One Of Captain Blackbeard's Treasure Hoards in New Jersey

[Steel Scimitar]

I heard a tale about 20 years ago about a treasure hoard found in New Jersey in the early 1980's. I will be ommiting some details because I have done this research and have found evidence of the story proving the tale to have at the very least, a good amount of fact to it. I have found the cave opening itself, I have maps of the underground tunnel/cave systems, and I intend to find a way in since the main entrance is sealed. I need to see the empty treasure room with my own eyes.

Here is the story...:

In the early 1980's a large building near a river in New Jersey was being built. As the foundations were being dug a construction crew member operating a tractor fell through the ground. The construction worker survived the fall but the tractor was damaged. The fellow got up and dusted himself off. Up the tunnel in the distance he saw something glimmering. He went to see what it was, picked it up, and brought it to the light. What he was holding was a CUT emerald the size of his fist! Word got out and treasure hunters and archaeologists came from all over. After multiple deaths, what was found was one of Captain Blackbeard's Treasure Hoards! This find helped fund the building being built, a new City Hall, School, Library, and so on...

All that I have is the virbal story handed down to me. A friend of mine in Washington State verified this story and told me that he saw this story in a documentary years ago but does not remember the title nor where he saw it. I have the virbal story, the maps, and I have found the cave entrance... I know EXACTLT where it is and know where the empty treasurey room is. But what I do not have is a newspaper clip, book, documentary verifying the story. Essentially I have the answer but not the question. I need something to point to so that I may say "I found the site, I have the answer".

In addition to being a student of Archaeology, Anthropology, Paleontology, and so on, I am also well on my way to becoming an author. I want to write this story since the city has gone to great lengths to cover it up both physically and figuratively. But in order to do that, I need source mateirials to research and site. Plus I need to get into the underbelly of the city and find the empty treasury chamber. Thus far I have found 4 possible ways in. One of them may get me into that chamber!

As an interesting note. This very site and story may very well have inspired the movie The Goonies.

I ask for your help and knowledge!!!

[Mission]

Uh huh.

Do keep us informed on how this all goes for you; we shall follow your future progress with great interest.

[Brit.Privateer]

"I will be ommiting some details because I have done this research and have found evidence of the story proving the tale to have at the very least, a good amount of fact to it."

Yea...
Have fun with that story. Let us know when you bring up actual legitimate documentation and not some promise that "oh yea, it's legit." Then we'll talk. Otherwise, hello Blackbeard legend number 1435.

[Brit.Privateer]

Actually, this wouldn't be the first time New Jersey played host to a story about Blackbeard's Treasure.
I'll quote Kevin Duffus in his book about Blackbeard, page 199:

In 1926, according to a report in the venerable New York Times, Miss Florence E. Steward of Trenton, New Jersey, decided to sell a house on Wood Street in the nearby village of Burlington, which had been owned by her family for generations. And, for those many generations, her family knew a secret about that house and a walnut tree which stood in its yard. The walnut tree had always been known to its owners as the "pirate tree," and according to a closely-held family secret, under it Black Beard had supposedly buried his fabulous treasure many years before. The tree was on the east bank of the Delaware River about twenty miles northeast of the pirate's favorite city, Philadelphia.

Of course, Miss Steward didn't want the new owners to end up with Black Beard's treasure so she hired some excavators to come and dig it up for her. Why the family waited until they were going to sell the property before they attempted to dig up the fortune was not explained. Oddly, the owner was not present when the work began and at the end of the day the excavators were gone but there was a large hole in the ground. It was only natural that within a couple of days, neighboring children came and played in the hole, at which time they, very unnaturally, unearthed a human skull. Upon learning about the skull, Miss Steward divulged that is must have been the old Spaniard Black Beard was said to have buried, standing upright, atop his chest of treasure. She called the police and asked them to guard her property from other volunteer diggers until she could personally supervise the work. However, having gotten a taste of treasure hunting, the children could not be dissuaded and they began to dig a hole on the adjacent lot of Miss Anna Pugh, where they discovered a "large cache of bones," which were later determined by a veterinarian to be bovine in nature, and not of Spaniards, dating to a time when the property was once a tanning yard.

