Gypsy Heart
Gold Member
The 50 acre patch of woods and marshlands near the Chesapeake Bay contain some of the most bizarre and unusual paranormal phenomenon ever recorded, from mysterious groups of shovelers digging to floating lights in the woods. Some have seen a woman with long, flowing hair rising over the trees when a storm is coming. Others claim an army of British soldiers, killed long ago by American Calvary, still march through there.
In 1649, after the execution of Charles I by the victorious Roundheads, colonial Virginia experienced a mass immigration of prominent Cavalier families who kept the cause and the traditions of the monarchy alive in their hearts. It was, therefore, quite natural for Charles II upon his restoration in 1660, to chose Virginia as a place to maintain a large cache of treasure in anticipation of the day when the tide of events might turn against him. When the king later found out that the party that he sent to the New World had buried the gold and jewels he entrusted to them in a secret area near the mouth of the White Creek, later known as the ?aunted Woods,·instead of near Jamestown, as instructed, he was understandably outraged. All members of the advance party were reportedly put to death. Charles II never had the need to resort to his American cache. Through many tribulations and plots, both real and imagined, he maintained his grip on the throne and died the King of England, having spent many thousand times the value of his paltry American cache. It has not, that I know of, ever been found.
The same area is said to be the location of the hiding place of a large cache of coins and jewelry and other valuables buried by soldiers under British General Cornwallis during the Revolution. The cache, which was said to be comprised of the best part of the plunder taken during the second southern campaign, was buried somewhere in the Haunted Woods area in 1781. After Cornwallis·surrender at Yorktown in October of that year, he and his army were held as prisoners of war until the details of the peace and prisoner exchanges could be worked out. The cache, which they would not have been permitted to take with them in any event, was never recovered. The Haunted Woods is located about five miles from the town of Matthews Courthouse near the mouth of the White Creek.
Please Note: It is the responsibility of the treasure hunter to gain permission before detecting.
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Blackbeard
(Edward Teach) buried looted booty up in a 50-acre area of what
is now called Old House Woods (or Old Haunted Woods) in
eastern Mathews County, VA. Fishing late at night, watermen have
reported seeing an illuminated full-rigged ghost ship gliding up White
Creek, (a tributary of the Chesapeake) and sailing right over the
shore and into the woods itself, with sailors leaning over the rails
and lanterns swaying as it passes by. One fisherman even reported
hearing harp and organ music from the vessel as it passed his fishing
boat in the creek.
Other interesting sightings include those of two sailors digging
feverishly in the woods by lantern-light, with a man standing by
giving orders and brandishing pistols. It was thought that
Blackbeard had his diggers put to death after the treasure was
successfully buried. This custom, pirates believed, held dead men's
spirits earthbound to protect the treasure from being carted off by
someone else. And supposedly there are a couple newspaper
accounts from the 1920's about several late-night travelers being
accosted by a luminous skeleton figure in the road wearing a
transparent armor and threatening any trespasser with a gleaming
thrashing sword. Makes you want to go up there and do a little
camping, doesn't it? ;-)
The area boasts of more ghosts; from that of a long haired, night-
gowned woman warning fishermen and watermen of severe
weather, to the ghostly figures of British soldiers who buried yet
another stolen treasure box in the woods but later killed by
American revolutionaries. The reason for their ghostly return is to
continue the search for their buried goods.
I found the information for these stories from a book called 'The
Ghosts of Tidewater .... and nearby environs,' by L. B. Taylor who
writes quite extensively about the true and exaggerated stories of the past.
In one of his more recent books, Taylor relates that his story of
Old Haunted Woods prompted a Richmond man to ask him for
detailed directions to the area. The man was never sure if he found
the right spot but at one point he got out of his car and started
walking around. He began to experience a really weird, creepy
feeling that he couldn't account for and a few moments later was
suddenly overtaken by a huge black swarm of horseflies. He says
the flies were enormous, about the size of a quarter each. When he
bolted for his car, the swarm followed. Once enclosed inside, he
still had to killed off the ones that got in with him. Finally he shot off
down the road with the swarm trailing behind. He thought he lost
them for good when he circled around a large opened field only to
discover that the flies had taken a short-cut across the same field to
catch up to him. The black swarm followed his vehicle for six miles
when the terrified man from Richmond saw them no more.
