BATH — For a few hours Saturday, Bath residents and visitors turned back the hands of time to 1718 and a colorful chapter in the town’s history.

Historic Bath Site hosted its second annual Pirates in the Port event, reliving the visit by Lt. Robert Maynard and his British Royal Navy crew after the pirate Blackbeard was killed in a bloody battle near Ocracoke Island.

That moment in Bath history was brought to life again through the efforts of Historic Bath staff, local volunteers and living history re-enactors from the Devilmen of Cape Feare and the Arch Angel Crew from Virginia.

William H. Hall is president and captain of the New Bern-based Devilmen and he portrayed Maynard for Saturday’s festivities. He has been involved with the re-enactment group since 1986.

“A friend of mine got me into the Civil War unit in North Carolina; they found torpedoes during a dive, so they decided to do a Confederate Navy reenactment,” Hall said.

Hall said the Devilmen have been involved with Civil War events, representing both Union and Confederate troops, as well as reenactment events focusing on the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. With eastern North Carolina’s strong links to pirate history, it seemed natural for the nonprofit group to share the tale of Blackbeard’s demise at the hands of Maynard and his crew.

“We’re proud of our authenticity,” Hall said during a break in Saturday’s event. “There is a Hollywood image of pirates, and that’s something we’re trying to overcome. We want to stick to the facts the best we can, and we’re constantly changing as more information comes out.”

Pirates in the Port kicked off with the arrival of a canoe carrying a messenger with the news of Blackbeard’s death. Maynard and his crew joined the scene shortly after, and captured pirate crew members were marched down Bath’s Main Street to Bonner Point. There they were interrogated as history buffs and other Bath visitors looked on with interest.

The program also included a memorial service honoring Maynard, then a series of living history presentations were offered. Topics included small arms demonstrations, rope work, cooking and “pyrate” funerals.

The afternoon featured lectures by Baylus C. Brooks and Kevin Duffus. Brooks, representing East Carolina University’s maritime studies program, is the author of “Quest for Blackbeard” and his talk focused on his research and theory of who Blackbeard was. Duffus, noted historian and author of “The Last Days of Blackbeard the Pirate,” presented a lecture on the notorious pirate and his crew.

Pirate enthusiasts didn’t go home empty-handed. The young and the young at heart availed themselves of souvenir mugs, hats, eye patches and T-shirts sold by the Historic Bath Commission.

Hall commended the Historic Bath staff for its commitment to sharing local history.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without Leigh Swain,” Hall said, referencing the manager of the state historic site.

But Swain insisted on sharing credit with others.

“I really had a lot of help this year,” Swain said, noting the contributions of the site staff, members of the Historic Bath Commission and other volunteers.

* More photos from Pirates in the Port will be showcased this Sunday in the Pamlico Life feature of the Washington Daily News.