 times this year. Last updated on February 15, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 21, 2013, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