Sue
[email protected]
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In 1649, after the execution of Charles I by the victorious Roundheads, colonial Virginia experienced a mass immigration of prominent Cavalier families who kept the cause and the traditions of the monarchy alive in their hearts. It was, therefore, quite natural for Charles II upon his restoration in 1660, to chose Virginia as a place to maintain a large cache of treasure in anticipation of the day when the tide of events might turn against him. When the king later found out that the party that he sent to the New World had buried the gold and jewels he entrusted to them in a secret area near the mouth of the White Creek, later known as the ?aunted Woods,·instead of near Jamestown, as instructed, he was understandably outraged. All members of the advance party were reportedly put to death. Charles II never had the need to resort to his American cache. Through many tribulations and plots, both real and imagined, he maintained his grip on the throne and died the King of England, having spent many thousand times the value of his paltry American cache. It has not, that I know of, ever been found.
The same area is said to be the location of the hiding place of a large cache of coins and jewelry and other valuables buried by soldiers under British General Cornwallis during the Revolution. The cache, which was said to be comprised of the best part of the plunder taken during the second southern campaign, was buried somewhere in the Haunted Woods area in 1781. After Cornwallis·surrender at Yorktown in October of that year, he and his army were held as prisoners of war until the details of the peace and prisoner exchanges could be worked out. The cache, which they would not have been permitted to take with them in any event, was never recovered. The Haunted Woods is located about five miles from the town of Matthews Courthouse near the mouth of the White Creek.
Please Note: It is the responsibility of the treasure hunter to gain permission before detecting.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Blackbeard
(Edward Teach) buried looted booty up in a 50-acre area of what
is now called Old House Woods (or Old Haunted Woods) in
eastern Mathews County, VA. Fishing late at night, watermen have
reported seeing an illuminated full-rigged ghost ship gliding up White
Creek, (a tributary of the Chesapeake) and sailing right over the
shore and into the woods itself, with sailors leaning over the rails
and lanterns swaying as it passes by. One fisherman even reported
hearing harp and organ music from the vessel as it passed his fishing
boat in the creek.
Other interesting sightings include those of two sailors digging
feverishly in the woods by lantern-light, with a man standing by
giving orders and brandishing pistols. It was thought that
Blackbeard had his diggers put to death after the treasure was
successfully buried. This custom, pirates believed, held dead men's
spirits earthbound to protect the treasure from being carted off by
someone else. And supposedly there are a couple newspaper
accounts from the 1920's about several late-night travelers being
accosted by a luminous skeleton figure in the road wearing a
transparent armor and threatening any trespasser with a gleaming
thrashing sword. Makes you want to go up there and do a little
camping, doesn't it? ;-)
The area boasts of more ghosts; from that of a long haired, night-
gowned woman warning fishermen and watermen of severe
weather, to the ghostly figures of British soldiers who buried yet
another stolen treasure box in the woods but later killed by
American revolutionaries. The reason for their ghostly return is to
continue the search for their buried goods.
I found the information for these stories from a book called 'The
Ghosts of Tidewater .... and nearby environs,' by L. B. Taylor who
writes quite extensively about the true and exaggerated stories of the past.
In one of his more recent books, Taylor relates that his story of
Old Haunted Woods prompted a Richmond man to ask him for
detailed directions to the area. The man was never sure if he found
the right spot but at one point he got out of his car and started
walking around. He began to experience a really weird, creepy
feeling that he couldn't account for and a few moments later was
suddenly overtaken by a huge black swarm of horseflies. He says
the flies were enormous, about the size of a quarter each. When he
bolted for his car, the swarm followed. Once enclosed inside, he
still had to killed off the ones that got in with him. Finally he shot off
down the road with the swarm trailing behind. He thought he lost
them for good when he circled around a large opened field only to
discover that the flies had taken a short-cut across the same field to
catch up to him. The black swarm followed his vehicle for six miles
when the terrified man from Richmond saw them no more.
Sue
[email protected]
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8)
