Hansen now alone with the two wagons of treasure knowing that the soldier would soon return with more union troops decides to use the horses to overturn the wagons into the deep swamp. Standing a discrete distance away and watching were Dennis and Kem Parada, owners of Finders Keepers, who still believe well, you known their name. Well, there you have it the 15 lost treasures of Alabama. Pitts, who arrested the pirate before his hanging in 1857. 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. Originally published Aug 3, 2007 Last edited Mar 26, 2020. A very prosperous merchant before the war, Mumford had established a cotton plantation near Waynesville. However, his business fortunes suffered great losses throughout the course of the war. Mr. Sharps became rich after owning the mill. One of the first settlements of Alabama is called Dauphin Island. Back during the depression Uncle Byron Campbell got word that during the Civil War the folks of Lucille Al. They were active in Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and Alabama. When he would return he wouldnt have the sack with him. There are many lost treasures and legends of Alabama and I encourage you to visit this state and enjoy the rich history that Alabama presents. The treasure may be buried near what used to be his house on the Alabama side of the river. Hardy grew his small acres of land into whopping 9000 acres by 1850. Eventually the responsibility for the treasure was passed on to the Secretary of War, John C. Breckenridge, who then placed Brig. By all accounts, he stayed by the tracks between Atmore and Bay Minette Alabama stealing from the trains every chance he got. Legend of the Lost Confederate Gold. Keel Mountain is located in Madison County in Alabama not in Belleview, Tenn. One version had all but Connor getting killed by robbers. Visit here for more information on State laws regarding relic hunting, treasure hunting, and artifacts. The lost confederate payroll and The fabled lost confederate treasury. Many soldiers were said to have buried their money around the base in holes they called money pokes. After some minor resistance from roving Confederate bands, on April 11, 1862, his Union troops marched into Huntsville and occupied the city. . The area was founded by exiled followers of Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 1800's. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Near Demopolis is an area named White Bluff. JavaScript is disabled. The gold never made it and various conflicting accounts of what happened confounded ever finding it. Military money pokes. The town of Louina grew to 2,500 residents with 30 homes, two churches, two schools, eight stores, and even a Masonic Lodge. Some say he buried his gold on his pig farm. The Curse of Oak Island. 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. 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. Back in the 1800s that made for a huge town. It was the summer of 1863, and Union Lieutenant Castleton and his men were lost. In 2012, Finders Keepers members said they'd found the location of . Is there $54 million worth of Civil War gold buried in Dents Run? In recent years, the number of students receiving tuition assistance has fluctuated between ten and twelve. His wife gave in again and told the soldiers where another cask was buried. They loaded the two boxes of treasure onto two wagons and headed for Columbia. Virginia Hill / flickr. So if you are ever in that area you might want to have your metal detector and shovel ready because there might be something worth finding buried in the ground there. Two more Union soldiers were killed along with the two rebels that had been with Hansen. 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. They tried to get the horses and wagons out of the swampy area but the load was too heavy and the wagons got stuck. It was an E-mail he sent to someone and it found it's way to being an article on several sites. circa 990-995. Check it out today its available on Amazon! The gold became a lost legend. Also, a Spanish galleon ship broke up near the east end of Dauphin Island in 1801. The duo heard about the legend from Kevin and decided to help him in his adventure. My Special Bundle Package of digital books and the links to my TV series is loaded with information that will guide you toward treasures large and small. A second scholarship, known as the Sylvester Mumford Memorial Fund, was to be awarded to students from Brantley County who attend Georgia College, then known as Georgia State College for Women. The two trains left Richmond at midnight and when the tracks ended at Danville, Davis and his staff began to travel south on horseback. Dr. Clive Cussler a historian attempted to find the wreck of La Bellone in September 1989. 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. He tried to locate the treasure but the landscape had changed so much over the years. Now only Hansens one friend knew about the treasure but his friend was arrested and charged with harboring a fugitive. 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. 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. 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. The treasure may be After a long day traveling Hansen ended up at a friends home. 