ANOTHER POSSIBLE PART OF THE TREASURY IN FLORIDA

[gldhntr]

One of the most interesting of Jackson County's legends involves a portion of the famed lost Confederate treasury. When Jefferson Davis and other Southern officials fled Richmond, Virginia at the end of the War Between the States, they took with them the Confederate treasury. According to legend, at least part of that massive haul of gold and silver wound up in Jackson County.

Composed of kegs and boxes filled with silver and gold, the Confederate treasury was valued at somewhere around $500,000 when it was removed from Richmond. In modern terms, it would have been worth millions.

Some of the money disappeared and was likely buried during the time that Davis and the Confederate Cabinet paused in Danville, Virginia. More of the money was used to pay soldiers in the Carolinas and when the fleeing officials reached Washington, Georgia. From there, however, the remaining gold and silver was dispersed in multiple directions. To this day, the final whereabouts of most of the money is a subject of controversy.

It is known that the remaining Confederate officials spread out to minimize the risk that they would be captured by Union cavalry that was desperately searching for them. All were heading for Florida, but they all went by different routes. The goal was to reach the coast where arrangements could be made to flee to Cuba or Texas.

Jefferson Davis was captured near Irwinville, Georgia, as he tried to make his way to Florida, but some officials made it through. Most of the treasure, however, did not. Around $35,000 was seized by the Union army near Gainesville in June of 1865, but otherwise the Confederate gold and silver vanished into history.

THe men involved in hiding it kept some for their own use and spirited some away to support fleeing Confederate officials, but otherwise they never talked about what happened to the money. In various places in Florida and Georgia, however, bits and pieces of the treasure have been found. One of those places, curiously, is Jackson County.

Local tradition has long held that some of the treasure was buried in the corner of a field near the Parramore community in eastern Jackson COunty. The site was then near Bellview Landing, the primary crossing of the Chattahoochee RIver between Chattahoochee and Neal's Landing in 1865 and a likely crossing point into Florida for Confederate authorities or soldiers fleeing Union troops.

During the 1980s, two $20 gold pieces were found at the site, coins that otherwise had no logical reason for being there as the location is not near any old home places. The coins were of the proper date and were consistent with the gold known to have been part of the lost Confederate treasurer.

Could there be more? Or were the two coins left behind when the hidden stash was dug up and removed? Only time and more searching will answer that question.

[GlassyEyed]

The only gold coins I've ever heard of in Jackson County are the ones found in a local pond. Rumor is these were held by a local tribal chief, but were dumped into the pond in lieu of them being taken upon his village being raided by soldiers.

As the story goes, this pond went really low at some point in the early 1900's and the coins were found. Shortly after finding the coins there was a massive flood that basically took over the area and all hopes of further discovery were lost.

The author of the story stated the descendants of the "finders" showed him the coins and relayed the story in the 1980's. This comes around to your version

"During the 1980s, two $20 gold pieces were found at the site, coins that otherwise had no logical reason for being there as the location is not near any old home places. The coins were of the proper date and were consistent with the gold known to have been part of the lost Confederate treasurer."

I was born and raised in Jackson Co., Florida and have never heard your version. I say this not to call you out or anything of the like, but to maybe merge the two stories and see what come out.

[Daedalus]

I would venture a guess that there is still a major part of that money hidden somewhere that was put for later times , thinking that the Civil war would start again .
And that there are family's in the know of the locations of the money . And what it was to be used for and still watching over the stashes .
Now do I know this as a fact , No . Not even close . But I know from the stories from my family who had officers up to flag rank in the Confederate forces that the rumors of the time when they saw they were losing the war the money was going to be hidden in till the forces could regroup and bring the Confederacy back .

I do know that they did believe this to be true and that the monies were to be divided up and hidden in parts of the old Confederate States .

But who knows , it may have been nothing more that the men could not bring them selves to believe the war was over, and this was there way of dealing with the loss . And telling these stories let them Save Face with there family's and peers .

[Rebel - KGC]

HIGH-TEST! I think it IS possible that part of the CSA Treasury may have been in your area; we need to look for BRIT Sterlings (SILVER coins) & Mexican Treasury (GOLD coins); The BRIT loaned the $$$$$$$$$ to the REBS (BOTH, very anti-USA), and the Mexican Treasury coins probably came from the War with Mexico, or was part of Maximilian cache... DUNNO. ANOTHER reason is the Florida was the departing place from REBELS & families fleeing to South America, and there is STILL a "conclave" of REBEL, Spanish-speaking
descendants down there today; they even have a Sons of Confederate Chapter down there. "Google"... 'CSA
Descendants in South America'; I think it was Brazil... can't remember. ONE "clue" is JACKSON County, THEN... there are the CONFEDERADOS!

[Rebel - KGC]

"Follow-up": SOME of the CSA Treasury may have been left behind in Fla. - Jackson County. MOST of it was PROBABLY used to "bribe" through the USA blockade for REBS & families to resettle in South America... AMERICANA, in Sao Paulo... Brazil; just "google"... "AMERICANA... Brazil" Coffee?

[Seaadventure]

You might look into Gulf County & Taylor County, Fl, a little bit.