Finally, in the wake of the treasure hunters' appeal, the FBI said it had located 2,400 pages of records and 17 video files that it could potentially turn over - but that it would take years to do so. He is said to have stored the gold and silver coins that he got from the Ferry goers in wine casks. Puckett claimed that when Miss Gertrude decided that the remainder of the Confederate gold should be returned to the people to whom it belonged, her personal lawyer, Judge J.P. Highsmith, suggested that an educational trust be established for the descendants of the Confederate soldiers. The treasurer of the Confederacy was on board and made numerous and well-documented disbursements along the way to meet military payrolls. Unfortunately, Parker found the U.S. cavalry already in the immediate area and made alternate arrangements. The balance of the captured treasure was assembled and loaded into wagons for transport to Washington, D.C. There were , also, over 2000 Tallassee Carbines hidden and never recovered. Captain Kelly's Buried Gold. Hansen then used the horses to trample the boxes deeper into the mud. . 11 Treasures That Are Still Hiding In Kentucky - OnlyInYourState Eventually the responsibility for the treasure was passed on to the Secretary of War, John C. Breckenridge, who then placed Brig. In 1720 there was a trapper that came to the Chickasaw village. Still lost: King Kamehameha's burial chamber. The belief that Confederate gold is buried in Wilkes County has persisted since the end of the war. Visit here for more information on State laws regarding relic hunting, treasure hunting, and artifacts. Hes written for TV shows such as "The Tonight Show", "Politically Incorrect" and an award-winning childrens program. One night two braves took the trapper, tied his hands and feet, and blindfolded him. There are stories that the Islanders tell of buried pots, jars, and treasure chests full of gold and silver. There seems to have been a great deal of attention placed on finding the "Lost Confederate Treasure" which has spanned the last 154 years since the capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis on 10 May 1865 at Irwinville, Ga., which brought the Civil War to a close. She questioned whether the agency is "acting in good faith.". Apparently in 1865, $100,000 of gold and silver was put into two large metal boxes by Confederate troops, and then thrown into the swamp. pistelero, everyone knows that confedereate gold was made and distributed throughout the south, and some stories about hidden treasure are real. Nunez being a former pirate had plenty of money stored up so he was able to save most of the money earned from the ferry. Sharps had a nephew named Grady Sharps who witnessed his uncle go into his 100 acres of forest that he owned south of Whites Mill. After some minor resistance from roving Confederate bands, on April 11, 1862, his Union troops marched into Huntsville and occupied the city. I would think that they would have USED the gold before burying it. The contractor detected an underground mass that weighed up to nine tons and had the density of gold, according to an FBI affidavit unsealed last year at the request of news organizations, including The Associated Press. This video is two stories passed down over the decades . you might wanna check this one out. Louinas gold and silver could still be buried under the ground in that old ghost town! Winter was approaching so De Soto and his men set up camp until spring. 5. Near Athens there may be a Confederate treasure. The Sound and the Fury: William Faulkners Great-Grandfather. Lost gold of the Confederacy continues to inspire legends In this Sept. 20, 2018 photo, Dennis Parada, right, and his son Kem Parada stand at the site of the FBI's dig for Civil War-era gold in Dents Run, Pennsylvania. The daughter didnt want anything to do with the braces that her father presented to her but she had an infatuation with the white trapper who recently came around. 13 Lost Treasures of Oklahoma (Buried Riches Await) According to local lore, the gold was lost or stolen during the1863 Battle of Gettysburg. This story takes place around Florence, Alabama. The lost confederate payroll and The fabled lost confederate treasury. Levi Colbert who lived from 1759 to1834 was the bench chief of the Chickasaw Nation. Henry knew he could make a fortune with his ferry because the Perdido River was a popular crossing spot for people going from Alabama to Florida and vice versa. La Bellone was a French merchant ship that was in the area of Dauphin Island to pick up merchandise from the French Colonials in Louisiana. The area itself was founded followers of Napoleon Bonaparte who . So do your due diligence before going on your treasure-hunting expeditions. As the men transporting the money neared Athens, Alabama, the wagon became stuck in a muddy "bog hole." In the movie, the characters are hunting for . Continue with Recommended Cookies. but where did the