Treasure Hunting in Florida

Jimi D Pirate

Sr. Member
Oct 28, 2004
302
19
Orlando, Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excal 1000 + AQUA PULSE
Florida has more opportunities for treasure hunting than perhaps any other state. Well known pirates like Gaspar, Lafitte and Blackbeard buried their treasure in various places. Spanish galleon ships, carrying gold and silver, were sunk by hurricanes. Gold dubloons and pieces of eight can still be found. Civil war paymasters dumped payroll as well as guns. Many beachgoers find coins on the beach, especially after a storm. With some research and planning, a shovel and metal detector, chances of finding treasure in Florida are excellent.


* The lost gold of the Calusa tribes is said to be on the west coast near Ft. Myers

* Black Caesar, a former slave is said to have captured a Spanish galleon off the coast of Cuba and buried the treasure on the west coast of Florida, near Ft.Myers

* The pirate Caster is said to have buried treasure near Eggmont Key in Tampa Bay and near Sweetwater Creek at Rocky Point in the Tampa Bay area

* Jose Gaspar, one of the most notorious pirates known as Gasparilla, is said to have buried millions on the west coast of Florida in various places

* A confederate ship is said to have dumped its payload of gold coins in or near the Suwanee River in order to prevent capture by Union forces

* A confederate paymaster buried the payroll of gold near or in the Florida Everglades to prevent it from falling into the hands of Union soldiers

* Gen. Thomas Jessup lost more than 25 of Samuel Colt’s eight shot revolvers in a swamp in the Caloosahatchee area. These eight shot revolving cylinder carbines were said to be the first ever manufactured or used.

* Appalachicola Bay is the site of the sinking of a blockade running ship, losing half a million dollars worth of silver bars and Spanish coins

* The Steinahatchee River area is the site of at least three occasions of buried coins, with Confederate ships being pursued by Union ships, dumping the coins to avoid capture by Union forces

* On the north end of Cayo Costa in the Boca Grande Pass, an American frigate sank in 1823 carrying approximately three million dollars worth of US gold coins

* Bank robbers stole one hundred thousand dollars and it is said to be buried at the site of their former camp at the southern end of Lake Okeechobee, the robbers were killed and the stolen money never recovered

* During the Seminole wars, a Spaniard was said to have buried his family treasures and silver near his home just north of Ocala

* Natural Bridge is the site of many civilizations from ancient Indians to Spanish Conquistadors, early settlers and civil war forces. Treasure hunters can find ancient spear tips and relics as well as finds from the early American period and civil war period

* Many rivers in Florida offer paleo Indian artifacts as well as bones of mastodons and sabre tooth cats, such as the Perdido River, Big Coldwater Creek, the Wakulla River and the Withlacoochee River


Old shipwrecks dot the coastline of Florida. There are many caves and sinks throughout the state containing relics and artifacts, but only experienced divers should explore these dangerous sites. Other interesting sites for treasure hunting in Florida include old ghost towns and abandoned dump sites. There are numerous sites of old forts and Spanish missions as well as the oldest town in the United States, St. Augustine. Many counties in Florida have historical information and maps. HH!
 

bucketofguts

Sr. Member
Jul 2, 2007
324
1
N.C.
Detector(s) used
Minelab Sovereign GT and Garrett Seahunter mark 2. Treasure Mate pinpointerer
who is that good looking man on the left :icon_scratch: are those dousing rods i see? and they think PI can go deep. Go Dell! b :thumbsup:
 

OP
OP
Jimi D Pirate

Jimi D Pirate

Sr. Member
Oct 28, 2004
302
19
Orlando, Florida
Detector(s) used
Minelab Excal 1000 + AQUA PULSE
Damn!

What did you dig up a gold medal from CHINA!

Dell (Tarzan) I hope you had a good target.

Jimi
 

scubatreasure

Sr. Member
Aug 14, 2008
295
10
Trinity, florida
Dell, I would probably follow you to China through that very whole...even if it meant a detour thru hell...you my good man are an inspiration...i'am moved...to change history...from your lip's to Gods ears
 

Mr.Jody

Hero Member
Jul 6, 2008
741
66
florida and everywhere....
Detector(s) used
Fisher CZ5 Quicksilver
* Natural Bridge is the site of many civilizations from ancient Indians to Spanish Conquistadors, early settlers and civil war forces. Treasure hunters can find ancient spear tips and relics as well as finds from the early American period and civil war period

""You better not get caught with a MD in or around this place!""



