I am super excited for Pirates Weekend this year because I have been selected to play the esteemed role of Kate Johnston.

So like any talented actress, I am here at the Cornwell Brothers Store Museum researching my character.

It's funny how people think that history is boring.

But do we even know what's going on inside these pages?

It's still being written, and it's packed with wild stories and unexpected twists.

Im here to tell you the stories behind the history.

Its complicated.

Messy.

And Often times Bizarre and strange.

You are about to learn that this is not your average history lesson.

I'm Christine Darrow, but you can call me.

Argh, matey.

Okay, so, guys, I really appreciate your help with my research.

I'm really excited because this year I am playing Kate Johnston for Pirates weekend.

So I'd really like t get into character by learning more about Kate Johnsto and her father, Bill Johnston.

So I've done a little bit of preliminary research with this book right here.

And it talks about Kate Johnston and how she was very skillful at evading the Nav when her father was in hiding.

She was actually able to get supplies to him without getting caught and to regularly visit him and help him go to different hiding spots.

So what more can you tell me about Kate Johnston?

She was a very daring woman or young girl when she started out.

And she rowed a boat to the locations where her father was, so she.

I'm imagining she was a strong woman.

She would row the boat.

The boat would have supplies for her father.

And he was not always in the same location.

He was changing locations and she was taking him to different locations all under the cover of darkness.

There wasn' a lot of electricity or anything like that on the island, so it was very dark out, and she must have been a good navigator to know where all the islands were, when she was moving about in the darkness.

So one of the things, Tom that I was really excited about to learn that Im called Christi the history Queen.

Kate, was called the Queen of the Thousand Islands.

How exactly did she earn that name?

I think she earned that through reputation.

She was well known among the thousand Islands for being her father's favorite.

He had four boys, but he had only one daughter and she was very special to him.

And curry favor from her dad.

Who from all accounts, absolutely adored her.

And she was extremely instrumental, as Terry just explained, in helping him elude capture when he was declared, a traitor by both sides, both the British and the Canadian side and the Americans, both sides were out after him, and he was avoiding two governments who were fast in pursuit.

After learning about Kate Johnston, I wanted to visit the rumored hiding spots for Bill Johnston on the St.

Lawrence River.

Only a devil may care pirate would hide ou in an island named Devil's Oven.

The island, with a cave like opening, is located about half a mile from Alexandria Bay.

But I'll let Bill tell you all about it.

So who helped you survive during this time when you were at Devil's Oven?

There was multiple people, but my number one go to was my daughter, Kate Johnston.

She was one that stayed out of the way of the government.

She was a good young lady.

She didn't get in trouble.

Therefore they were not after her.

So she would be the innocent one that would go in and get the goods.

She would bring me the food and the basics that were needed to survive at that time.

There was a stint where I was here for three months, and she had to go back and forth under cover, under the cover of darkness, so that she did not get caught and become a captive of the government.

How did she evade two different governments that were searching for her in order to find her father?

She acted like a lady when she was upon the people.

Everybody enjoyed her.

When she saw officials, she treated them with respect.

She didn't do things that were troublesome.

She was a lady.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

So would you consider yourself more of a folk hero than a villain?

Of course.

Of course.

There's no villain in me.

It was do good for the people.

It was fighting the government.

It was going against every... It was going against what everybody thought was where you had to be.

The government just wanted to keep everybody in line.

We were not going to stay in line.

That's just not who we were.

That's what our heart tells us.

Freedom is what we wanted from the government, and we wanted to give to others and explain to them how they should live their lives, and how they should feel free and not have the government sthumb upon them.

On a quest to learn more about the history of Bil Johnston's Pirate Days weekend, I met up with some of its earliest participants and longtime organizers.

So, Dave, you were one of the original actors in Pirates Weekend.

Well that's true.

I was.

How old were you when you firs started participating in this?

13 or 14 years old.

I see here.

There's actually a photo of you in a magazine.

Was this the first year that you had participated in Pirates Weekend?

I believe so, yes, because I would have been either 13 or 14 then in 1967.

I don't know if this magazine came out the year after.

Okay.

Or during the year of, of the Pirates weekend.

So I see a lot of the same activities that we still do today, like the children's parade.

And it was a fake invasion.

Tell me a little bit about the invasion.

I'm trying to remember back.