money come from? The Army sent Pinkerton detectives disguised as prospectors and lumbermen to clandestinely look for the gold, but they obviously never found it. In April 1953, he and his three brothers were the first children from Brantley County to derive benefit from the Mumford funds at the Thornwell Orphanage in Clinton, South Carolina, after their father died from a heart attack in 1951 at age 47. Curse of Civil War Gold Season 3: Release Date, Cast, Renewed or Canceled The Paradas accompanied the FBI to the site in Dent's Run, about 135 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, but say they were confined to their car while the FBI excavated. I live n the the ala state line and have pulse and gpr if anyone is interested in searching, Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. The gold and silver coins are said to be buried east of his old homestead. Henry refused and was subsequently strung up to a tree and whipped. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. So I can't totally discount the story. In fact, when she died in 1946 at age 99 in Washington, D.C., she bequeathed almost $600,000 to the children of Brantley County through an endowment and two scholarship funds. The Hero of Gettysburg Surveyed the Great Lakes. The plantations were called Vale Royal and Springfield. Confederate Soldiers Buried Gold: Gold Coins The "Lost Confederate Gold"; myth or reality??? - American Civil War Forums So Davis took with him the entirety of the Confederate Treasury, a The wreck of an unidentified wooden ship that was initially uncovered by Hurricane Camille in 1969 can be found about 6 miles from Fort Morgan along Alabama's Gulf . Did the FBI Steal Nine Tons of Civil War Gold? - The Atlantic While sitting at the store Morris Slater was gunned down by Constable Leonard McGowin and some other posse members. Visit here for more information on State laws regarding relic hunting, treasure hunting, and artifacts. Dictionary of Banking Terms.). That was some years ago but since then the guy has found out from several old timers that the story they heard about this boat was that it was a grain or cotton barge that began taking on water and was beached. I hope you have found this article of interest and if you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Unfortunately for them, their booty leaked and made it easy for a posse to follow. Here are a few of the gems and buried treasure in Virginia that we managed to dig up. Lost Copper Box of Gold Coins: $80,000 in gold coins: Somewhere in the Kiamichi Mountains: Confederate Treasure Near The Ghost Town of Scullyville: Unknown: Scullyville is located about twelve miles south of Fort Smith on the Arkansas River. The legend of James Copeland, along with his treasure, is largely drawn from the somewhat questionable account of Sheriff J.R.S. They are the rarest of any Civil War weapons. Buried Train Robbery Loot: $30,000: On a farm in the Osage Hills close to the small town of Okesa, Ok. In late May 1861, Jefferson Davis, the former Mississippi Senator and the reluctant president of the seceding Confederate States of America, moved the capital of the CSA from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia to boost the morale of the Confederate troops and weld Virginia to the Confederacy. A battle took place on one of his plantations in central Alabama in October 1779 and the plantation was destroyed. Camp Beauregard once stood just southwest of Mayfield. And Confederate gold did go missing. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. They were active in Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and Alabama. If you are ever in Muscle Shoals, Alabama along the Tennessee river you might want to take a look around for limestone caves although the Red Bone cave is more than likely underwater now and you will need to bring your scuba gear and do some underwater metal detecting. As heir to the Mumford estate, Miss Gertrude allegedly made provisions to return the balance of the Confederate treasure to Southern hands after her death. In his early years, he was a sailor with the pirate Jean Lafitte. Rumor has it that with Lafitte spending so much time at Fort Morgan he could have buried a worth of $10,000,000 there. Do the Finders Keepers have a right to it, even though they didnt do the final digging? Through a critical analysis of primary and secondary sources, including the research of historian Peter S. Svenson, this paper argues that the city's development was aided [] Another account maintains Jefferson Davis entrusted the entire Confederate treasury into the care of Sylvester Mumford. Keel Mountain is located in Madison County in Alabama not in Belleview, Tenn. The troops were trying to keep the gold and silver away from Union soldiers. Finders Keepers asked the Justice Department for expedited processing, which can be granted in cases where there is widespread media interest involving questions about the government's integrity. His nephew Grady tried to find the gold caches that his uncle had presumably buried in the woods. Henrys wife gave in and told the soldiers where one of the wine casks was buried. