muddywaterpirates

The infamous High Rock Lake Pirate has been spotted in most areas of the lake, including
Goat Island, Pebble Beach, Buddle Creek Beach, the old campground at Bigfoot’s off of
Highway 8, the Miller’s Cove campground, and in the Tamarac Marina area to name a few
places. Let us know if you’ve spotted Knok Knok, the infamous High Rock Lake pirate!

High Rock Lake has an enormous history, starting with a gold rush back in the late 1800's that
led to the creation of the lake in 1927. There have also been many mysteries throughout the
past century at the lake. The mysterious Goat Island where many boaters, fishermen, and
campers have reported seeing goat tracks from a goat that was reportedly stranded on the
island, the unexplainable Fog at Flat Swamp that have caused many
frightening mornings for fishermen that dared fish that part of the lake, and the 150 pound
catfish, “Felix,” that has had more than 200 sightings; but no legends older than the peculiar
pirate that lurks the lake day and night.

Back in the late 1800’s, the infamous Pee Dee Pirates came up the river on their ship, the Rock
Crusher, due to the gold rush in the river area, to rob and steal from the local prospectors. They
pillaged and plundered large amounts of gold and bootlegged some of the best rum outside of
the Caribbean islands. There are many accounts regarding Captain Shepp, who led a band of
pirates into the Abbott’s Creek area and made that their stronghold. Shepp's crew also raided
the ferry boats that took passengers across the lake on the Bringle and Long Ferries. Many of
his deckhands later left and set up small areas around the lake. The most famous were a young
Quartermaster named Scott and an old deck swab called Dutch. Both of them were vicious cut
throats andset up their own ports on the lake, but the only one with no history of his death, and
seemingly never left the lake, was a Jim Lad named Knok Knok.

He was first spotted back in the 1930’s and many people thought he was thought a homeless
World War One veteran, but after reports of signtings every decade since, there is a lot of
mystery surrounding the pirate. He is not known to be malicious, as there have never been any
reports of any damages, attacks, or aggression. He wasn't the bravest deckhand on the Rock
Crusher. He nearly fought the Pee Dee River Bandits in the stand at Dutch Creek, he had nearly
stood up to the vicious rabbit at the Isle of Palms, and once wet his pants while leading the
retreat when the Tamarac Indians overwhelmed his group in the famous Battle at Tamarac.

Many believe him to be a lost spirit in search of something. Possibly rum. Is he even real?
Have you seen him? Let us know!

Use the High Rock Lake Pirate facebook page to get sighting information. Post your own
sightings and photos, or just see who else has spotted him.