After following the story for a few days, the Times lost interest and had nothing else to say about the matter, inferring that the search had been unsuccessful. However, in their final story, it was reported that the original excavators had been observed prying "a large, heavy object" from the earth and taking it with them when they departed. Meanwhile, Miss Steward told the paper that digging would continue around the walnut tree until she was satisfied with the result. Presumably, the property had diminished significantly in value by the time Miss Steward achieved her satisfaction.

There have been so many Blackbeard treasure stories over the past 300 years. It seems like almost every state along the eastern seaboard has one. Remember, buried treasure stories have been popular on the American coast since the eighteenth century. If pirates didn't bury it, it was Spaniards, or some other group.

Now, to this poster. Let's dissect what they have to say:

"I will be ommiting some details because I have done this research and have found evidence of the story proving the tale..."

Then why are you asking for our help when you won't even reveal details of what you have found so far in terms of evidence? How do you expect us to help?

"... I have found the cave opening itself, I have maps of the underground tunnel/cave systems, and I intend to find a way in since the main entrance is sealed. I need to see the empty treasure room with my own eyes...."

This already sounds like a fantasy story written by George Lucas or someone like that for a film. If you are going take this seriously, why would this crew, who all were supposed to have shares of the treasure they stole, go out of their way to travel all the way to New Jersey (which, by the way, you didn't even mention what part of New Jersey it was) to hide it like this? Also, what treasure did he hide? His main treasure came in the form of slaves and sugar. It's not like him and his crew had a huge hoard of treasure to hide - that crew stayed mainly in the Caribbean and didn't take huge treasure fleets out in the Red Sea.

"...Word got out and treasure hunters and archaeologists came from all over...."

If that were the case, we would all know about it and it would have been reported on, especially if actual archaeologists were involved. Also, which archaeologists, which treasure hunters? A lot of vague information in this story

"...After multiple deaths,..."

You really expect this to be believed? Who died? What are the names of the people who died? How would this not be reported with MULTIPLE deaths? You don't even provide a number of deaths. Vague again.

"This find helped fund the building being built, a new City Hall, School, Library, and so on..."

Any documentation on that? Because money for that kind of stuff could have come from, I don't know, maybe the tax payers? It doesn't help you didn't name the town this all took place in.

"All that I have is the virbal story handed down to me. A friend of mine in Washington State verified this story and told me that he saw this story in a documentary years ago but does not remember the title nor where he saw it."

Because a second hand story from someone else and a TV documentary are the most reliable sources for this kind of stuff. Ask your friend in Washington State if one of the guys in the documentary looked like this: http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/277/569/eb0.jpg

"...I have found the cave entrance... I know EXACTLT where it is and know where the empty treasurey room is. But what I do not have is a newspaper clip, book, documentary verifying the story. Essentially I have the answer but not the question. I need something to point to so that I may say "I found the site, I have the answer"."

Why do you need something that says "I found the site, I have the answer" when you just said "I have found the cave entrance...I know EXACTLY where it is and know where the empty treasure room is." You just contradicted yourself.

"In addition to being a student of Archaeology, Anthropology, Paleontology, and so on,"

If you were, you would know better than to engage in this kind of treasure hunting junk. Also, what does "so on" refer to?

I am also well on my way to becoming an author.

That I do believe, of all of this - you're on your way to being a FICTION writer for sure.

This all smells to high heaven of bull s... Either you're a troll, are in a desperate cry for attention, want research for another project, or was potentially drunk or high when writing this. This thread does not belong in Captain Twill, it should be in "The Skull & Quill Society" section of this forum.

Also, for those of you who are going to say "but it could have some truth to it," as far as I'm concerned, it's the burden of the original poster to demonstrate that anything remotely claimed in this post is true. I wouldn't be surprised if this story was 100% fabricated by the poster (and not a legend passed on in the area, though we don't even know what that area is).

[Cascabel]

Has anybody considered the weight of a large quantity of gold ? The popular image of a couple of burly pirates carrying a big full chest of golden treasure is impossible. Gold is heavier than lead. It would require a fork-lift to move a "treasure chest" full of gold coins. A large treasure would require quite a crew of people to move and bury it, even if it was simply placed in a cave. Does it not stand to reason that SOMEBODY in that group might desert the crew and come back to dig it up on his own ? The story does not ring true in my opinion.......

[Mission]

Aw. c'mon you guys. I want to see where he goes with this.

[Capt_Jack_Stifler]

That can't be where the story ends! Please. Do go on. We're all dying to hear more.