All I know is that there was... In those days I was young, so it was a huge pirate ship.

And it came into town, and there were boat that surrounded the pirate ship Old wooden boats.

And they would shoot at the pirate ship.

And the pirate ship back then would shoot his cannons.

And, just reenacted what they believed happened in the 1800s.

So, yeah, it was a lot of fun.

What was your involvement in this?

What did you literally do during Pirates weekend?

Well I walked up and down the street shooting blanks off because there was no regulations.

And then my dad told me to go over to Vans Marine, stand on the roof for the boathouse roof, and shoot all the blanks as the pirate ship came in and just before a dock to put the gun down, fall off the roof, stay under water swim under the boathouse so it looked like I was really dead.

And come up again.

And that's what I did.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

You're the longest running Bill Johnston.

By decades.

I was Bill Johnston for about 40 years.

I was chairman of the event for a little over that (wow) and during that time I was, vice president of the chamber for a couple of years and, developed a couple o other events during those years.

Yeah.

So what got you into Pirates weekend?

Was it Dave Garlock?

It was Dave Garlock.

He wa one of our first friends here.

We actually moved in with him lived with him for some years.

And, around that time, they were talking about bringing pirates back.

Pirates was canceled when it got craz with shooting guns in the bars.

I'm told I wasn't here.

That was in the mid 60s, later on in the 60s, and we brought it back around ‘78, 79.

So there was ten years in there that it was a thing of the past.

And, the stuff of folklore, but, David and, Tom Millet and I and BJ, my wife, we're talking about bringing it back and we got all excited about it because we'd heard about it as kids in Syracuse.

And, it just seemed like an obvious thing, good for business and something to do.

And boats and, you know.

So anyway, yeah, I, I got working on it, PJ got working on it, and David stayed with it for a year and then slipped away and left us holding the bag.

But anyway, we went on for years with, we had a rather large committee here.

We had, oh, I could list the names.

Judy Wade was, from Edgewood.

She was very big in it.

Suzie Keeler was a titan in those days.

And, my wife has more names than that.

I hope you'll interview her here today.

She was the driving force of me and the rest of the event, by the way.

So much treasure.

How long were you on the Pirates weekend planning committee?

Probably 40 or 40 years.

Oh, wow.

Yeah, over 40 years.

So what were some of the biggest change that you saw during the 40 years that you were on the committee?

Well, we have the children's parade around the children's parade the whole time, and the children's parade.

I would tell them, okay, I need this many flags.

Okay.

So, so we'd have, like, 750 flags because, every child got a flag to make sure that I could do a head count that way.

And then it would have grandparents and parents and, when we finally stopped doing Pirates weekend, I had four generations, four generations of families that would be there showing that they were they the grandmothers were part of the 60s once, and that they had had the kid all the way and the grandkids.

It was just it just was amazing.

And so we try to get photo of the families and everything, you know, I mean, to me that's that's what Pirates event is doing that.

And, as far as the changes are, we had no shooting off a building and and things like that.

One of the main things we were control of was that we we instrumented ourselves was that you had to be on my list.

If you weren't on the list for a gun, you couldn't have a gun in town or a live sword because they were going in bars.

Somebody would have a couple drinks, and next thing you know, they're swinging the sword around or shooting their guns off.

And, you know, or blanks are now big, or the more bigger proble we were worried about was people coming in town with that in mind and not be part of the event.

And that was a big deal.

So we had to make sure.

So the police fel that they were more comfortable that we were doing our safety part.

And because we're doing our safety part, they didn't have to worry so much, because if I saw somebod in the street with a live sword, then I would just, you know, say, hey, why don't you put their back in your car?

So, yeah, it was really the safety was a majo issue, but it was so much fun.

I mean, we just walked down the street with a huge, giant crowd of people and just yelling and hooting going down, and, stealing the gold and taking it to the ship.

And it was the Bill Johnston event isn't really, historical, we call it a hysterical event because we made light of the fun, this Is the River, let's have some fun.

A lot of the reenactment groups, what they do is they have to be period.

It has to be this way, that way, this way.

And they can't vary from the costumes.

They have to be correct.

We didn't care.

And we went to the thrift store and we made up whatever they had.

We have some incredible costumes.

And then then it started to b real, really popular, pirates, so you could find costumes.

You could find this.

You could find that.

So the attire change totally compared to what we all originally had.

