The land in and surrounding Goose Creek State Park has long provided an abundance of natural resources for the people of the area. The first recorded inhabitants of the area were members of the Secota and the Pamlico, two Eastern Woodlands tribes. They were victims of widespread disease brought to colonial North Carolina by settlers from Europe during the 17th century. Most of the Indians that did not succumb to disease were killed or driven off during the Tuscarora War (1711–1715). Goose Creek and Pamlico Sound also provided shelter for pirates such as Blackbeard and Stede Bonnet.