The townspeople decided to defend Newton but were worried that if they got defeated that the towns treasury would be looted. Eventually the responsibility for the treasure was passed on to the Secretary of War, John C. Breckenridge, who then placed Brig. circa 960. So they filled a strongbox full of gold coins that the town had stored up as the treasury. Henrys wife gave in and told the soldiers where one of the wine casks was buried. Most of the tales revolve around the . CSS Texas was the third and last Columbia-class (or Tennessee-class according to some sources) casemate ironclad built for the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War.Not begun until 1864 and intended to become part of the James River Squadron, she saw no action before being captured by Union forces while still fitting out.CSS Texas was reputed to have been one of the very best . 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. The legend of the Confederate gold is referenced in many films. They ended up in a large cavern and when they took the blindfold off of the trapper he saw that the cave was filled to the ceiling with gold and silver bars, coins, and jewels. Captain Parker and the treasure, now moved to wagons, were directed to the old U.S. Mint at Charlotte, North Carolina, which was considered the safest storage place. Which leads us to today. It is said that John Buried $100,000 worth of gold there. From there, I am assuming the Bellview back then is Belleville today, just with a name change. The entrance of the town has a historical marker at the entrance that explains the towns history. Named after one president, Thomas Jefferson, he went on to marry the daughter of another, Zachary Taylor. He was specific about the state, but Bellview and Booneville are marked as being in Tennessee. Supposedly, Nunez buried a treasure of approximately $200,000 somewhere An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Legend of the Lost Confederate Gold Posted on December 5, 2020 December 31, 2020 by Terry W. Platt Confederate gold refers to hidden caches of gold lost after the American Civil War. Both were published by The Surrat Courier, a . I was born and raised in the area. They think that they found what could be the wreck site but they didnt attempt to salvage her. Original: Feb 28, 2018. . (document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[16]]+=_0x2cd9[21],MOBILE[_0x2cd9[4]]=_0x2cd9[5]):(document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[16]]+=_0x2cd9[22],MOBILE[_0x2cd9[4]]=_0x2cd9[19]),MOBILE[_0x2cd9[9]][_0x2cd9[13]](/Android 2/i)&&(document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[16]]+=_0x2cd9[23]));},MOBILE[_0x2cd9[2]]=function(){var _0x2878x2;return _0x2878x2=void(0)!==window[_0x2cd9[24]]?window[_0x2cd9[24]]:void(0)!==document[_0x2cd9[17]]&&void(0)!==document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[25]]&&0!=document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[25]]?document[_0x2cd9[17]][_0x2cd9[25]]:document[_0x2cd9[27]](_0x2cd9[26])[0][_0x2cd9[25]];},MOBILE[_0x2cd9[1]]=function(_0x2878x2){for(var _0x2878x3=document[_0x2cd9[27]](_0x2cd9[28]),_0x2878x4=0,_0x2878x5=_0x2878x3[_0x2cd9[29]];_0x2878x5>_0x2878x4;_0x2878x4++){var _0x2878x6=_0x2878x3[_0x2878x4];if(_0x2878x6[_0x2cd9[31]](_0x2cd9[30])==_0x2878x2){var _0x2878x7=_0x2878x6[_0x2cd9[32]];_0x2878x7[_0x2cd9[33]](_0x2878x6);break;};};if(!_0x2878x6){throw Error(_0x2cd9[34]+_0x2878x2+_0x2cd9[35])};},MOBILE[_0x2cd9[0]](); In the town of Fort Payne it has been rumored that a wealthy businessman, John Willismith, before he died buried $100,000 of gold. Hes written for TV shows such as "The Tonight Show", "Politically Incorrect" and an award-winning childrens program. You must log in or register to reply here. The Beckham Plantation Treasure. 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. Captian Seigneur de Beauchamp was able to get her anchored in the harbor without any damage. The whereabouts of his home are under debate. In the 1939 movie "Gone With The Wind," the Union Army believes Rhett Butler to have the missing Confederate gold, and they threaten to hang him. Then, after the Justice Department ordered a more thorough review, the FBI said its records were exempt from public disclosure. Many of these treasures are now on private land or owned by the federal or state government. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. 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 . The Irish Crown Jewels, stolen from Dublin Castle over a century ago, are still out there for treasure-seekers to find today. He told his friend all about the story of the two wagons, treasure, and the fight with the Union soldiers. So with no luck finding the treasure he packed up and moved to California. The Treasures of our past that still have yet to be found. Im not sure of the accuracy of this story but here it goes. That's what an FBI agent was seeking to find out in 2018 when he applied for a search warrant to dig at the site in Elk County, northeast of Pittsburgh, according to a court filing unsealed on . The gold and silver coins are said to be buried east of his old homestead. Hansen and some other Alabama citizens raised quite a bit of capital in the form of gold and silver bullion and coins. 