Buffalo River treasure

[Murrell gang]

During the Civil War a Union supply train was robbed. A chest containing gold and silver coins worth $50,000 was tossed into the Buffalo River near a town called Flat Wood in Perry County.Does any know more about this treasure?

 

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[Bama Ron]

I have a hard time believing any "threw treasue in a river" story, "robbed a stagecoach and buried the gold" or "pirates burying treasure" type story. Stories change as they're passed down thru the years. People in those days were poor and I believe if someone went thru the trouble of getting wealth, they'd find a way to retain it. Not toss it in a river or bury it with no guarantee of ever recovering it. Several guys with saddlebags could move alot of weight in my opinion.

Civil War treasure is like pirate treasure. Has there ever been a documented find of a 'buried chest" of gold and jewels?

Not trying to be disrespectfull to you. You're entitled to your beliefs. It's great to imagine somewhere there's a pile of gold in a river but I classify those stories under tall tales.

 

[21stTNCav]

Tall tale or not here is a good book regarding Treasure in Tennessee. I have the book and I like the County by County synopsis. It includes the legend regarding the Flat Woods tale. Incredibly beautiful area near Flat Woods and the Buffalo river there. Good luck.

http://www.therockerbox.com/perry_county_tn_lost_treasures.htm

 

[deathhare]

I have a hard time believing any "threw treasue in a river" story, "robbed a stagecoach and buried the gold" or "pirates burying treasure" type story. Stories change as they're passed down thru the years. People in those days were poor and I believe if someone went thru the trouble of getting wealth, they'd find a way to retain it. Not toss it in a river or bury it with no guarantee of ever recovering it. Several guys with saddlebags could move alot of weight in my opinion.

Civil War treasure is like pirate treasure. Has there ever been a documented find of a 'buried chest" of gold and jewels?

Not trying to be disrespectfull to you. You're entitled to your beliefs. It's great to imagine somewhere there's a pile of gold in a river but I classify those stories under tall tales.

Agreed

 

[maipenrai]

Double agree!! Caches yes, but throwing chest of gold into the river, no. I think these stories are in the same class as Lost mines, someone finds a mine, and cant remember how to get back to it? Why did pirates bury their gold? I just cant find a good reason for leaving a chest of gold and sailing off into the sunset. How many of these lost mines or treasure chest have been found? Another question about these stories, is usually the amount of the treasure is more than anyone could even move.

Sometime, we treasure hunters live in a fantasy land.

 

[21stTNCav]

As good treasure hunters we might also remember that although some of the tales are fanciful and stretch the imagination, these tales do start somewhere with a kernel of truth. Of course through time that kernel of truth has grown into a field of corn and the kernel may be long gone, still you might be able to latch onto the truth some how. The Buffalo river is not too wide, I know because I have drank enough beer to fill it while canoeing it through the years. It should be relatively simple to find out where the old train trestle crossed it near Flatwoods. I would think starting at the Wayne county Courthouse would be a logical step. I assume Waynesboro is the County seat, but what do I know, I am from McNairy County.
Regardless I am not going to totally poo poo the idea of CW treasure in the area. I think the amount would be much lower. I think the circumstances could be different than the tale. I think what ever was there it may be gone.
I also think there may be some smoke to this fire. Don't get down, and keep researching until you find some good proof one way or the other. GOOD LUCK!!

 

[Brash]

During the Civil War a Union supply train was robbed. A chest containing gold and silver coins worth $50,000 was tossed into the Buffalo River near a town called Flat Wood in Perry County.Does any know more about this treasure?

My biggest concern with this one is the whole train robbery part. Before the Civil War, there were not many railroads in Tennessee, the rivers were heavily relied upon for commerce of goods, even after the civil war, the Flatwood area did not have a railroad anywhere near it. So that means they would have to move that heavy load a good distance across land just to toss it into a river, why not dump it near the location of the robbery, or one of the many creeks/streams they would have passed along the way? Not sure how this one got started, presumably told and spread by locals, so tourists will frequently vacation down the river contributing the the otherwise sleepy town.