So where did Blackbeard hide his treasures? "But, what we believe is that Juan Gomez had ties to him. Blackbeard captured an estimated 40 different ships and vessels in a little less than 2 years off the east coast of America and across the Caribbean. "We are not sure what we're going to do with it," said Lopez. According to some versions of the story, Gaspar started as a troubled adolescent who kidnapped a little girl for ransom. Jose Gaspar Treasure Co 5 1 #9 of 11 Shopping in Flagler Beach Speciality & Gift Shops Visit website Write a review What people are saying " Fun shop with good prices! The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure is a gripping, heart-pounding action adventure that's akin to a modern-day Indiana Jones story. Jose Gaspar Treasure - Flagler Beach, FL - Yelp "It's a bunch of heartbreak with little reward and a lot of imagination," said treasure hunter Erin Melcher. Florida at this time was in its Second Spanish Period which runs from 1783 to 1821. When Jose Gaspar died, he supposedly left an untold fortune in buried treasure somewhere along the Florida coast. Cleaning the dreaded attic turned up a darling wedding photo of the Lopezes grandparents, but it also uncovered some interesting but creepy finds. "Maria came across it and once she told me she found a hand in a box. Canny readers will already recognize a certain romantic streak in these stories. The leaflet establishes Gaspars legend, claiming that he chose Gasparilla Island as the best of the islands in Charlotte Harbor to establish his base. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. Billy left the vast majority of his crew behind and sailed north to gather supplies to salvage his ship. It's light on history and heavy on action, suspense, and intrigue. There is another treasure said to be buried on Kelly Island in Delaware by James Gillian, a member of Kidds crew. Jose was also an officer of high standing in the naval affairs of the Spaniards. A Tampa, Florida family going through their grandparent's attic made an interesting discovery: a treasure map, some coins, and an old human hand! There's really no way to know which is the case," Maria wrote, in an email to WTSP-TV. Many ship captains and pirates alike came to Lafitte and could sign articles to become a part of his pirate fleet. . He spent nearly 30 years plundering ships in and around the gulf coast. He renamed this ship Queen Anns Revenger which gave him one of the largest fleets on the East coast of America and Caribbean. link to 8 Super Fun Family Treasure Hunt Ideas: With Real Treasure. You are using an out of date browser. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. A Beginners Guide to Magnet Fishing: 15 Sure Fire Tips. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Upon hearing this news, he unloaded his spoils and set sail for America (where he was later arrested and sent back to England). In or around 1806 the brothers arrived in New Orleans Louisiana and were licensed privateers operating in the Gulf of Mexico. Later that fall, he captured a large French slave ship bound for some sugar plantations. However, this treasure is also attributed to the infamous pirate Blackbeard. So are you juiced up and just caught the gold fever? Old hand, coins and treasure map found in Florida attic - The Vintage News Seeing the writing on the wall, he decided to scuttle his own ship and hide with his crew in the forrest. Barnes & Noble Booksellers 10 Bookstores Music & DVDs Toy Stores The poem, maps, comments from other searchers, and other guides to finding the treasure are online and easy to find. Who created the man who is now a legend? Tampa family finds pirate treasure in grandpa's attic - USA TODAY The ship at the center of it all: A history of the Jose Gasparilla II The legend of Gaspar began making its way into other writings after that, without any other historical evidence to back it up. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The 300,000 partiers who will swarm the streets Saturday in Tampa for the annual Gasparilla pirate parade won't care. The author of the pamphlet readily stated that the spectacular tale was a work of fiction with no genuine facts in it. The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure is a gripping, heart-pounding action adventure that's akin to a modern-day Indiana Jones story. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Do you think there's buried treasure out there? Gaspar is presented as dignified, noble in heart and rich and titled in some versions. Tampans have embraced Gasparilla for more than a century, whether or not the pirate Jose Gaspar ever came to town It's a huge juxtaposition from the quiet of the Touchton Map Library at the. Other possible locations of Kidds treasure include Maryland in Druid Park, and Money Island off the coast of Connecticut is also claimed to be used by Kidd. The ship contained $1,000,000 in assorted treasure, and should be there today. Gasparilla the Pirate and his Charlotte Harbor Treasure On my recent visit, I was on a shell mission to use for a hairpiece for a . Jose Lopez's sister, Maria, was cleaning out the attic of a home owned by her great-grandparents, Eve and Ernesto Lopez, in Tampa's historic Ybor City area, when she stumbled upon the box, WFLA-TV reports. The most famous Florida pirate was Jos Gaspar, known by his nickname Gasparilla. The first recorded reference of Jos Gaspar was in fact over 100 years after his supposed career, in a short biography included in an early 1900s promotional brochure for the Gasparilla Inn on Gasparilla Island in Charlotte Harbor. Bald Point is another hotspot but for rumors of pirate treasure. Gaspar's Lost Treasure - WTF Florida? The notorious pirate then committed suicide by wrapping a heavy chain around him and jumping over the side. The legend of pirate Jose Gaspar, or Gasparilla as he is sometimes known, is shrouded in mystery. This is believed to be part of the bribe money given to the owner. Jose Gaspar, the legendary buccaneer who inspired Tampas Gasparilla Pirate Festival, as well as fantastic tales of lost treasure, most likely never really existed. He was sentenced to prison and eventually released. It is said that he and his brother buried all of his money on the islands in and around Charlotte Harbor. The 300,000 partiers who will swarm the streets Saturday in Tampa for the annual Gasparilla pirate parade wont care. Available at: https://www.wfla.com/news/gasparilla/history-of-gasparilla-jose-gaspar-his-krewe/, ymkg, 2022. If marriage was selected, there would be a ceremony, and the marriage promise would be strictly enforced. We are constantly looking for opportunities to metal detect, magnet fish, pan for gold, and search for real life lost treasures. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Is this the hand and treasure of Jose Gaspar? With the help of the Prime Minster she was able to convincingly spread this rumor leading to Gaspars impending arrest by the king. http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/f2/ferret-iii.htm, Florida's Pirate Jose Gaspar and his Treasure Story. Whether he was his cabin boy, like it states in the story, or maybe he might have been Gasparilla himself because of all the treasure maps that we have found. After that, they searched his cabin and found a jar of gold coins and a small sheet of copper engraved with a code indicating the location of buried treasure. Jose Gaspar - A Real Pirate? | TreasureNet The Original Treasure Gasparilla Season | Visit Tampa Bay Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. Ill post one a week Treasure Tuesdaysthis that lame? When Gasparilla requested that they accompany him and his crew on a raid, the two young lovers assumed they would be slaughtered. The prices seem lower, but not my thing. 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Over and out from somewhere south, RumShopRyan. Florida's Pirate Jose Gaspar and his Treasure Story He did what all retired people do in Florida he fell ill one day and died. There are a few theories as to the location of a hidden treasure by Lafitte in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. What Became of Anne Bonny, Irish Pirate of the Caribbean? In all, he buried 13 casks and chests of treasure in the vicinity of his headquarters. Fastened inside the box with copper wire is an old wedding photo, 18th century Spanish and Portuguese coins, a 1930s map of the Hillsborough River and a mummified hand wearing a ring. Location & Hours 2119 N Oceanshore Blvd Flagler Beach, FL 32136 Get directions Edit business info You Might Also Consider Sponsored Purple Haze 22 23.4 miles away from Jose Gaspar Treasure Marcus E. said "Hand crafted glass smoking utensils. The rest of the treasure remains hidden, waiting to be found. All of it is built around the story of Gaspar. This hoard was allegedly buried by a group of pirates in the early 1800s. Strap yourself in for a wild ride and buy this international bestselling book today! Groups gather in St. Petersburg park to shed light on local violence, Tampas St. Josephs Childrens Hospital holds prom for pediatric patients, Photos: Rays back at Trop in spring game against Twins, Photos: Publix Gasparilla Distance Classic, Photos: New York's Naked Cowboy makes brief appearance in Tampa, Photos: Opening day for the Florida Strawberry Festival, Photos: IndyCar Series takes over streets of St. Petersburg, Hundreds of USF students join statewide walkout to protest DeSantis education policies, Photos: Lightning return home to take on Ducks, Photo Gallery: Family mourns Josiah Pinner during a candlelight vigil. It appears Philip Gosse got the story from Bradlee's book. Legends tell how he amassed a huge fortune, and hid an enormous treasure before dying a hero facing the might of the US Navy. The theme and focal point of Gasparilla is a friendly "invasion" by mythical pirate Jos Gaspar and his crew, who are portrayed by members of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla (YMKG), an organization created for this purpose in 1904. Some records give him the honor of being what we would call an admiral. Show more. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Sign up for our WTFF Newsletter to get weird Florida news delivered straight to your email: WTFF News: Because regular news is depressing. Before we get to the treasure hunt, let's touch on the historical background of Jose Gaspar and how a now infamous fictitious pirate became a Tampa legend. When Maria and Mike were children, their grandfather would tell them stories about his father, Ernesto Lopez, finding Jose Gaspar's pirate treasure. 11 The Cuerdale Treasures- $2.6 Million. The treasure: Slave-turned-pirate Henri Caesar stole a ship in Haiti to seek his fortune on the Spanish Main and Florida waters. I'm Clint, the guy behind Treasureunknown. Jos Gaspar, known by his nickname Gasparilla (supposedly lived c. When he finally realized that it was a warship, it was too late. He claimed to be one of the few crew members to escape a fateful attack by American pirate hunting schooner USS Enterprise in 1821. When it comes to spring cleaning, its always nice to have a spare hand to help. Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad Company are said to have distributed the brochures. The legend of Gaspar was first recorded in promotional materials for this Boca Grande Hotel. Oak Island the Strange, the Bizarre, and Maybe the "Truth! Jos Gaspar. In it, she introduced herself and wrote that her parents were. Lets do this. Most, if not all, historians agree the pirate named Jose Gaspar never existed. link to A Beginners Guide to Magnet Fishing: 15 Sure Fire Tips. Subsequent retellings of the Gaspar tale are based on this imaginative account, including the unintentional inclusion of Jos Gaspar in a 1923 book on genuine pirates, which has created ongoing debate regarding his historical veracity. Jose Gaspar commandeered the 'Floridablanca', the ship upon which he was serving, to commence his life of piracy. Once he was a few hundred meters away, the British flag came down and the American flag rose up the mast. Jos Gaspar allegedly lived between 1756 and 1821 and was based on southwest Florida, on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. . He apparently helped repeal a British Invasion on New Orleans. Lafitte was wanted by the US government for they deemed his acts as piracy, not privateering. His fleet would capture vessels at sea, and take all the goods back to Galveston. If the legend is true, Gasparilla was extremely successful and plundered more than 400 ships. Who was this figure, and what was he supposed to have done? 3. Santa Rosa Island has been sort of a local hotspot for finding bags of gold and silver coins. Leaving Spain at an early age, he sailed to the West Coast of Florida. His methods were black and bloody, and he stands out among all the pirates who used Florida to bury their wealth. While in Florida, Caesar palled up with Jose Gaspar, better known as "Gasparilla.". As with any tale of vast hidden riches, these stories can not be 100 percent verified to even exist. Jos Gaspar, also known by his nickname Gasparilla , is an apocryphal Spanish pirate who terrorized the Gulf of Mexico from his base in southwest Florida during Florida's second Spanish period . We have one with Gomez's name on it. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. These stories really get your imagination scrambling about finding buried riches yourself. Name of The Day. What you don't expect to find is treasure. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. His ship was scuttled in the battle sending the valuables to the bottom of the ocean. According to the story, Gaspar had underestimated the USS Enterprise as an easy target. Oak Island: Legends of Pirates and Treasure, Barbarossa the Pirate: Scourge of the Mediterranean, Flying Dutchman: Phantom Ship, Legend and Sightings, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Gaspar, https://www.wfla.com/news/gasparilla/history-of-gasparilla-jose-gaspar-his-krewe/, https://ymkg.com/the-legend-of-jose-gasparilla/. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. They took the box to a few antique stores. He's rumored to have had a secret base in Charlotte Harbor and would sail back and forth to Spain as well as roam around the Gulf of Mexico until his death in 1821, at the hands of the U.S. Navy. I have never found any real evidence he lived. was reading about Jose Gaspar aka Gasparilla Pirate and one story tells of his friend Roderigo Lopez wanting to leave the Pirate life and Gaspar helped him leave, so it seems Maria Lopez great great grandfather may have been Roderigo. As the story goes, the pirate Jose Gaspar was hunting for the USS Enterprise in 1821; onboard was Juan Gmez, the man who lived to tell the tale. Leading a group of escaped convicts, Gaspar with his stolen ship established a home base in 1783 in the area of Charlotte Harbor, north of the present day Fort Myers on an Island he named "Gasparilla." He is said to have