Pirates Gold on Glen Island Bared By Cryptic Map in 1886

Cryptid1990 · Dec 11, 2025

CHART THAT LED TO GOLD CACHE
Above chart, carried around world by seamen
for 150 years, revealed Pirates' gold on Glen
Island in 1886. Spot believed rendezvous of
Captain Kidd.

Pirates' Gold On Glen Island Bared By Cryptic Map In 1886
Tale of Hidden Treasure and Captain Kidd Legends Revived in Development of County Park Site -- Stevenson Based 'Treasure Island' on Incident
Recent rumors that Glen Island was one of Captain Kidd's many hidden treasure locations are doubtless revivals of a tale that apparently was a workmanlike specimen of the press agent's art in the mode of the elegant but slightly naive eighties.

Captain Kidd did not figure in the tale but the ample cast of characters included a fugitive Frenchman coming to America with an oaken treasure chest, and dying sea-faring men in various parts of the world who passed along a cryptic map in the best Edgar Allen Poe and Robert Louis Stevenson manner. The map was said to show where the chest was buried on what was then a rocky islet known as the New Venice part of Glen Island.

The dramatic personae also included John H. Starin, the owner and very able entrepreneur of Glen Island, as a refined family resort, and a bluff tugboat captain of the 'it's a rough night on the coast sir,' type. There also was Pinkerton, the greatest detective of the blue goggle and false mustache tradition, and prying reporters who scented a good story. The principal prop was the iron-bound oaken chest containing no end of gold and silver as well as mysterious papers.

Treasure Chest Found

As an interesting coincidence, it may be noted that Starin bought Glen Island in 1879. In 1881 Robert Louis Stevenson published the 'Sea Cook,' his famous romance that was later called 'Treasure Island.' In 1887 the Glen Island treasure tale appeared. It was printed in great detail under the title of 'A Trip to Glen Island and the tale of the wonderful treasure chest that was found there, being an authentic account of the remarkable discovery of a chest of treasure which lay buried for many years in a cave on 'New Venice' with a description of the chest's contents, and a brief narrative of the astounding adventures of several persons who knew of its existence.'

Briefly, the story was that one stormy night in December, 1886, a tug-boat captain called on Starin's superintendent in New York and told him that there was something wrong at Glen Island. Coming down the Sound in the afternoon, he had noticed a boat of suspicious looking characters anchored close to the shore. The next morning the superintendent went on the steamer 'Blackbird' to Glen Island and on the narrow strip called 'New Venice,' found a rocky cave in which there was evidence that a treasure chest had been removed. The evidence consisted of a rusty iron band such as was used on chests, and a gold coin similar to a Spanish ounce.

The Superintendent notified Starin who employed a noted detective, Robert A. Pinkerton, to find the chest. Pinkerton inserted an advertisement in the papers (quoting the book) 'which excited a great deal of curiosity at the time and will no doubt be remembered by many readers of this book' -- 'Oak Chest -- The persons who carried away an oak chest on the night of December, 1886, will hear something to their advantage by addressing R. H. D., Box 2217, New York Post Office. A reward is offered for the recovery of the goods.'

Chest Recovered By Ad.

Many letters in reply to this advertisement were received but the great detective recognized most of them as being from prying reporters who scented a good story. One, however, was believed to be an authentic and a reply had to be made to him through a personal advertisement in the newspapers. Mr. Pinkerton then published the following advertisement.

'Oak Chest -- The owner of the chest will pay full value for everything carried away and a reward for information about the affair. R. H. D., Box 2227.'

Finally the correspondent disclosed his identity and arrangements were made to have the chest brought to Starin's home. There the chest was opened and it was found to contain bags of gold and silver plate, Spanish, French and Mexican coins; doubloons, pistols of Louis de or, sovereign pesos and two swords with gold hilts, diamond and pearl studded, and many papers also were contained in the chest.