With the history of Pirates Weekend added to the mix, it was time to pu some of the man, myth and legend further into perspective.

What exactly made Bill Johnston a man beloved on one side of the river and despised on the other?

So at some point he was actually arrested and went to prison.

What was he arrested for?

Treason.

He was arrested for arson.

Arson?

And Sir Robert Peel.

Yes.

But he wasn't treated poorly.

He had nice lodgings in the prison.

I believe his wife would bring him food and he had comfortable, accommodations.

Where was this prison?

Well, he he.

When he was initially arrested, he was taken to a small place in northern New York.

He escaped from there.

He was recaptured.

Ultimately when he was recaptured, he was.

Then he ended up being taken to Albany, New York, and he was in jail in Albany, New York, whereas Terry said he was treated very, very well.

Now you want you're going to play Kate.

You need to know about Kate' involvement with him in Albany, because she petitioned for and was granted the right to go to Albany and live with her father in his jail cell.

And as such, she was able to cook for him, clean for him, and take care of him.

He had a rather comfortable life with his daughter.

How big was this jail cell?

Well, I didn't see it.

I don't have a clue.

I know a little kitchenette and I don't have a clue.

But I will tell you this.

He became so popular among the populace of Albany that he was allowed out on the streets with someon accompanying him from the jail.

But he was allowed to go out and walk around and so forth, and someone had written a play about him.

It was called, “Lake Bravo, Hero of the Lakes.” I believe.

And I think a lot of Tates involvement led to producing this play in Albany at a theater.

And Bill being granted the right to attend his own play that was about him in the company of his daughter and friends.

Now, Tom, was that a fundraiser?

It was a fundraiser.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

It was a fundraiser to get money enough to buy his way out of prison.

Now, this is some Jack Sparrow stuff, right?

So he basically.... So for once, he doesn't escape prison.

He leaves freely.

You know, that's.

No.

When he would leave freely, he was accompanied by someone, when he wasn't totally free.

But in the end... But in the end, he escaped.

He just came home and he wandered the streets and Clayton.

That was then he was a celebrity.

And people loved him.

And he did as he pleased.

No one would turn him in.

No one would arrest him.

And he lived rather freely.

What an unbelievable story.

I mean, it plays just like a movie.

It really does.

And who would think, like here in the North Country, like stories like this exists and it's like, who's going to tell these?

Right.

Right.

I mean, it's really it's like up to the historic site and museums to really make sure.

But I know that Alex Bay, you guys have your own way o making sure the story gets told.

Yes we do.

We celebrate Bill and we celebrate Kate.

And I'm happy to say that we are very happy to have yo be our Kate Johnston this year.

And you will be.

Yes.

You'll be wearing the banner all weeken so everyone will recognize you and you'll be the queen of our activities.

Very cool.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

Thank you for accepting.

Congratulations.

Now with a better understanding of Bill and Kate Johnston and their legacies, it was time to check ou the festivities for the weekend.

The first stop was watching Bill Johnston and his band of mischief makers at Pirate Palooza for an event full of photos, laughs, dancing and shenanigans with the promise of more to come.

Alex Bay, Clayton.

This area up here.

We just want you to continue coming.

We're going to keep evolving.

Each year is going to get bigger and better.

This year, tomorrow we have, tt's not quite an invasion.

We're going to take over boat thats holding aristocrats and were going to steal the boat.

And we will be at the park in Alexandria Bay in front, right next to the hospital.

We'd like to invite you all down there.

Tell your friends, grab the kids because they're going to have a good time.

It's kid friendly until about 6:00 at night.

At that point, there is no holding back, so get ready.

Call your babysitters.

Come to Alex Bay.

Have a great time.

Arrrrrrgh.

And as the clock struck six, By the looks of the upper James Street boat dock, the weekend invasion was well underway.

While many peopl were still roaming the shopping district, a crowd had already started to settle in for a night of musi and dancing at the block party.

The following day, sword fighting skills were tested with a lesson from Dad.

An invasion at the scenic View Park, Pavilion Wharf Ahoy!

Arrrrgh!

And a children's parade.

I then stopped by the Chamber of Commerce to visit a mermaid.

So, Ashley how long have you got a mermaid?

So I have been—you are pretty— —thank you!— a mermaid, probably for the past three years.

We started about three years ago.

So how do you incorporate children's activities into Pirates Weekend?