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Civil War shipwrecks in Alabama were concentrated mostly in and around Mobile Bay. Knowing that he was wealthy and owned half of the town the legend has it that the gold could be buried anywhere in Fort Payne. So with no luck finding the treasure he packed up and moved to California. Other Confederate gold, remains of the treasury evacuated from Richmond, did ultimately reach Georgia. His wife sold the ferry and went to live with relatives in Georgia. A big oak tree stands where his house was. First published on January 6, 2022 / 11:11 AM. Henry refused to tell the soldiers where the treasure was and was beaten again. Sharps Buried Treasure: Sacks of gold coins: Near Florence, Alabama south of White's mill: The McGillivray Plantation Treasure: Finders Keepers filed a federal lawsuit against the Justice Department over its failure to produce documents on the FBI's search for the legendary gold, which took place nearly four years ago at a remote woodland site in northwestern Pennsylvania. Is There A Boatload Of Civil War Gold Waiting To Be Found? Reel - MTV The Outlaw PresidentJefferson Davis was an unlikely traitor to the United States. More Controversy on the Roswell Affair: An Alien Accident? Probably. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. So many of them buried their gold and silver for safekeeping. This Metal Detector Has all the top features you would expect in a quality metal detector. Most if not all of them take place well into the war, and by then the confederate had serious cash flow issues. By Hans KuenziThe Cleveland Civil War RoundtableCopyright 2008, All Rights Reserved, In late May 1861, Jefferson Davis, the former Mississippi Senator and the reluctant president of the seceding Confederate States of America, moved the capital of the CSA from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond, Virginia to boost the morale of the Confederate troops and weld Virginia to the Confederacy. However, this wagon train was robbed on the first night that it stopped to make camp, and the robbers improvised ways to carry the loot: stuffed in their shirts, pants, boots and whatever else would hold their plunder. Legend of Lost Gold of Keel Mountain National Treasure Hunters Gurley What Confederate Money (paper notes) that they had was burned at Washington, Ga. in the middle of town by Brig. 15 Hidden Treasures Rumored to Be Somewhere in the United States Lewis concluded that the Brantley County Confederate gold legend was probably fabricated from a combination of the legend told in Snow White Sands and the actual gold shipments after the war. Anyone ever hear of these lost Confederate Gold caches in Alabama Metal Detecting in Alabama - Coin & Treasure Hunting The folk ballad by Lonnie Donegan was named after him. Both were published by The Surrat Courier, a . Many attempts at recovering her gold and silver cache have come up empty. He also contracted pneumonia and had an infection that contributed to his death. . However, their work created great doubt that any lost Confederate gold ever existed in the first place. Maybe you could be the one who prospers from finding one of these lost treasure gems in Alabama! The location was described (by him) as being in northern Alabama, between the towns of Bellview and Booneville, at or near Keel Mountain. Lewis graduated from Thornwell High School in 1958 and then from Clemson University in 1962 before serving on active duty in Germany and Vietnam with the U.S. Army. It was then settled by wealthy plantation owners and then vacated around 1860. buried treasures may be here. He went to Fort Rosalie and told a friend about the treasure. Many soldiers were said to have buried their money around the base in holes they called money pokes. It was an E-mail he sent to someone and it found it's way to being an article on several sites. Did Jesse James bury Confederate gold? These treasure hunters think so Lost Confederate Gold - J. Mark Powell The Rebel and the Rose Semple, G Tyler Lost Confederate Gold Millet Others suggest he buried it underneath his home or by the cotton gin. Dreams of Confederate gold in Danville - Richmond Times-Dispatch After a rest stop in St. Marys PA, they headed towards Driftwood. These were enormous-sized boxes measuring from 3 deep x 2 wide x 4 long. Moving to the southwest, Parker and the wagons zigzagged across the South Carolina-Georgia state line several times to evade capture. In 1975, amateur fortune hunters, now called Finders Keepers USA, claim they heard about the gold from a mysterious stranger and began looking, using a map he drew for them. Sharps bought a mill there called Whites Mill in 1897. Her book alleged that New York native and Confederate sympathizer