History Channel joins search for lost Confederate treasure (Danville Va)

[Skelly607]

"http://www2.godanriver.com/news/201...oins-search-lost-confederate-trea-ar-503783/"

If the link dies..........
Old rumors never die, at least that what producers at the History Channel are banking on.

The network has a production crew in Danville this week to search for Confederate treasure for a planned TV show, according to a release from the City Manager’s office.

The crew planned to use non-invasive techniques to search for part of Dixie’s lost fortune rumored to be in the city. The footage will be part of an episode of the network’s new “Brad Meltzer’s Decoded” series, according to the release.

They visited several Civil War sites in the area, but focused much of their search on the Green Hill Cemetery, which is among the strongest contenders to harbor the treasure.

According to legend, as Jefferson Davis and his exiled government fled South from Richmond they took the remaining Confederate treasury with them. During their stop in Danville, it is rumored that they offloaded and buried some of their loot here.

The city has regularly denied requests for those seeking uncover the treasure by digging and only allowed the History Channel to use non-invasive tools, such as metal detectors.

It is unclear if the crew found any evidence of the cache.

 

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[mrmopar]

Brad Meltzer's "Decoded" on the History Channel. "Confederate Gold" episode will air Dec. 30, 10 pm EST.

 

[cw0909]

more

Who would own the lost Confederate treasure? Published: September 14, 2010

The legend is well known, but what would happen if it were actually found?

As a History Channel crew wraps-up its three-day search for a lost Confederate treasure rumored to be Danville, it brings up a timeless question, who does it belong to? The finder? The landowner? The federal government? All have a valid claim.

History was in Danville exploring the local rumor that the retreating Confederates left a sizeable chunk of their national treasury in the Green Hill cemetery.

Legend has it that as Jefferson Davis and the bulk of the Confederate government fled Richmond in 1865 for Danville, they took most of the nation’s treasury with them, a sum of about $500,000. When the government was forced to move again, the treasury was taken with them, but when it was inventoried again in Greensboro, it only totaled about $330,000.

Since then the missing items have been the subject of speculation and research, much of it centered in Danville where the treasury was last seen in its entirety. To this day, no significant finds have been made

According to City Attorney Clarke Whitfield, any loot found would belong to the federal government, even if it were on private or municipal land.

“My understanding is that Confederate treasure belonged to an enemy of the United States, therefore all the money would go to the federal government,” he said.

If the material found were not identifiable as belonging to the Confederacy, then it would most likely go to whoever found it, according to a paper by coin expert and attorney John Kleeberg in “The Law and Practice Regarding Coin Finds: Treasure Trove Law in the United States.”

According to Kleeberg, most courts in the U.S. recognize any treasure trove finds as the property of the finder, as long as the finder was not trespassing.

A treasure trove is defined as gold or silver, either in coin or bullion form, plus paper money. The stash must also be several decades old. Both are qualifications fitting the prospective treasure in Danville

For now, the debate will have to wait, because the History crew is tight-lipped and bound by a confidentiality agreement about their findings.

Doane is a staff writer for the Danville Register & Bee.
http://www2.godanriver.com/news/2010/sep/14/who-would-own-lost-confederate-treasure-ar-505729/

 

[Skelly607]

Brad Meltzer's "Decoded" on the History Channel. "Confederate Gold" episode will air Dec. 30, 10 pm EST.

Kewl beans! Thanks for in info.

 

[Skelly607]

Brad Meltzer's "Decoded" on the History Channel. "Confederate Gold" episode will air Dec. 30, 10 pm EST.

I sent you and email.

 

[mcraeb87]

This was a very interesting show. It got my treasure hunting juices flowing like crazy. I read Bob Brewer's book "Rebel Gold" and was fascinated with it, since I live only a couple of hours from where he has done most of his field research.

I just want to see more now....

 

[okietreasurehunter]

The whole show seemed to be full of assumptions.

 

[jeff k]

The whole show seemed to be full of assumptions.

You got that right. Gibberish & BS!

 

[okietreasurehunter]

With the fiasco that the Pastore Jesse James show the History Channel did you think they would have tried a little harder on this one. I'm sure over the next few days people will be picking this show apart like they did the JJ one.

 

[mcraeb87]

Most treasure stories and shows are assumptions. If they weren't, the treasure would have either been found or debunked. If everything was known and they could put a show together from start to finish that didn't have holes, then as mentioned, the treasure would be in somebody's hands already.

 

[okietreasurehunter]

If I had been on the show I'd have to ask questions like how old were the gazebos or when was the heart shaped road put in. Where was the headstone carved? The person who carved the stone usually left there name carved towards the bottom of the stone. Were the drill holes in the tree manmade or a woodpecker or bugs? I could go on and on with the questions. Too bad the people on the show aren't smart enough to ask those questions. It's easy to make up clues to fit a theory, but it doesn't make them correct or factual. I could also claim my family were KGC and show some funny looking pictures as proof, but does that make it true? How do you prove membership in a secret organization? Maybe this is just a little free thinking on my part.

 

[Skelly607]

If anyone would like more pix or more info of the graveyard I can try to find them out. The graveyard is maybe 2 miles from my house.