The treasure was secured in the false bottom of a carriage. He ended up in prison until the end of the war. The war, and its various aspects, continues to capture the interest and imagination of many Americans who are fascinated by the battles, leaders, and strategy displayed during that conflict. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Rumor has it that with Lafitte spending so much time at Fort Morgan he could have buried a worth of $10,000,000 there. The lost gold also played a key role in the legendary 1966 Western film, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. This was probably done to increase the incentive to Union soldiers combing the villages and roads of the Carolinas and Georgia for the treasury, and for Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who had fled Richmond. It definitely would be worth taking a metal detector to the beach, Two wooden boxes full of gold and silver bullion and coins, Buried deep in a bog nearAthens, Alabama, NearFlorence, Alabama south of Whites mill, Hardy Clemens plantation ruins nearCoaling, Alabama on the shores of Big Sandy Creek, Dawson, Guntersville, Gadsden, and Mentone Alabama in the Sand mountains, Ghost town of Louina inRandolph County Alabama, the caves between Atmore and Bay Minette Alabama, N 3030 38 W 872651 which is close to U.S. Highway 90 bridge that now crosses the Perdido River, 40,000 crowns of gold and silver bullion and coins, Near the entrance to Mobile Bay near Dauphin Island, Cave full ofgold and silver bars, coins, and jewels, Underwater cave near Muscle Shoals, Alabama along the Tennessee river. She made her money by running a trading post and she was one of the only Indian women to have owned slaves. Meade, Sheridan, Wright, Thomas and Canby Ordered to Push the Enemy at all Points. Here we go! He went to Fort Rosalie and told a friend about the treasure. Many posses were formed looking for Railroad Bill. Jean and his older brother Pierre stole a lot of loot over the years in and around the Gulf of Mexico in the early 1800s. (The fleeing Confederates also carried about $450,000 in Richmond bank gold, but wouldnt touch those funds, as they didnt belong to the Confederate government.). All Rights Reserved. Maybe you could be the one who prospers from finding one of these lost treasure gems in Alabama! WATCH: Full episodes of America's Book of Secrets online now. With the technology of today, why does the specie remain buried? Semple apparently never attempted to recover the Mexican silver dollars in Danville, for various reasons. 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. Its fate has remained a mystery for more than 150 years, fueling a wealth of local legends in the South and elsewhere, and even inspiring Hollywood movies like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) and Sahara (2005), based on the book by Clive Cussler. He was then valued at $300,000 which made him a wealthy man, to say the least! 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. With both her husband and her mother deceased, Julia was alone on Staten Island with the children, surrounded by Yankees unhappy with a Southern sympathizer in their midst, even though she had been a First Lady. Searching for more lost treasure? C.E. 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. This made Grady think that his uncle was burying the sack full of presumed gold coins in various places in the woods. From there, I am assuming the Bellview back then is Belleville today, just with a name change. In fact, during a recent renovation of Linden Farm by its owner, a document found hidden in a wall confirms Tidballs possession of a portion of the gold. Posted on December 5, 2020 December 31, 2020 by Terry W. Platt. Many of these treasures are now on private land or owned by the federal or state government. Henry Allen Nunez was an early-day entrepreneur. Union troops closing in on the Confederate capital. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The wreck is still there and its treasure is waiting to be recovered! 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. He also contracted pneumonia and had an infection that contributed to his death. Legend held the treasure was watched overby ghostly spirits. De Soto demanded that the Chicksaw Chief who had a camp nearby furnish him with squaws for his trip into Mississippi. Louina by all accounts was a wealthy Indian woman. Perhaps the city will ultimately change its mind and enrich its coffers with the largest portion of the estimated $16 million in value. The Rebel and the Rose"" reveals for the . Hanna, The Long Surrender by Burke Davis in 1985, and in 2001, An Honorable Defeat: the Last Days of the Confederate Government by Williams C. Davis, the mystery of the disappearing gold was unresolved. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Demopolis is an abandoned town on the Tombigbee River, near the intersection of rout 43, and 80. All the merchandise including the gold and silver bullion and coins sank with the ship. There was even a systemto such pursuits. The gold became a lost legend. The authors were primarily participants in the evacuation of Richmond and they included Confederate cabinet officials, army officers, and treasury employees. They took a small fortune in gold and silver with them when they fled Richmond, Virginia in April 1865. 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. 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. Clemens owned many slaves so he was worried they would tell any soldiers that came by where the buried treasure was. Henry Nunez CBS News affiliate WTAJ-TVreported members of the Elk County Historical Society say they believe the gold is just an old wives' tale. What happened to it, however, no one knows, and this has created a mystery thats spanned over 150 years. So I can't totally discount the story. While they fought the commander detailed a couple of men to hide the gold just in case they lost and were captured. In April 1865, the Civil War ended for most Americans. Even into the 1930s, the pages ofThe Augusta Chronicleincluded stories of impromptu inner city treasure hunts sparked by a variety of rumors that someone had found part of a hoard hastily hiddenfrom the Yankees. The rest of the missing money has been said to be the basis for several local fortunes in the Danburg area. Manage Settings From Harper's Weekly The federal Branch Mint at Dahlonega had $23,716 in gold and silver when it was taken over by the Confederate States of America in 1861. The mountain I saw that looked like an overturned boat is just to the east of Belleville, off US 231. In April 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis and members of his cabinet evacuated the city by train and headed south. Know of good Lost Treasure Stories for this County? The Confederates got away or won the little skirmish or what have you but the men who hid it had been killed. De Soto and his men fled and left the treasure they had stolen from the Cherokees behind. They left Richmond with a bunch of money, and when [Davis group] was captured six weeks later, they didnt have it. var FIX=FIX||{}; Buried treasure in Alabama may be located in ghost towns. Bill Kirby has reported, photographed and commented on life in Augusta and Georgiafor 45 years. He returned to relative obscurity in his native Virginia, near where he was born in New Kent County, and turned his attention to earning a living. The FBI has long insisted the March 2018 dig came up empty, but the agency has consistently stymied the Paradas' efforts to obtain information. Whatever they had started off with, travel expenses had steadily depleted their coffers by that time. The plantations were called Vale Royal and Springfield. Jefferson Davis , the first and only President of the Confederate States of America, circa 1865. Several legends, actually. During the autumn of 1862, the mint turned $40,000 in gold and silver from New Orleans, Louisiana, into bars for shipment to Augusta. But when Union officers caught up with Davis on May 10, near Irwinville, Georgia, he was reportedly carrying only a few dollars with him. One day a Union Officer became privy to Henry Nune and his buried treasure. 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. Three children and two men drowned but the rest of the passengers were saved by a brigantine sailboat that was nearby. But on May 10, when members of the 4th Michigan Cavalry captured Davis group near Irwinville, Georgia, they had only a few dollars with them. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth. The Confederate president and other government officials were urged to leave Richmond immediately to avoid being captured by Union troops. In 1865, the Confederate government crumbled and its leaders fled through Georgia, pursued by federal authorities. On May 4, after Davis and the few advisers that remained with him made the decision to disband his government, they entrusted some $86,000 of the remaining treasury funds to two Confederate navy. The attack happened in March of 1865. The crew members that survived and made it to shore said there was a million dollars worth of gold and silver aboard. The French officials seemed La Bellone unsalvageable and didnt attempt to recover the lost cargo. Well, there you have it the 15 lost treasures of Alabama. 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