Pirates: Fact vs. Fiction

Utah State University delves into the world of pirates at its first Saturdays at the Museum activity of the new year. Activities are provided Saturday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum.

Visitors are invited to make their own pirate accessories, including a sword, eye-patch, hat and miniature pirate ship.  Posters detailing history’s most famous pirates, like Blackbeard and Francis Drake, will be on display, as well as a poster on piracy in the modern world. Patrons can also view a video presentation, available throughout the day, which addresses common myths about what life was like as a pirate.

“Pirates have always been an over-romanticized piece of history, especially with the recent ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movies,” said Jessica Swift, a Saturdays program coordinator. “The goal of this Saturday is to show how a pirate’s life really was and how the lives of preindustrial pirates differed from those of modern pirates.”

Community members, as well as Utah State students, can visit the museum during its operating hours, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Funding for the Saturday events is provided by a grant from the United States Institute of Museum and Library Services. More information about the IMLS is available online.

The USU Museum of Anthropology is on the USU campus in the south turret of the historic Old Main building, Room 252. Admission is free. For Saturday activities, free parking is available in the adjacent lot, south of the building.

For more information about this event, call museum staff at (435) 797-7545 or visit the museum website.

The Museum of Anthropology is part of the Anthropology Program at USU in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Related links:

USU Anthropology Program

USU Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology

USU College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Source: Museum of Anthropology

Contact: USU Museum of Anthropology, (435) 797-7545, 797-7545