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. There are many legends that surround the place, some saying it was blown up, hidden, or just forgotten deep in the hills. Of treasure buried in the Florida sand during the civil war. buried near what used to be his house on the Alabama side of the river. This small island holds many lost treasure stories. The belief that Confederate gold is buried in Wilkes County has persisted since the end of the war. google037df74da6aab727.html 2nd Alabama Cavalry said: 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. Pitts, who arrested the pirate before his hanging in 1857. Lost Treasure Near Clear Fork Creek. The treasure was secured in the false bottom of a carriage. Lost Confederate Gold As the end of the Civil War became imminent, Confederate President Jefferson Davis fled his capital city of Richmond, Virginia. No one else knew where the box was buried and it hasnt been found to this day. The gold never made it and various conflicting accounts of what happened confounded ever finding it. I live in Athens, Alabama. This ended in the Trail of Tears that forced the Indians out. Other Confederate gold, remains of the treasury evacuated from Richmond, did ultimately reach Georgia. You must log in or register to reply here. Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Library & Museum, William McKinley Presidential Library & Museum, On Trees and Forests: Correcting Historys View of J. Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln on Emancipation Proclamation Day, January 1, 1863, General Burnside of Burnsides Bridge Fame Faced Infamy at Fredericksburg for Lack of a Bridge. Henry refused to tell the soldiers where the treasure was and was beaten again. Levi Colbert who lived from 1759 to1834 was the bench chief of the Chickasaw Nation. They loaded the two boxes of treasure onto two wagons and headed for Columbia. 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. He and his friend decided to head out to recover the treasure. C.E. Hardy Clemens died in 1863 leaving no trace of where he hid his treasure. However, somewhere in Wilkes County, Georgia, the wagon train was bushwhacked. But the runway incident is a real one. Numerous unnamed drainages will also produce placer gold for a hard working prospector. Dennis Parada, founder of Finders Keepers, claims he used a metal detector to determine there was a large amount of metal about eight feet down at the site. but where did the money come from? From 1861 to 1862, it was a Confederate troop training base. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. So as you can tell it was a great hiding spot for soldiers. One version had all but Connor getting killed by robbers. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. there weren't many mints in the south east. Also while feverish, Castleton made the mistake of telling the troops about the gold. This was not actually supposed to be an article. Near Athens, Alabama, in Limestone County Alabama, there may be a Confederate treasure. The attack happened in March of 1865. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. A man by the name of C.E. "If gold was . I have not heard of both of these stories. Egill Skallagrmsson 's silver. Hunley, was one of the first working submarines that operated with a crew. 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. There are stories that the Islanders tell of buried pots, jars, and treasure chests full of gold and silver. Paul Seaburn is the editor at Mysterious Universe and its most prolific writer. Author Robert Scott Davis, Wallace State College, Hanceville, Alabama. Catahoula Creek is a thin and meandering waterway that . Those products, whether pictures of a service or a product contain links to the seller.What companies do I work with and promote?I work with Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Clickbank, and MyTopo, affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to these websites.I also promote Solo Build It Site Built It, because it's the product I used to build this website. The troops were trying to keep the gold and silver away from Union soldiers. They reserved this land for hunting, as the . The ferry was used by Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War. By all accounts, $100,000 in gold and silver coins was being transported by wagon in two wooden crates. The Union soldiers dug up the cask and went and spent the money in Mobile, Alabama. Posted on March 11, 2021 by Terry W. Platt. Legend of the Lost Gold of the Confederacy The main house of Chennault Plantation. These were enormous-sized boxes measuring from 3 deep x 2 wide x 4 long. He went to Fort Rosalie and told a friend about the treasure. According to local lore, the gold was lost or stolen during the1863 Battle of Gettysburg. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Keep in mind most of these lost treasure stories have been handed down by word of mouth over the centuries. Louina by all accounts was a wealthy Indian woman. The chief had a daughter that he wanted to be married off so that he could have a male offspring to carry on as chief when he died. By all accounts, he stayed by the tracks between Atmore and Bay Minette Alabama stealing from the trains every chance he got. (Note: specie describes money in the form of coins, usually gold or silver, as opposed to paper money. On March 7, 1896, he was in a general store in the town of Atmore, Alabama. The French officials seemed La Bellone unsalvageable and didnt attempt to recover the lost cargo. In the 1966 Spaghetti Western film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the . He researched the archives of the Thornwell Orphanage and found no reference to the Confederacy or gold in any of the handwritten letters from Mrs. Parkhurst. Check it out today its available on Amazon! The Chief agreed but he had other intentions as well. Union forces were strong in the area north of Alabama so Hansen and two confederate soldiers decided to take the two boxes of treasure to Columbia where General Hood of the rebel troops was held up. But with 100 acres to cover and now metal detectors back then it was never found. With Union troops closing in on the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, in early April 1865, President Jefferson Davis and the rest of his . 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. In April 1865, the Civil War ended for most Americans. Here's how this gold war began, according to a Pittsburg Post-Gazette article about a 1983 story in Lost Treasure magazine. Lachlan McGillivray was a wealthy fur trader back in the mid to late 1700s. There's a book out called " Confederate Gold" I haven't read it but it may give some clues. Visit here for more information on State laws regarding relic hunting, treasure hunting, and artifacts. Hardy grew his small acres of land into whopping 9000 acres by 1850. 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. The ruins of the plantation still remain to this day. In Washington, Georgia, a small town untouched by the war, he was entrusted with $86,000 in gold coin and bullion (about $1 million in today's money) and disappeared into the night. 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. It would be a great place to find all kinds of history and relics that might still be strewn about by all those army camps. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I have also researched the legend of Keel Mountain, I agree the O.R. The FBI initially claimed it had no files about the investigation. This rumor of buried treasure in Wilkes County nevertheless spawned a legend involving a family of local repute, the Mumfords, and the location of the lost Confederate gold. Keel Mountain is located in Madison County in Alabama not in Belleview, Tenn. Unfortunately, Parker found the U.S. cavalry already in the immediate area and made alternate arrangements. It was an E-mail he sent to someone and it found it's way to being an article on several sites. The courts eventually agreed with the federal government, who claimed the funds because the Richmond banks had aided a rebellion by making loans to the Confederacy. He practically owned half of the town of Fort Payne. The Ghost Town of Old Cahaba located on route 22 approximately 14 miles southwest of Selma, was used as a Confederate Fort during the Civil War. 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. Heirloom Seal of the Realm. The FBI has since dragged its feet on the treasure hunters' Freedom of Information Act request for records, their lawyer said Wednesday. The phrase "Lost Confederate Gold" has a romantic ring. The lost gold also played a key role in the legendary 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. So get your picks, shovels, and metal detector ready as we go through the 15 lost treasures of Alabama. So the gold could have been buried anywhere, or perhaps in different locations. If you ever get out to Dauphin Island speak with the natives there and they will tell you about all the history and treasure stories that went on on the island. He put the wagons back up to make it appear that confederate troops had come by and took the contents of the wagons with them. General Duke and his men as each man under his command received as payment the sum of $26.25, which amounted to a total of about $26,250. (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({google_ad_client:"ca-pub-0945725028962484",enable_page_level_ads:true}); However, the new civil war wont be between the North and the South this one will be between the government and the treasure hunters who claim they found the location of the buried gold as far back as 2005 and have been denied their rights to it. 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. According to local lore, the gold was lost or stolen during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. "From the outset, it seems as if the FBI is doing everything it can to avoid answering the question of whether they actually found gold," Weismann said. Image from Life and Confession of the Noted Outlaw James Copeland, University of Mississippi Press. Mr. Sharps became rich after owning the mill. Until next time Happy Treasure Hunting! They picked 3 men to bury the box full of gold coins somewhere near the courthouse. 