So we like to offer, childre building their own pirate hats, making them feel like they're a part of Pirates Weekend.

Whether it be mermaids, necklace crowns, pirate hats, pirate ships.

We've got it all.

We promote the history throughout reenactments throughout the weekend.

The Cornwall Museum is very active with Pirates Weekend.

We have a lot of locals that take part in the activities as well.

While I didn't have a parrot, I did meet with Tiff from Zoo New York to learn all about the birds of New York State.

All right, Tiff.

So I am playing Kate Johnston this year, and I want to make sure that I stay authentic to my role.

So I'm not a pirate of the Caribbean.

I am a pirate of the Thousand Islands.

So I wouldn't have carried a parrot.

So what birds that are indigenous to the Thousand Islands region do you have at Zoo New York?

So why do we have pretty easily that you can see almost worldwide, not just in this area, but that is a rock dove, or a pigeon, as we tend to call them.

They're not originally from here, but things like people coming over in ships are actually the reaso that they are in this area now.

So they pretty much are on ships quite often.

Very interesting.

Do you know about how far back it dates pigeons being in New York?

So in New York, I'm not entirely sure, but pigeons have been domesticate by humans over 5000 years ago.

So probably when people first started coming into New York, there was probably pigeons following them.

Right.

And who do you have here?

So this is Marley.

She is indigenous to this area.

She is a red tailed hawk.

Probably wouldn't find them too much on a ship, though.

Having falcons around wouldn't necessarily be too much of a problem.

They do love to eat rats.

So it could be very useful in that way.

And they were a very good hunting companion.

So once they reached shore, we're on land.

They could use them in that sense as well.

Last but not least, the Grand Parade was held the following day with floats... bands and pirates alike making their way through downtown.

After the parade, I made one final stop to pay my respects and honor the legend and his daughter.

A while after his appointment as Rock island's lighthouse keeper ended.

Bill Johnston spent his final months at the Walton House in Clayton, New York, under the care of his son, Stephen Decatur Johnston, its proprietor.

He passed away on February 17th, 1870, at the age of 88, and was burie at the Clayton Village Cemetery.

Well, I think it's really important to recognize that Bill had a huge wha we would call a fan club today.

He was loved.

And as Teri had pointed out, previously, he was kind of like a Robin Hood.

And as such, people loved him and looked up to him so what do you think Pirate Weekend does for the community?

Well, I think that it brings commerce into to the village.

I think young kids really enjoy it.

And I know that my grandchildren are very excited about it.

You know, they're excited to see the pirates and, you know, the ship come in and, sword fighting and all that kind of stuff.

So the kids love it.

So why do you think that Pirates Weekend has endured?

What has it been now, 50, 60 years now?

Well, I think that it's just in your mind, like, hey, let's be a Johnny Depp.

Let's go out there, let's have some fun.

And then it gets to be youre play acting without having any responsibility.

You know, you don't have to know your lines.

You don't have to do anything particular.

You just have to follow a little script.

But just having fun and laughter, I mean, people were having the best time ever.

You know, I'm going to talk as Tad.

I was born and raised right here in Alexandria Bay.

As a child, there wer many people that came here and and we we kept this tradition going, and I watched them.

And we're going to have a lot of children and Alex Bay this weekend.

And we want to bring back that same memory that I had as a child.

And we want them to someday say, hey, I want to be Bill Johnston.

I want them to say, hey, I want to be a pirate.

I want to join in.

I want to voluntee because everybody that is here for Pirates days, we are all volunteers.

We're trying to keep this legend alive.

It's not a myth.

It's a legend.

It happened.

And you can read the history books.

We want Alex Bay to keep this history going as long as we can.

And by touching these young children's hearts in Alexandria Bay, that's how we're going to do it, because they're going to want to come back and be a part of it as well.

And God bless.

Thank you for being here.

All you tourists from all over the state, thank you for coming here for this and all of our other occasions in Alex Bay.

Please never stop coming.

Always come up and be a pirate.

There's a pirate in every single one of ya.

I don't care if it's bikers weekend.

I don't care what weekend it is.

There's a pirate in you.

Keep it up.

Is there anything that you wanted to add?

Arrrrghh!

Thanks for joining u during this three day long party celebrating Alexandria Bay's maritime history.

Till the next invasion on your host, Christine Darrow.