Some of the most valuable placers in Alabama are found in Cleburne County. Also called hard currency. "There was a tremendous amount of gold that went missing during the Civil War," added author William Rawlings, who has written about a rumored Confederate treasure of gold and silver that went . 'The Curse of Civil War Gold' follows Michigan-based Kevin Dykstra in his 8-year mission to find the lost confederate gold of the Civil War. pistelero, everyone knows that confedereate gold was made and distributed throughout the south, and some stories about hidden treasure are real. It was in Washington that the bulk of the treasure was captured along with Jefferson Davis and his staff. In conclusion, historical research has determined only $70,000 of the gold belonging to the banks in Richmond is missing, but not lost, as it was accounted for in the robbery during its shipment back to Richmond. William Pettits Buried Gold Coins: $80,000 worth of gold coins: A few miles from Lexington, Kentucky. You must log in or register to reply here. "If gold was . 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. 3. The phrase "Lost Confederate Gold" has a romantic ring. Other Confederate gold, remains of the treasury evacuated from Richmond, did ultimately reach Georgia. The FBI says it came up empty at the rural Pennsylvania site where Civil War gold is rumored to be buried. We are situated in a flat, cotton friendly region which once hosted the Cherokee and Choctaw Indians. The treasure was secured in the false bottom of a carriage. Named after one president, Thomas Jefferson, he went on to marry the daughter of another, Zachary Taylor. Such is the legend of the Lost Gold of Keel Mountain told first by an old Madison County man named Jeremiah McCain, who had joined up with a renegade band of rebel guerillas in early 1862. . They searched and searched for months coming up empty-handed so the trappers friend gave up and went back to Fort Rosalie. Mr. Willismith owned most of the town. 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. . 's don't mention anything about the skirmish. Confederate gold refers to hidden caches of gold lost after the American Civil War. 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. Should Ken Burns start working on a new special? According to local lore, the gold was lost or stolen during the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. Hansen ended up killing one of the Union scouts. Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! But this time Henry died from being beaten. The legend of the Confederate gold is referenced in many films. The most famous lost Confederate ship, the H.L. All the Confederate officials would board the first train, while the second train would hold special cargo. Camp Beauregard once stood just southwest of Mayfield. They were transporting a large quantity of gold bars, hidden in false-bottomed wagons, from Wheeling, W.Va., to the . The Curse of Oak Island. The gold became a lost legend. 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. was the operator of a ferry during the Civil War, on the Perdido River. The trapper returned to the Chickasaw camp and married the daughter of the chief but her father had disappeared and no one in the village seemed to know where the cave was that held the treasure. Some say he buried his gold on his pig farm. Near Athens there may be a Confederate treasure. They are the rarest of any Civil War weapons. According to reports, the total bounty would be worth more than $1.36 million today. 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. Still feverish, Castleton took over and made a number of course changes, including a plan to build a raft and float down the Susquehanna River to Harrisburg. Buried Train Robbery Loot: $30,000: On a farm in the Osage Hills close to the small town of Okesa, Ok. Henry refused to tell the soldiers where the treasure was and was beaten again. The treasurer of the Confederacy was on board and made numerous and well-documented disbursements along the way to meet military payrolls. You are using an out of date browser. Keep in mind most of these lost treasure stories have been handed down by word of mouth over the centuries. The chief said that he could have all the treasure if he would marry his daughter. Mr. Sharps would take a shovel and sack with him on these treks into the woods. An FBI agent applied for a federal warrant in 2018 to seize a fabled cache of U.S. government gold he said was "stolen during the Civil War" and hidden in a Pennsylvania cave, saying the state . He came to Alabama in 1815 and set up a ferry for crossing the Perdido River that has banks of the Alabama and Florida side. After meeting with the treasure hunters in early 2018, the FBI brought in a contractor with more sophisticated instruments. (Note: specie describes money in the form of coins, usually gold or silver, as opposed to paper money. General Basil Duke in charge. Captain Kelly's Buried Gold. 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. rjcox / flickr. But with 100 acres to cover and now metal detectors back then it was never found. He immigrated here from Scotland. Another had the group split up because of Castletons fever, with the lieutenants group taking the gold and disappearing. 