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. A town was named after her that once was one of the largest towns in Randolph County Alabama. He practically owned half of the town of Fort Payne. Long story short it is said that Levi Colbert buried some of his savings from the inn and ferry operations in what is now Colbert County Alabama. Morris was formerly a skilled circus performer and had an athletic build which made getting on off trains a breeze. A big oak tree stands where his house was. Henrys wife gave in and told the soldiers where one of the wine casks was buried. Sharps Buried Treasure: Sacks of gold coins: Near Florence, Alabama south of White's mill: The McGillivray Plantation Treasure: They searched and searched for months coming up empty-handed so the trappers friend gave up and went back to Fort Rosalie. It was in Washington that the bulk of the treasure was captured along with Jefferson Davis and his staff. It also carried bullion, donated jewelry, and 7Isaac W. Avery, The History of the State of Georgia From 1850 to 1881 (NewYork . Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by. Millbrook, Al. Railroad Bill real name Morris Slater was a black train robber, murderer during the late 1800s. The FBI says it came up empty at the rural Pennsylvania site where Civil War gold is rumored to be buried. He would then bury the wine casks in various areas around his homestead. Finders Keepers' owners, the father-son duo of Dennis and Kem Parada, had spent years looking for what, according to legend, was an 1863 shipment of Union gold that was lost or stolen while on its way to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. The gold and silver coins are said to be buried east of his old homestead. Some people speculate that the valuables and money that railroad Bill stole during those 6 years of robbing trains could still be hiding in the caves between Atmore and Bay Minette Alabama! The story goes that when she was forced to leave she had so much gold and silver her horses couldnt carry the load so she was forced to bury the gold and silver where she stood. He took the bodies of the Confederate soldiers with him. There are many legends that surround the place, some saying it was blown up, hidden, or just forgotten deep in the hills. By all accounts, $100,000 in gold and silver coins was being transported by wagon in two wooden crates. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. There's a book out called " Confederate Gold" I haven't read it but it may give some clues. I got the Keel Mountain story from a treasure hunter in west Tennessee, and it was a small, one-paragraph statement. Indeed, no one who was an eyewitness to the events ever documented that the gold was actually lost. Matthew Paulson / Flickr. He is said to have stored the gold and silver coins that he got from the Ferry goers in wine casks. "If gold was . While they fought the commander detailed a couple of men to hide the gold. The folk ballad by Lonnie Donegan was named after him. He and his friend decided to head out to recover the treasure. She questioned whether the agency is "acting in good faith.". Well at least these two are actually documented you be the judge! The whereabouts of his home are under debate. 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 . Dictionary of Banking Terms.). Sometime during the Civil War Confederate soldiers were being pursued by Union troops and they buried $20,000 in gold and silver coins close to a spot named Old Camp Place. 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. 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, despite searches conducted throughout the years, nothing of value has ever been found there. Henry Nunez Do the Finders Keepers have a right to it, even though they didnt do the final digging? Also called hard currency. A member of the society said there is no historical evidence that gold is buried in the area. state of Alabama. He allowed both sides to use the ferry free of charge in hopes that he would be allowed to continue his ferry operations. There are rumors that caches of coins and silverware are buried on and around the plantation ruins. The legend states that DeSoto and his men cant to the Bay of Espiritu Santa which is now Tampa Bay Florida. In June 1863, President Lincoln ordered two wagons with false bottoms to carry anywhere from 26 to 52 gold bars weighing 50 pounds each from Wheeling, West Virginia, 400 miles north to Pennsylvania to pay the Union troops . The war, and its various aspects . 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. His wife sold the ferry and went to live with relatives in Georgia. Here is an OP that I posted on it a couple of months ago, to include sharing a couple of photos of one of the coins that he was paid on 4 May 1865, once they crossed the Savannah River and Breckinridge was more . 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. De Soto and his men fled and left the treasure they had stolen from the Cherokees behind. 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. They are the rarest of any Civil War weapons. So the treasure has never been found. They filled two wooden boxes full. The duo focused on a spot where they say their instruments detected a large metallic mass. The Chief agreed but he had other intentions as well. The Beckham Plantation Treasure. 