The story of the discovery of the chest as passed along by two or three dying seafaring men of different parts of the world was that a fugitive Frenchman had hastily gathered together these valuables in the oaken chest and left France on a British ship for America. Two seamen who were assigned to set him ashore murdered him and buried the chest in a rocky cave on the shore of Glen Island. It was thought to have reposed there for about 100 or 150 years before its discovery through the medium of a map with the following cryptic key:

Islands four, along the shore;
Narrow one, follow sun;
Rocks and Sand, Little Land;
At full tide, rocks hide;
Where cross is big, there dig.

Staring resisted all temptation laid before him to exhibit the contents of the chest in the show windows of great jewelry establishments 'and the American public will never have a chance to see them' -- for the papers gave clews to the noble descendants of the murdered Frenchman. Starin generously communicated with them and the old family pieces that came out of the chest were in due time returned to a palace in the outskirts of Paris from which they came. The chest, however, was sent to Starin's country home in the Mohawk Valley.

The Westchester County Park Commission acquired the Glen Island property as a County park in 1923. Originally there was a group of islands as shown on the treasure map. The channels and mud flats between the separate islands were filled up to provide recreation grounds and parking space and now form one large island."

- "Pirates Gold on Glen Island Bared By Cryptic Map in 1886", The Yonkers Statesman (June 24, 1931), p. 3, cols. 5-7.

Credit to historian and blogger Blake A. Bell for digging up this article.

Cryptid1990 · Dec 18, 2025

Anne Elliot Roberts. "Buried Treasure at Glen Island", Pelham Sun (7 August 1975), p. 6
[reprint from 29 July 1954]

Another informative blog post from Blake A. Bell:

Historic Pelham: The Legend of the Recovery of Pirate's Treasure on an Island Off Pelham

historicpelham.blogspot.com

Anne Elliott Roberts researched the legend in 1954 for The Pelham Sun. Edgar H. Browne later prepared a brief typewritten manuscript describing the legend. In that manuscript, the original of which is contained in the collections of The Office of The Historian of The Town of Pelham, Browne wrote, in part, as follows:

"Briefly, the story was that one stormy night December 1886, a tugboat captain, Bill Denny, called on Starin's superintendent in New York and reported seeing a suspicious-looking shop anchored off the shore of Glen Island.

Call in Pinkertons

The next morning the superintendent when on the steamer "Blackbird" to the amusement park, and on the narrow strip called 'New Venice' saw evidence of excavations. In the hole he found a rusty iron band which looked like it had been part of a pirate's chest, and a single [gold] coin, a Spanish ounce many years old. Here was a mystery!

A search of the area clearly showed that some large object had been taken from the excavation.

The Pinkerton agency in true 'private eye' style inserted advertisements in personal columns of New York newspapers, offering a reward for clues to the mystery. There were hundreds of replies.

Finally, came a break in the case. Capt. Henry Thomas, a sea captain came forth with some interesting information. He said, he had been the excavator, and had removed from the hole on Glen Island, an old sea chest containing bags of gold and silver, silver plate, Spanish, French and Mexican weapons, and two diamond and pearl-studded swords. Since he could not dispose of the loot without incriminating himself, he gave it up, telling an interesting story.

'I knew about the treasure,' he said, 'through a map given me in Yucatan by a [dying] Englishman.' His father, second officer of the British bark Coriolanus, had received it from a shipwrecked sailor named Goodsell, who had made it after burying the treasure on one of four islands off the coast of New York.

'Goodsell had been one of the murderous crew of a French pirate ship, who killed their skipper, and then buried the treasure on the island. All but Goodsell died in [a] shipwreck, and the sole survivor kept the secret until he was befriended by my father!'

The chest is believed to have been buried almost 100 years ago. The end of the story is as strange as the story itself. Starin, the amusement park owner, paid Thomas the full reward and made a search for descendants of the shipowners. He resisted all attempts to display the treasure, much to the disappointment of thrill-seekers, and it is said that his agents found many of the heirs of those who had lost their treasures to the pirates. Even the chest, which was said to have been taken to Starin's country home in upper New York, was never displayed to the public.

True or not, the Buried Treasure at Glen Island had a fruitful payoff for Starin's amusement park. Visitors by the thousands came there to see the 'buried treasure' excavation."