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. . De Soto and his army of men some 600 plus came to the Sacred mountain City of the Cherokees. In 1865, $100,000 of silver and gold was placed in two metal boxes by troops and tossed into the swamp in an attempt to keep Confederate money out of Union hands. 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. The area was then abandoned around 1830. Today the town has only two homes standing that are in use. Henry Nunez So the gold could have been buried anywhere, or perhaps in different locations. In his quest, he is joined by treasure hunters and 'The Curse of Oak Island' brothers Rick and Marty Lagina. If its there Im all for digging it up. According to the legend, none of Castletons group of eight cavalrymen and one guide named Connors knew about the gold. 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. Here's how this gold war began, according to a Pittsburg Post-Gazette article about a 1983 story in Lost Treasure magazine. Railroad Bill real name Morris Slater was a black train robber, murderer during the late 1800s. 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. The wreck is still there and its treasure is waiting to be recovered! The ferry was used by Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War. With slightly less than a thousand men in his command, Duke transferred all the treasure into six wagons and began his journey south with eight of his veterans on each wagon as guards and the rest of his command, along with the midshipmen, as escorts. Have fun in your search for Alabama treasure. Deep in the Everglades is Lost City, a place where mobster Al Capone reportedly produced moonshine to keep a nearby saloon . 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. This made Grady think that his uncle was burying the sack full of presumed gold coins in various places in the woods. 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. The town of Louina lasted from 1834-1902. #26. They never made it. It definitely would be worth taking a metal detector to the beach. 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. He also interviewed local historians and librarians in Washington, Georgia, none of whom had heard of the golds connection to Brantley County. As the story goes, Thomas Jefferson Beale and a team of 30 men . So do your due diligence before going on your treasure-hunting expeditions. 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. Then you will want to check out the Garrett AT Pro. 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. Buried treasure in Alabama may be located in ghost towns. You see people didnt trust the banks back then because they were often robbed and the insurance programs of the Federal Government were not that good. General Lee advised Davis that he had until 8 p.m. to load the gold, valuables and cabinet members onto two trains which would travel southward on the only line still open between Richmond and Danville, Virginia. 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. 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. Hardy Clemens died in 1863 leaving no trace of where he hid his treasure. 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. Davis was attending church services on Sunday, April 2, 1865 when he learned that Lees defensive line at Petersburg had been broken and the evacuation of Richmond was imminent. His What in the World! podcast is a fun look at the latest weird and paranormal news, strange sports stories and odd trivia. Given this claim that the source of these scholarships was in fact a portion of the lost Confederate treasury, researchers throughout the years sought to confirm the veracity of the Mumford legend. If you are venturing on to State or Federal lands. This little island has been cut off from the outside world until just recently when a bridge was built that goes from the mainland of Alabama across the Mississippi Sound to Dauphin Island. Portions of it are believed to be in Greene & Morgan Counties of Georgia. It seems tales about long-lost Civil War gold will not go away, even though for the last 156 years people have looked unsuccessfully across the country for it. you might wanna check this one out. A very prosperous merchant before the war, Mumford had established a cotton plantation near Waynesville. There were , also, over 2000 Tallassee Carbines hidden and never recovered. Navy Captain William H. Parker was placed in charge of the second train and, knowing that the special cargo was comprised of gold ingots, gold double eagle coins, silver coins, silver bricks and Mexican silver dollars, he gathered the only available personnel to provide a military guard. The FBI has long insisted the March 2018 dig came up empty, but the agency has consistently stymied the Paradas' efforts to obtain information. Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it? 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. The Confederacys Ferrous Stonewall in a Far East Civil War. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Worth roughly $100,000 in 1865, when it disappeared, it would be a small fortune in today's dollars--around one million dollars. Winter was approaching so De Soto and his men set up camp until spring. 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 . It may not display this or other websites correctly. The trapper ended up not marrying the chiefs daughter and he went away freely although he killed two braves to make sure he was able to leave. The treasure was placed into all kinds of containers that had once been used for sugar, coffee, flour and ammunition. First published on January 6, 2022 / 11:11 AM. Or, a Top Secret Human Experiment Gone Wild? He was very skilled at evading the police. By 1960, this scholarship fund was creating more income from its principal investment than there were recipients for the scholarships. You must log in or register to reply here. Mar 7, 2019. Many soldiers were said to have buried their money around the base in holes they called money pokes. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The remainder of her estate was divided between two scholarship funds. Lost Treasure Near Clear Fork Creek. Here are 11 hidden treasures most people don't know about: 11. And Confederate gold did go missing. Hansen and the two soldiers went on their way dressed as farmers. It is said that he would only accept gold coins as payment for the ground corn and flour that he sold. Rumor has it that with Lafitte spending so much time at Fort Morgan he could have buried a worth of $10,000,000 there. Alabama lost treasure sites are listed on this page. The French officials seemed La Bellone unsalvageable and didnt attempt to recover the lost cargo. This guard consisted of mostly young navy midshipmen from a training ship on the James River and some of them were only twelve years old. Sorry, I don't know anything about these. This legend was first advanced by Martha Mizell Puckett, a former school teacher and Brantley County native, who spun her tale of Confederate gold in her book, Snow White Sands. So Davis took with him the entirety of the Confederate Treasury, a Residents of Wilkes County who witnessed the event said that the bushwhackers waded knee-deep in gold and silver coinage before loading it in all kinds of bags and sacks and riding away. 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. JavaScript is disabled. Sharps Buried Treasure: Sacks of gold coins: Near Florence, Alabama south of White's mill: The McGillivray Plantation Treasure: Virginia Hill / flickr. $13,000 in gold. 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. 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. The mountain I saw that looked like an overturned boat is just to the east of Belleville, off US 231. When he would return he wouldnt have the sack with him. General Dukes Brigade. 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. 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. 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. I have hunted the area with only minor finds but there was alot of activity in the area. 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 . Apparently in 1865, $100,000 of gold and silver was put into two large metal boxes by . Maybe you could be the one who prospers from finding one of these lost treasure gems in Alabama! The duo focused on a spot where they say their instruments detected a large metallic mass. Martha Mizell Puckett, the author of Snow White Sands, had failed to include footnotes, references or even a simple bibliography to support the presence of gold in Brantley County. Nor did anyone else looking for it after word got out. 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. I doubt very seriously that any of the phantom confederate gold myths are real. 6) Lost Delosie Mine. They filled two wooden boxes full. This ended in the Trail of Tears that forced the Indians out. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. He was a war hero, fighting in the Mexican-American War of the 1840s, and looked set for a long, happy career as a statesman. Most if not all of them take place well into the war, and by then the confederate had serious cash flow issues. Is there $54 million worth of Civil War gold buried in Dents Run? 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. His nephew Grady tried to find the gold caches that his uncle had presumably buried in the woods. Paul Seaburn is the editor at Mysterious Universe and its most prolific writer. 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. The American Civil War may be about to start up again and not for any of the reasons you might think. They loaded the two boxes of treasure onto two wagons and headed for Columbia. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. state of Alabama. Eventually the responsibility for the treasure was passed on to the Secretary of War, John C. Breckenridge, who then placed Brig. The Indians thought this request to be outrageous and attacked De Sotos camp. He landed in a swamp and drowned because he couldnt swim. 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. By all accounts, he stayed by the tracks between Atmore and Bay Minette Alabama stealing from the trains every chance he got.