Buried "treasure" in Southeastern Pennsylvania

[SEPaMan]

Hello, treasure hunters. A couple weeks ago I was paid by an elderly neighbor to mail the following letter to newspapers in Southeastern PA. I was also instructed to post the letter online in "appropriate venues" (let me know if this is one of them):


To Whom It May Concern,

Years ago my grandfather buried some kind of "treasure" at a secret location in Warrington Township. He left a series of clues that led to the treasure but passed away before he felt the need to retrieve it. Having lived through the Great Depression I don't think he was the type to trust in banks or government. I can remember that he hoarded precious metals of all kinds, as well as old and valuable coins, keeping them in linen trunks in the basement. Sort of an eccentric fellow.

My siblings and I hunted for the treasure all throughout our youth, but our enthusiasm waned as we matured. Even after many years of searching no one in my family has ever been able to find the hoarde. I think this is because none of us ever found the location of the first clue. Both my father and uncle assured me that they witnessed my grandfather in the area of the Bradford Reservoir with pick and shovel on more than one occasion. This was our one hint, but no matter how much we searched the forest we never found anything. He knew it too well, and we too little. Or perhaps the clues were lost to time, rusted and overgrown.

I don't have it in me to hunt for treasure anymore. I was the last member of my family to give it up. In a month I'll be moving in with the rest of my relatives out west - permanently - and I don't want this little legend to die with us. Somebody should enjoy the hoarde. None of us want to let it rot in the ground forever, even if we can't have it. I've talked it over with my siblings and we agree that it's time to turn the treasure hunt over to people smarter than us. I would like to make this information public. I would respectfully request that you publish the story and the clues that my grandfather left behind.

Please respect my desire to remain anonymous in these matters. I do not wish to attract any undue attention to my family. As a metal detector hobbyist for many years I have heard my fair share of stories about the kinds of harassment families and property owners can face when rumours arise regarding "buried treasure" in the vicinity.

Undoubtedly with your resources you can spread news of this throughout the county and roundabout. I will be mailing this information to as many publications and individuals as possible, in the hopes that those with the means to do so will disseminate it freely. Any interested treasure hunters are encouraged to make for the hoarde. We relinquish all claims and consider the hoarde fair game.

I will be reading the papers and following this story with enthusiasm! I look forward to eventually congratulating the finder, if any.

Sincerely,

Sonny Amou

PS -- Family tradition has it that my grandfather buried numerous hoardes throughout the township, however we have only one set of clues. Whenever I searched for the hoarde I usually swept the area with a metal detector in case any other treasures happened to be near. My father, who I believe was in the know, said that the location of the hoarde was a clue to finding other buried caches - one of them in a barrow containing my grandfather! These were the sorts of colourful family legends told about the man; that he was secretly buried according to Anglo-Saxon custom, that his ghost floats through the forest bearing a lantern and a shovel, that the "hidden fortunes" of our family are scattered across Warrington in underground vaults. But none of us ever found anything. As I wrote earlier, the very first clue eluded all of us. I may have been a treasure hunter all my life but I know when to admit defeat and pass the torch.

The Clues:

Within 70 paces of the Lion's Tree there is iron in the earth.
99 paces at 72 degrees the Sun shines underground.
At 9 o' clock the Sun's rays reach out 86 paces.
A book there rests which guides the way, it reads:

52-3-21
10-7-17
80-5-23
44-5-25
16-8-32
84-4-28
52-9-15
34-6-12
90-7-19
28-4-22
66-2-12
78-5-15
72-5-23
58-4-26
24-8-18
60-4-54
48-7-21
30-1-23
16-5-19
24-1-11
50-5-43
70-1-19
44-4-26
24-7-17
12-3-29
38-2-10
84-3-27
18-5-13
96-6-30
30-3-21
52-9-21
78-6-38
14-1-19
22-4-28
88-3-34
68-7-33
60-6-34
10-8-12
40-4-22
56-4-14
38-3-13
26-1-11
50-2-16
74-3-19
86-9-17
12-2-24
66-1-37
30-7-21
42-2-12
98-4-32
92-9-25
44-4-22


I can reveal the following: Warrington Township is in Bucks County, PA and "Sonny Amou" comes from a wealthy family. This letter went out to local newspapers -- the Intelligencer, the Courier Times, Calkins Media (owner of the Intelligencer and the Courier Times), the Reporter, the Herald, the County Historical Society, and two employees of Calkins Media who Mr. Amou thought might be interested in the story (one a columnist for the Courier Times and one an archivist for the Intelligencer). As of this date no newspapers have run the material. Please help raise awareness of the subject, otherwise I won't earn the second half of my commission.

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[sciflyer25]

This is pretty cool. I don't have a metal detector yet, but I know Warrington pretty well. The problem is, so much of it has been developed over the last 15-20 years. I remember lots of open fields up and down County Line Road, the old drive-inn right there at County Line and Rt. 611. I know some cemeteries and farmhouses that still stand, and some old stone foundations, but "lion's tree" - I would have to do some research to try to figure this out. I frequent through the area often, have family that lives there. Looks like I have some homework to do.

[sciflyer25]

Holy **** - just now realizing where Bradford Reservoir is, right down the street from there is where my brother-in-law lives! But like I said in the above post, that area is so developed now with housing and shopping, this might be near impossible. I will research what I can, if anyone wants to coop on this after some research, I am in. Like I said, I go through the area quite a bit, and my son played travel baseball at a field close to the reservoir this spring.
Jim

[SEPaMan]

Thank you for your interest. Please spread this information among your colleagues.

[doverturtle]

The clue does not say anything about a specific place, so just because the area of Bradford Reservoir was being searched does not mean the cache is hidden somewhere in that area. The key to this is figuring out what "lion's tree" refers to. It appears one needs to find a hidden book near the lion's tree, and then figure out the ciphers from the list with that book.

[SEPaMan]

doverturtle - I listened to my neighbor tell the story multiple times and proofread his letter for him. His father and uncle saw his grandfather with a shovel and a pick near the Reservoir on several occasions, presumably burying the treasure or the clues. But they hinted to my neighbor, after his grandfather's death, that the treasure was still there.

dogpound - I've spent many years hiking through those woods and I can assure you there are no Japanese Maples.