A Pirate Museum? How Cool Would That Be?

by Buzz Brockway on October 20, 2009

This announcement by businessman Richard Lea has me excited. Who could be against a Pirate Museum? This article is a bit skeptical but hey that’s the job of a journalist. Some of her commenters are negative but I say phooey on them. Bravo Mr. Lea! Build your Pirate Museum!

{ 25 comments }

drjay October 20, 2009 at 9:36 am

aaarrrgh!!!

Daniel N. Adams October 20, 2009 at 2:07 pm

Arrrrgh, only if it’s not a Private Pirate Museum, supported by admission price and/or voluntary donations from local businesses and individuals.

I hope they do do it without plundering the taxpayers. I’d like to go… and I know my kids would as well.

AubieTurtle October 20, 2009 at 9:52 pm

It is located in the Westside TAD so in theory he could ask for TAD funds. TAD money is already going to be spent to upgrade the streetscape in front of that property (and the rest of the street) regardless of if the museum is built or the building sits vacant, I don’t know if more could be diverted to the building improvements needed. Last I heard the Westside TAD’s money was mostly already commited to projects.

Dash Riptide October 20, 2009 at 9:36 am

There’s a better way than the “museum” route:

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/freshloaf/2009/10/16/pirate-museum-on-horizon-sez-ajc/#comment-109784

Personally I’d rather see a ninja supply store with an underlying educational purpose. Of course it would probably get robbed blind. Ninja shoplifters are tough to control.

ByteMe October 20, 2009 at 9:42 am

Tangentially related, this was on DC Craigslist last week:

Wanted to hire: Ninja Nemesis (DC)
Date: 2009-10-13, 8:57AM EDT
Reply to: gigs-6hpe2-1419164627@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Aspiring ninjitsu adherent seeks evil counterpart for late-night, cross-city karate battles. Must be able to catch arrows, run on water, and do at least one type of slow-motion-style-in-the-air-kick things. This would, ideally, be mutually beneficial as we both hone our skills. Needless to say, however, any ninja nemesis must be willing to at least entertain the idea of seppuku rather than face capture.

Pirates need not apply.

* Location: DC
* it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
* Compensation: an honorable death in battle

PostingID: 1419164627

Icarus October 20, 2009 at 9:39 am

If we were going to start a hall of fame for sock puppets, would Pirate really get top billing?

Dash Riptide October 20, 2009 at 9:43 am

[Insert tired Kanye "greatest sock puppet" joke here.]

Kellie October 20, 2009 at 9:46 am

“The attraction, called “Pirate World,” would include exhibits, trunks full of treasure and a recreated ship deck, complete with cannons and a steering wheel that visitors can turn to navigate the vessel through a virtual storm.”

But will it have rides and cannons we can fire?

LoyaltyIsMyHonor October 20, 2009 at 9:53 am

Well, I can’t speak on the ride part. I think you would need a wooden ship license to navigate and pilot a Pirate ship. But I’m 99% sure that prohibiting us from firing a live cannon would be a violation of our 2nd amendment rights.

Sleepy Tom October 20, 2009 at 10:29 pm

If it gets a wooden ship license, maybe Robb Pitts will try to get a casino approved for the ship.

griftdrift October 20, 2009 at 9:51 am

The Water War entered its naval phase when the guns of the Greater Atlanta Privateer Fleet began bombarding the shoreline of Alabama. ~History of The Great Southern Water War

Nathan October 20, 2009 at 10:24 am

This seems like it would have been more appropriate on International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

nast October 20, 2009 at 1:10 pm

Eh – I’ll get excited once they revise it to say that the Pirate Museum will be built as part of a large, fully operative casino complex. Otherwise, me be unimpressed. Arr.

drjay October 20, 2009 at 1:33 pm

but if they end up having casino’s everywhere–it will take some of the exoticness of a trip to vegas or a weekend roadtrip to the mississippi coast

griftdrift October 20, 2009 at 1:47 pm

Or exotic Tunica!

GOPGeorgia October 20, 2009 at 3:28 pm

Could we put it on the Tennessee River?

Capt. Jack Sparrow October 20, 2009 at 3:59 pm

But why is the rum gone????

Romegaguy October 20, 2009 at 7:57 pm

Atlanta is famous for the Pirates of the early 1800’s that sailed the Chattahoochie….

Stupid idea.

American Delight October 20, 2009 at 9:04 pm

“Stupid idea.” That sums it up!

We’re still missing some museums about Georgia’s own history (ie, there’s no museum about the Cherokees or Creek Indians in Georgia), so why not start there before showcasing Caribbean history?

AubieTurtle October 20, 2009 at 9:48 pm

When are you going to fund such a museum?

Mr. Lea is a collector of pirate artifacts. He could continue to keep them stored away at home where he and his guest are the only ones who can enjoy them or he can spend his own money to build a museum around those artifacts. Doesn’t seem stupid to me. Or should he be forced to sell off his collection to someone on the coast and use the money to fund a museum populated with items that meet the approval of the dissenters here?

Seriously, lighten up. This guy is sharing and it is rude to turn around and spit at him for his effort.

Goldwater Conservative October 21, 2009 at 7:33 am

They need to change the name. Pirate World is unimaginitive and would probably keep me away…although I do think that the idea is a good one.

Is there really enough of a collection to create an entire museum though? This sounds like they will be making up crap just to put in the facility to fill up space.

They could always turn to the American pirates of the 20th and 21st century. Bernie Madoff, R. Allen Stanford, the guy who founded Napster, Dick Cheney, Katherine Harris…

That would fill a museum to the brim.

shrike071 October 21, 2009 at 1:33 pm

And what happens when the whole pirate-fad goes belly-up in a few years?

Dash Riptide October 21, 2009 at 2:02 pm

That’s the genius of the 826 Valencia pirate-store-with-a-purpose concept. It has been going strong since 2002.

http://www.826valencia.org/about/

macho October 21, 2009 at 2:20 pm

The world needs more pirate museums.

South Fulton Guy October 21, 2009 at 8:39 pm

Pirates are terrorists, so wouldn’t this be a Terrorist Museum?

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