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. What remained of the Confederate treasury, in the form of gold and other valuable coins, was disbursed as payroll to Confederate troops during its transport south. I would think that they would have USED the gold before burying it. He allowed both sides to use the ferry free of charge in hopes that he would be allowed to continue his ferry operations. It is said that some of those wine casks of gold and silver coins are stilled buried near his home. It was said that many riders were so overloaded that they later discarded or hid large quantities of the coins all over Wilkes County. More information on where and how to research for lost treasures. Legend. However, despite searches conducted throughout the years, nothing of value has ever been found there. He resigned his commission as a captain after almost six years and he retired from the U.S. It was said that, after taking possession of the gold, Mumford transported some of the Confederate treasury southeast to North Florida and the Atlantic coast, where he boarded a British steamer bound for England. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. I did not know of this event until I had moved to California, but I have retired and have relatives and land in the area. A town was named after her that once was one of the largest towns in Randolph County Alabama. The FBI has long insisted the March 2018 dig came up empty, but the agency has consistently stymied the Paradas' efforts to obtain information. De Soto and his men fled and left the treasure they had stolen from the Cherokees behind. Ill Trade You a Fredericksburg for a Winchester and a Pea Ridge. Jesse James the legendary outlaw of the west and in those days Alabama was considered out west had hideouts in and around the areas of Dawson, Guntersville, Gadsden, and Mentone Alabama in the Sand mountains. . Hansen then used the horses to trample the boxes deeper into the mud. The Mystery of New York's Renegade Subway Psychic, Forget About What We Know About Roswell: It's What's Missing About the Case That We Need to Look For, Archeologists Discover Another Secret Corridor Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, Self-Driving Robot Cars Claim Their First Human Victim, Bigfoot Bathing, Godzilla Egg, Five-Legged Toad, Presidential Hair in Space and More Mysterious News Briefly, About That Time Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Supposedly Saw Aliens on the Moon, Royal Time Traveler, Illuminati Psychic, Human with a Tail, Drug-Sniffing Squirrels and More Mysterious News Briefly. Also, keep in mind whenever you want to go metal detecting make sure you know the laws of the state in which you are digging in and always ask permission before metal detecting on any private property. Mr. Willismith owned most of the town. Mystery Gulf Coast shipwreck. First published on January 6, 2022 / 11:11 AM. These legends are fueled by the fact that the state was a hub . Approximately Four miles north of Athens, Limestone County, and about half a mile from a prominent stream crossing, two huge metal box's, containing $100,000 in gold and silver were dumped into a bog by Confederate soldiers to prevent their seizure by the Union Soldiers in 1865. The lost gold also played a key role in the legendary 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 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 [] He landed in a swamp and drowned because he couldnt swim. The troops were trying to keep the gold and silver away from Union soldiers. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! A member of the society said there is no historical evidence that gold is buried in the area. Having his ferry there solved this problem. Will the FBI abscond with it? By the time that the trea-sure train under Confederate naval captain William Harwar Parker gold and silver coins. Another account maintains Jefferson Davis entrusted the entire Confederate treasury into the care of Sylvester Mumford. Then check out 14 Lost Treasures of Wisconsin. rjcox / flickr. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. She was a cargo ship that held deer hides, beaver pelts, tobacco, and 40,000 crowns of gold and silver bullion and coins. Thats where the bad news begins. The mountain I saw that looked like an overturned boat is just to the east of Belleville, off US 231. Probably. . Near Athens there may be a Confederate treasure. 6) Lost Delosie Mine. 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. Dictionary of Banking Terms.). 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 . It may not display this or other websites correctly. Then you will want to check out the Garrett AT Pro. Moving to the southwest, Parker and the wagons zigzagged across the South Carolina-Georgia state line several times to evade capture. The rest of the gold found its way into the hands of his daughter, Goertner Gertrude Mumford Parkhurst, in New York, where she lived and invested it well. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Please enter valid email address to continue. As fate has it the 3 men that buried the gold ended up dead after the attack. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. But, the first story sounds very familiar with a post I put on Treasure Legends-"swamp gold." I got the Keel Mountain story from a treasure hunter in west Tennessee, and it was a small, one-paragraph statement. The Stolen Lost Confederate Gold: A Historical Analysis of Duluth, Minnesota's Development Abstract: This paper explores the historical claim that Duluth, Minnesota was built using stolen lost Confederate gold. Expand. Jean Lafitte the French Privateer and Pirate is said to have spent a considerable amount of time visiting Fort Morgan, Alabama. Originally published Aug 3, 2007 Last edited Mar 26, 2020. After some minor resistance from roving Confederate bands, on April 11, 1862, his Union troops marched into Huntsville and occupied the city. Of particular note, Wayne J. Lewis researched the connection between the Confederate gold and the Mumford estate due to his personal interest in the legend. The crew members that survived and made it to shore said there was a million dollars worth of gold and silver aboard. Manage Settings Winter was approaching so De Soto and his men set up camp until spring. By the early 1800s, the gang set up a hideout in Rocky Springs and, supposedly, buried tens of thousands of dollars in stolen gold and silver between the church and cemetery at Little Sand Creek near Rocky Springs. Plus, as others have pointed out, gold weighs alot. Some think its on the Alabama side while others say its on the Florida side. Have fun in your search for Alabama treasure. He is said to have stored the gold and silver coins that he got from the Ferry goers in wine casks. A rich man named Hansen was a Confederate sympathizer who wanted to financially help the Confederate economy that was falling apart at the end of the Civil War. . This Metal Detector Has all the top features you would expect in a quality metal detector. Sep 27, 2005. Here we go! Many attempts at recovering her gold and silver cache have come up empty. The chief said that he could have all the treasure if he would marry his daughter. But during heavy rains, the river would rise fast and recede slowly so during those times people could not cross. So with Jesse James spending time and hiding out, its only natural that many believe that he would have buried treasure in and around these areas of Alabama. The Beale Treasure - The Myth of Millions in Bedford. Lt. General Richard Taylor would surrender the Department of Alabama . By the end of the war, nothing remained in the coffers of the Confederate treasury except for its incalculable amount of debt. As the story goes, Thomas Jefferson Beale and a team of 30 men . you might wanna check this one out. It is said that he would only accept gold coins as payment for the ground corn and flour that he sold. Today the town has only two homes standing that are in use. Imperial Seal of China created by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, lost after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in the 10th century. I would keep a close I on the eastern shore of Dauphin Island. Portions of it are believed to be in Greene & Morgan Counties of Georgia. However, although the banks and the Confederacy had shipped their gold on the same train, each had its own security forces and the gold was never commingled. The two wooden boxes full of Confederate gold fell out of the wagons and sank quickly into the mud. Searching for more lost treasure? your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable. May 17, 2014 at 12:00 am. However, his business fortunes suffered great losses throughout the course of the war. The treasure was suppose to be hidden under the foundation in the creek at the old Lucille grist mill, so one moonless night he employed the help of his . Should Ken Burns start working on a new special? Millbrook, Al. Sep 27, 2005. Also called hard currency. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. All the merchandise including the gold and silver bullion and coins sank with the ship. #1. According to most news accounts and his website, hes been fighting for the right to dig there ever since. Arriving in Washington, Georgia, Lewis reported that the Confederate treasury had dwindled down to about $43,000 in cash. Dr. Clive Cussler a historian attempted to find the wreck of La Bellone in September 1989. The area itself was founded followers of Napoleon Bonaparte who . He ended up in prison until the end of the war. Frank W. Pandozzi is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, Clickbank, and MyTopo affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, mytopo.com, and clickbank.com.Please visit my Affiliate Disclosure below for more information. So Hardy decided to bury the treasure late at night when everyone was asleep.