About the researchers
Dr. Ashley Oliphant and Beth Yarbrough never intended to become pirate hunters, but when presented with startling new evidence regarding the true fate of the infamous Gulf Coast pirate, Jean Laffite, this mother-daughter team accepted the challenge. After a two year chase for the truth that caused them to briefly consider naming the resulting book Two Blondes And A Buccaneer, they instead settled on the eventual title, Jean Laffite Revealed: Unraveling One of America's Longest Running Mysteries.
Oliphant, a retired English professor and Hemingway Scholar, has authored five books and is a nationally recognized shell hunter and shark-tooth expert. Yarbrough, a seasoned and successful veteran designer in the gift and home decor industry, is also a writer and photographer whose popular online brand, Southern Voice, focuses on celebrating life in the Southern United States.
Laffite's End
Lincolnton, North Carolina is one of the last places that would come to mind when considering the eventual fate of a famous pirate, but the author's first book provides a mountain of research that makes the case. Pictured is Pleasant Retreat Academy, an 1817 structure whose walls bear much of the history of Laffite's final years. The upper floor of the building served as the Masonic Lodge during Laffite's day, and, as a founding member of that lodge, a great deal of his story unfolded within these walls. He died in 1875 and is buried two blocks away at St. Luke's Episcopal Church under the name Lorenzo Ferrer.
Join The Hunt
As long as this story keeps knocking on our door, we will answer. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jeanlaffiterevealed for updates on research, events, and new publications. And be sure to visit our shop to purchase books and other pirate-themed loot.