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. Henry Allen Nunez was an early-day entrepreneur. Imperial Seal of China created by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, lost after the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in the 10th century. Levi Colbert who lived from 1759 to1834 was the bench chief of the Chickasaw Nation. Rumor has it that with Lafitte spending so much time at Fort Morgan he could have buried a worth of $10,000,000 there. But the runway incident is a real one. You see the Civil War was going on and many plantation owners were worried that their wealth would be looted if Union soldiers came around. FBI spokeswoman Carrie Adamowski told CNN that the FBI personnel were "carrying out court-authorized law enforcement activity in Elk County." 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. Jean Lafitte the pirate supposedly buried gold coins on a beach in what is now Bayou la Batre. Have fun in your search for Alabama treasure. You could argue the Delosie Mine belongs to North Carolina AND Tennessee, as it used to lie right on the border. According to local lore, the gold was lost or stolen during the1863 Battle of Gettysburg. It was said that many riders were so overloaded that they later discarded or hid large quantities of the coins all over Wilkes County. JavaScript is disabled. 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. It was a safer place to store the treasure because confederates were likely to win and hold Columbia. 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. Join MU Plus+ and get exclusive shows and extensions & much more! De Soto demanded that the Chicksaw Chief who had a camp nearby furnish him with squaws for his trip into Mississippi. . $13,000 in gold. 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 belief that Confederate gold is buried in Wilkes County has persisted since the end of the war. The plantations were called Vale Royal and Springfield. Hello all, Any of y'all ever read or hear of the Confederates escorting $250,000.00 in gold to the east coast in 1864 being attacked about two miles east of Tallassee, Alabama near or crossing a little creek? He waited there until spring and set off to sail back to France at the beginning of April 1725. In Washington, Georgia, Jefferson Davis and his cabinet met for the final time, where Davis signed his last official order, making Micajah Clark the acting Treasurer of the Confederacy. 28. So they filled a strongbox full of gold coins that the town had stored up as the treasury. (Note: specie describes money in the form of coins, usually gold or silver, as opposed to paper money. All the merchandise including the gold and silver bullion and coins sank with the ship. Are they really out there ? JavaScript is disabled. Mr. Willismith owned most of the town. Two treasure hunters are hot on the trail of $2 million worth of Confederate gold bullion that went missing in the 1800s. Several legends, actually. They also covered the boxes with straw and fertilizer to conceal the treasure within. Expand. Near Athens there may be a Confederate treasure. 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. 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. The troops were trying to keep the gold and silver away from Union soldiers. "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. The town of Louina lasted from 1834-1902. To avoid Confederate troops, Union troop leader Lt. Castleton was ordered to first travel to Harrisburg and then to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. After meeting with the treasure hunters in early 2018, the FBI brought in a contractor with more sophisticated instruments. . Louina by all accounts was a wealthy Indian woman. It was then settled by wealthy plantation owners and then vacated around 1860. buried treasures may be here. Here we go! Thats where the bad news begins. . 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. This small island holds many lost treasure stories. The legend of James Copeland, along with his treasure, is largely drawn from the somewhat questionable account of Sheriff J.R.S. Pistolero, In the book,"Buried Treasure You Can Find by Robert F. Mark, theres a little four line treasure tale. The Treasures of our past that still have yet to be found. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, Waters in the Chulafinnee Mining District will all produce gold. For three long, bloody years, General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia defied the . Or, a Top Secret Human Experiment Gone Wild? The Sound and the Fury: William Faulkners Great-Grandfather. As the men transporting the money neared Athens, Alabama, the wagon became stuck in a muddy "bog hole." Louinas gold and silver could still be buried under the ground in that old ghost town! Posted on March 11, 2021 by Terry W. Platt. 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. So Davis took with him the entirety of the Confederate Treasury, a 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. Then check out 14 Lost Treasures of Wisconsin. 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. As a 155-year-old legend goes, a Union Army wagon train left Wheeling, W.Va., before the Battle of Gettysburg, carrying two tons of gold, but never completed its 400-mile mission. Louina was forced to leave Alabama during the Trail of Tears and sold her trading post Isham T. Weathers. The port of Mobile and Mobile Bay were blockaded by Union naval forces early in the Civil War.