Pirate lore explored at Smith's Castle

Doug Norris -

The scent of lilacs, the song of sparrows, the lull of rippling water and gentle bay breezes harmonize in the tranquil environs of Cocumscussoc, where Roger Williams and Richard Smith established trading posts around 1637. But in the early days of the Colonies, such serenity rarely lasted, for wherever merchants traded, pirates lurked.

Smith, who bought out Williams in 1651, put up the first grand house in the area, which was quite likely fortified and thus earned the moniker Smith's Castle, the name by which the historic property goes today. By the Golden Age of Piracy, from about 1690 to 1720, residents and neighbors of Smith's Castle would have been well aware of swashbuckling pirates circulating in their midst, whose deeds and reputations for scandal made them notorious celebrities of their day.

On Saturdays through June 4, Smith's Castle is paying homage to southern New England pirate lore with an exhibition titled "PIRATES! Against All Flags." The exhibition is compiled from the collection of Neal Kirk, a pirate historian, founder and commander of the Connecticut-based Free Men of the Sea, a pirate living-history reenactment group, for whom he portrays Capt. William Kidd. Original and reproduction artifacts and ephemera are displayed in three rooms, depicting both the reality and the romance of those Golden Age pirates, who frequented the coves and towns of Connecticut and Rhode Island.

"The pirates that were here at the time were Red Sea pirates, operating out of Madagascar and the Indian Ocean, where the Somali pirates are now," said Kirk. "What the exhibition tries to do is contrast some of the fact and fiction about their lives."

The tour, which is led by one of the Free Men - usually Silverbeard - on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m., consists of three rooms. The Treasure Room includes a treasure chest that serves as a popular stereotype of pirate fancy, along with real booty, including period coins, spices, precious stones, beads, canvas, rope and rum bottles.

Kirk said that Spanish reales (pieces of eight) and later (after the Golden Age) escudos and pesetas often found their way into local currency.

"Many people in Rhode Island and throughout southern New England looked the other way when pirates came to port because they liked the gold and silver they brought in," Kirk said. "They figured, within a week, these guys are going to be gone but their gold and silver will still be here. In some quarters piracy was considered good for the economy, especially in the New England area."

Neil Dunay, president of Cocumscussoc Association, said that glass beads and clay pipes similar to those found in pirate stashes have been discovered on the grounds of Smith's Castle. The beads were commonly traded with the Narragansett Indians. Research also shows that Richard Smith was directly involved in at least one transaction with pirates.

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