* A confederate ship is said to have dumped its payload of gold coins in or near the Suwanee River in order to prevent capture by Union forces
"Anyone know anything about this"???
 

Amona

Sr. Member
Apr 11, 2005
383
9
Sardinera, Mona Island
Detector(s) used
GTI2500,Seahunter Mark II, Eagle eye two box
With the 1A-31, it going to be pretty hard to treasure hunting in Florida, at least in water, in land, may be!!

Amona
 

A

Atticus Finch

Guest
After digging such a big hole...I can't help but ask..Did you you find anything? Treasure?
 

IndianRiverSonrise

Sr. Member
Jun 16, 2007
270
3
Detector(s) used
Various
Mr.Jody said:
* Natural Bridge is the site of many civilizations from ancient Indians to Spanish Conquistadors, early settlers and civil war forces. Treasure hunters can find ancient spear tips and relics as well as finds from the early American period and civil war period

""You better not get caught with a MD in or around this place!""


* A confederate ship is said to have dumped its payload of gold coins in or near the Suwanee River in order to prevent capture by Union forces
"Anyone know anything about this"???

On natural bridge:A lot of what is there doesn't require a metal detector. I saw a picture of Thomas Edison doing a little scrounging under the banyan tree there.

ON the conferate ship gold, Frank Hudson mentions it in Lost Treasures of Florida's West Coast. Other books mention it as well. Frank says, "the Confederate boat sailed into the river and as they passed the third bend, orders were given to bring the kegs up on decka nd roll them over the side into the water."
 

scubatreasure

Sr. Member
Aug 14, 2008
295
10
Trinity, florida
IndianRiverSonrise said:
On natural bridge:A lot of what is there doesn't require a metal detector. I saw a picture of Thomas Edison doing a little scrounging under the banyan tree there.

ON the conferate ship gold, Frank Hudson mentions it in Lost Treasures of Florida's West Coast. Other books mention it as well. Frank says, "the Confederate boat sailed into the river and as they passed the third bend, orders were given to bring the kegs up on decka nd roll them over the side into the water."
hey IRS...Indian River sonrise....was just wondering... did they say exactly how many keg's were brought up on deck and rolled off the ship....
 

IndianRiverSonrise

Sr. Member
Jun 16, 2007
270
3
Detector(s) used
Various
scubatreasure said:
IndianRiverSonrise said:
On natural bridge:A lot of what is there doesn't require a metal detector. I saw a picture of Thomas Edison doing a little scrounging under the banyan tree there.

ON the conferate ship gold, Frank Hudson mentions it in Lost Treasures of Florida's West Coast. Other books mention it as well. Frank says, "the Confederate boat sailed into the river and as they passed the third bend, orders were given to bring the kegs up on decka nd roll them over the side into the water."
hey IRS...Indian River sonrise....was just wondering... did they say exactly how many keg's were brought up on deck and rolled off the ship....

I don't want to continue this here beyond this answer, because I don't want to divert from Jimi's and Dell's posts, so I'll only answer the question posed and move on. A specific number of kegs was not given, but the shipment was one of two shipments from the New Orleans mint where they were stamping CSA over twenty dollar gold pieces during the civil war. The other shipment was via land. That and other wording in things I've read, would lead me to believe that it could be a fairly high number, but not necessarily. That's all I have on number. I do have a number of old New Orleans history books, but it might take me quite a while to dig that specific info out if it is there.
 

FISHEYE

Bronze Member
Feb 27, 2004
2,333
400
lake mary florida
Detector(s) used
Chasing Dory ROV,Swellpro Splash 2 pro waterproof drone,Swellpro Spry+ wa,Wesmar SHD700SS Side Scan Sonar,U/W Mac 1 Turbo Aquasound by American Electronics,Fisher 1280x,Aquasound UW md,Aqua pulse AQ1B
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I have 3 new toys to play with at the scrap yard where im working.If anyone can arrange transport and wants to dig something up.We can split it 3 ways.The digging would have to be on a sunday as thats when we dont use these loaders.Also on holidays.
 

Attachments

  • diggintools.jpg
    diggintools.jpg
    28.6 KB · Views: 1,738

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top