Why is Denmark Tanny important in Outer Banks?Īll (gold-paved) roads lead back to Denmark Tanny.

In 2014, a monument was dedicated to Denmark Vesey in a Charleston park.

However, his plan was leaked to authorities and he was arrested and executed. In 1822, Vesey and his followers planned a major revolt to kill slaveholders and free their slaves in Charleston, then sail to Haiti. Much like the character Denmark Tanny does, Vesey also attempted to buy the freedom of his family, but his bid was rejected.Īs a well-respected figure in his community, Vesey used his influence to speak out against slavery - this included playing an active role at an African Methodist Episcopal church and using it as a meeting place for other formerly enslaved men that he had liberated. He used that money to buy his own freedom and start a successful carpentry business in Charleston. Sold to South Carolina slave trader Captain Joseph Vesey, Denmark Vesey won a $1,500 lottery in 1799 when he was 32 years old. While Denmark Tanny is a fictional character in Outer Banks, his story is inspired by that of Denmark Vesey, an activist and community leader who lived in Charleston, South Carolina. Here’s how Denmark Tanny holds the key to the biggest mysteries of Outer Banks - and how he’ll take the Pogues on their biggest quest yet in Season 3.

Although Outer Banks is all about hidden treasure, the core of the show revolves around this character’s legacy. “He showed up out of nowhere and paid for all the land around here in gold.”īut as the story unwinds, we learn that Denmark Tanny is much more than just a painting and the namesake of this lavish Figure 8 estate. “He’s kind of a mystery,” she tells John B. We know what you’re thinking and John B (Chase Stokes) thinks it and asks it too in Season 1, Episode 4: “How did a slave found a cotton plantation?” Luckily Sarah ( Madelyn Cline) has some context for him. Why is there a portrait of this man in Ward’s workspace? Because the formerly enslaved Denmark Tanny was the founder of Tannyhill. The first time we see or hear of the enigmatic Denmark Tanny is via an old portrait hanging in Ward Cameron (Charles Esten)’s office in Tannyhill Plantation, where the Cameron family lives. Catching up on Seasons 1 and 2 of Outer Banks? Need a quick rundown on Denmark Tanny and how he relates to the show’s plot? We thought so - let’s get into it…

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