Palmer is home to it's share of legends, but one of the most intriguing is that of the Captain Kidd letter found on the property of Samuel Shaw in 1849. Legend has it that two young Shaw men were out hunting rabbits when their dog chased one under a stone ledge. They reached in and found a glass vial tightly sealed with sheet lead and wound in wire. Brought to the house, the bottle had to be broken to be opened, and inside was a roll of paper dated 1700-1, the old method of dating 1701.
The paper was a letter from Robert Kidd and addressed to John Bailey Esq. of New York. The letter stated that Kidd had been captured as a pirate, and was to be sent back to England for trial. Further, Kidd instructed Bailey to go to Conant’s Island in Boston Harbor to find 2 chests "containing from fifteen to twenty thousand pounds sterling, in money, jewels and diamonds." The letter goes on to give specific information on where the chests are located and cautions Bailey to say nothing about the letter, to "keep dark to any but my friends." The courier was instructed to hide the vial if he met with trouble or was taken by Indians, and return for it if he was able to escape.
The discovery of this letter 148 years later caused a major stir in town. The great debate was over whether the letter was genuine and if there really was a treasure buried in Boston Harbor. Samuel Shaw later that year went to Conant’s Island, by then renamed Governor’s Island. By the time Shaw arrived its name was not the only thing that had changed. The shores of the island had eroded and the coastline altered. The area where the chests were to have been buried had been long ago swept away by the tide. Consequently the mystery has never been solved - today the place "where X marks the spot" is covered by Logan Airport. The note today is in the collection of the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum in Springfield.
The paper was a letter from Robert Kidd and addressed to John Bailey Esq. of New York. The letter stated that Kidd had been captured as a pirate, and was to be sent back to England for trial. Further, Kidd instructed Bailey to go to Conant’s Island in Boston Harbor to find 2 chests "containing from fifteen to twenty thousand pounds sterling, in money, jewels and diamonds." The letter goes on to give specific information on where the chests are located and cautions Bailey to say nothing about the letter, to "keep dark to any but my friends." The courier was instructed to hide the vial if he met with trouble or was taken by Indians, and return for it if he was able to escape.
The discovery of this letter 148 years later caused a major stir in town. The great debate was over whether the letter was genuine and if there really was a treasure buried in Boston Harbor. Samuel Shaw later that year went to Conant’s Island, by then renamed Governor’s Island. By the time Shaw arrived its name was not the only thing that had changed. The shores of the island had eroded and the coastline altered. The area where the chests were to have been buried had been long ago swept away by the tide. Consequently the mystery has never been solved - today the place "where X marks the spot" is covered by Logan Airport. The note today is in the collection of the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum in Springfield.
but I was wondering if you have what the full letter says or just where the treasure was suposidly hidden. 