Sylvester Mumford was present at the Confederacys final cabinet meeting in Washington, Georgia, and claimed that Jefferson Davis divided the gold among those present and instructed them to use the money as they felt best. He's been published in The New York Times" and "Huffington Post and has co-authored numerous collections of trivia, puzzles and humor. It also carried bullion, donated jewelry, and 7Isaac W. Avery, The History of the State of Georgia From 1850 to 1881 (NewYork . A man by the name of C.E. 6) Lost Delosie Mine. Plus, as others have pointed out, gold weighs alot. More information on where and how to research for lost treasures. After exhaustive research, Lewis concluded that gold from the Richmond banks and the Confederate treasury had in fact been evacuated from Richmond and shipped south to prevent it from falling into the hands of Union forces. It was abandoned . AFFILIATE DISCLOSUREI am an affiliate marketer. Lt. General Richard Taylor would surrender the Department of Alabama . But is a hidden fortune really waiting to be found? Here are 11 hidden treasures most people don't know about: 11. The chief said that he could have all the treasure if he would marry his daughter. The church petitioned the court to expand the scope of the scholarships by including residents of counties which immediately surrounded Brantley and by defining an orphan as a child who had lost at least one parent. Egill Skallagrmsson 's silver. The funds were then stored there in a vault at a local bank, and within days after the war ended, the Richmond banks had their funds returned to Richmond on five wagons. Subscribe Today! The Treasures of our past that still have yet to be found. Some of the most valuable placers in Alabama are found in Cleburne County. I would keep a close I on the eastern shore of Dauphin Island. By the time that the trea-sure train under Confederate naval captain William Harwar Parker gold and silver coins. Manage Settings After some minor resistance from roving Confederate bands, on April 11, 1862, his Union troops marched into Huntsville and occupied the city. So if youre in Randolph County Alabama look up that old ghost town that was once called Louina. buried near what used to be his house on the Alabama side of the river. There are a few instances of the plantation ruins that still remain to this day including the spring where the cotton gin was. In the Civil War-era movie, Gone With the Wind (1939), Rhett Butler, played by Clark Gable, is rumored to have stolen the treasure. This small island holds many lost treasure stories. De Soto demanded that the Chicksaw Chief who had a camp nearby furnish him with squaws for his trip into Mississippi. They filled two wooden boxes full. He allowed both sides to use the ferry free of charge in hopes that he would be allowed to continue his ferry operations. The Lost Confederate Gold of Jefferson Davis, the Outlaw President The story of this lost treasure dates back to 1540 when the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto was in this part of the New World. I am sure some of your readers are from that area and are familiar with the Prattville, Montgomery area and of course, the Alabama River. Explore Alabama - ALABAMA TREASURE LEGENDS Table of Contents: Alabama Treasure Legends, Legend of the Lost Confederate Gold, Old Flint River Settlement Gold, $30000 in Gold Coin Buried in Bridgeport Alabama, Loot Buried by Levi Colbert in Buzzard Roost Alabama , Rumors of Buried Treasure in Demopolis Alabama (White Bluff), C. Boaz Whitfield . Three children and two men drowned but the rest of the passengers were saved by a brigantine sailboat that was nearby. Since the gold standard was abolished in the 1930s, gold coins, aside from their higher intrinsic value and demand as collectibles, no longer have any special worth as a standard of value in world trade. A message was sent to the Justice Department seeking comment on the suit, which asks a judge to order the FBI to immediately turn over the records. John Willismith was a rich businessman who lived in Fort Payne, Alabama. The Chief agreed but he had other intentions as well. your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable. The first was given to the Presbyterian Church, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, in trust for the maintenance and education of white orphan girls of Brantley County. Lachlan McGillivray was a wealthy fur trader back in the mid to late 1700s. Until next time Happy Treasure Hunting! Confederate Gold - New Georgia Encyclopedia. #26. Many names and records have been lost to time. $13,000 in gold. According to local lore, the gold was lost or stolen during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Buried treasure in Alabama may be located in ghost towns. He practically owned half of the town of Fort Payne. (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({google_ad_client:"ca-pub-0945725028962484",enable_page_level_ads:true});