Pirate Soul Museum
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The Pirate Soul Museum is located at 524 Front Street, Key West, Florida, United States. It houses 48 individual exhibit areas and states it contains the largest and most authentic collection of pirate artifacts ever displayed under one roof. Among its exhibits are Blackbeard's original blunderbuss, pieces of gold retrieved from his warship the Queen Anne's Revenge, one of only two remaining authentic Jolly Roger flags in the world, and Thomas Tew's original treasure chest (the only known authentic pirate treasure chest in the world).
The museum was started by famous entrepreneur Pat Croce.
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Pirate Soul Museum is a unique collection of authentic pirate artifacts coupled with elements of interactive technology revealing a historic adventure through the Golden Age of Piracy and the lives of the era's most infamous pirates. With the "please touch" and audio-animatronics of a theme park coupled with the provenance of a museum, guests undertake an awesome pirate journey — both above and below deck — filled with compelling lore, surprising fact and an abundance of sensory perceptions.
Among almost 500 museum-quality artifacts, threaded through the storyline will be the original journal of Captain Kidd's last voyage, the only authentic pirate treasure chest in America originally belonging to Captain Thomas Tew and Blackbeard's original blunderbuss. In addition, many pirate artifacts will be on display from the North Carolina Maritime Museum and Delaware Art Museum.
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Unless you've been scouring the seas for pillage and plunder for the past 20 years, chances are you've heard something about Pat Croce. You may know him as a physical therapist, entrepreneur, former president of the Philadelphia 76ers, motivational speaker, writer, Olympic commentator or national TV star. But what you may not know is that Pat loves pirates.
It's not clear where the fascination started, but locked away in Pat Croce's vault is a relic that offers some clues. Among his most important personal documents sits a ruler he has kept since grade school. Right on the face is an ink-carved skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger—the key symbol of his life long passion.
After Pat got a little older, he rediscovered his love of pirate history after viewing the 1935 epic Captain Blood, in which Errol Flynn, enslaved by the British for saving the life of a traitor, escapes and avenges his capture by becoming a fierce Caribbean pirate.
Later in life, Pat succeeded by using the same drive in his career, which has included such feats as starting the first hospital-based sports medicine center in the country, building his own physical injury rehabilitation empire with 40 centers in 11 states, and taking over the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team as part owner and president on a thrilling journey from worst to first (1996-2001).
But even with business booming and life demanding, Pat's fascination with pirate history never ceased. At an auction house, he discovered a first edition English-language copy of Alexander Exquemelin's book The Buccaneers of America. Remembering the passion he felt for pirate history as a kid, he placed the winning bid—turning it into the cornerstone of what was to become one of the largest collections of pirate artifacts in the world.
After purchasing a vacation home in Key West, Florida, he decided to share his love of pirate history and his ever-growing collection of artifacts with everyone, on a real Caribbean island situated at the southernmost point of the continental United States.
Now you can visit Pirate Soul: an educational, exciting, and timber-shivering museum experience that transports you and your family back in time over 300 years to Port Royal, Jamaica, at the height of the Golden Age of Piracy.
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