also taken that name for himself as it means "Gaspar the outlaw." Millions of dollars have been found literally lying in front of people's feet, the world's beaches. Rumor has it, that the stolen goods are still hidden somewhere on the island. The map is estimated to be from the 1930s and shows the Tampa area. Jos Gaspar, known by his nickname Gasparilla (supposedly lived c. 1756 - 1821), was a purported Spanish pirate, the "last of the Buccaneer s," who is claimed to have raided the west coast of Florida during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. You'll need a boat or kayak for this cache. Captured ladies were not raped and murdered, but instead had the option of marrying one of his crew members or being transferred to Captiva Island in Florida. However his name and supposed deeds are still celebrated to this day, not least with the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival, which began in 1904 in Tampa, Florida, which honors his tale. It seems the mythical pirate was a tall tale concocted by a man named Juan Gmez. There are a few pirates who may have hidden treasure at this spot, including Billy. For one, there is no evidence of his pirate empire. Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia: Politician: Capricon: 06 January 1766 AD . But treasure hunters believe there is truth in his tall tale, and buried treasure is out there. Friendly down to earth staff. I'm here writing on Treasureunknown to provide helpful resources so others can get out and enjoy the thrill of the hunt! You must log in or register to reply here. Theyve done this every Sunday for a year, looking for the booty of 19th century pirate Jose Gaspar. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The Legend of Jose Gaspar. He then sailed back across the world, landing on what we now know as our home of Tampa Bay. Jean Lafitte. In the following years, he accumulated a board estimated at $30,000,000. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, no pirate was more feared in the southern United States than Jose Gaspar. We have seven maps.". Legacy | Useppa Island In the late 1600s a Scottish sailor named William Kidd came to America. "I'm considering it. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Who has not heard the rumor which has been going on in St. Augustine that Six Flags is coming to St. Johns County and will be constructed off of State Road 206? 1. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Jose Gaspar (GC3FZAF) was created by seabreezedrive on 4/1/2012. This particular lost treasure consists of a bunch of silver coins, ingots and even pieces of jewelry. The final and perhaps most intriguing possibility is around the Spanish Fort San Carlos in Pensacola. JOSE GASPAR: Kern County makes history, and in a good way Dec 18, 2022 The 8-year-old student was curios so she wrote a letter. However, there is another story, that has some validity, of what happened to his treasure. Before deciding to pursue this ship, Gaspar left some of his men behind with the treasure. He told of the looting of ships, the massacre of innocents, and last of all, when his life had nearly passed, he told the story of 'The Little Spanish Princess,' whose name he did not remember. From a four-mile long parade of pirates and period memorabilia on display, to specialty packages and a waterfront half . What we do know is that he is considered a hero to some and a villain to others. This was around the 1870s, after the Civil War. With his crew of cut-throat mercenaries, the last of the buccaneers terrorized shipping in the Gulf of Mexico for years, striking from his secret Florida base. They bribed the owner with some of the treasure to not divulge their location. JavaScript is disabled. From seashells to lost treasure, this shop has it all. (386) 439-3061. wtfflorida.com/information/gaspars-lost-treasure/. It's located in Florida, United States.A real, albeit, small treasure chest on a real small island. I love this place built around 1640 . Always being on the run from mercenaries, armies, navies, and any and all other law enforcement agencies of the day, often resulted in the necessity to hide their riches. He weighed in on the treasure map as well and believes it was a blueprint for the area during the 1920s and 1930s, but nothing more. A band of pirates in Wisconsin operated out of a cave on Hermit island. Jose Gaspar Treasure 6 Jewelry Gift Shops Bookstores $ "We went in looking for a lite shark tooth for our son. Jos Gaspar - Wikiwand Jose Gaspar Treasure Co | Flagler Beach, FL 32136 Pirate treasure rumors. RECOMMENDED: The legend of Jose Gaspar and the history of Gasparilla. All my curanderos, check out the first word on the second line play the song below for inspiration: Please support WTFFlorida.com by making a donation. Some records give him the honor of being what we would call an admiral. According to other versions of the narrative, Gaspar was a nobleman who rose through the ranks of the Spanish Royal Navy and became a councilor to King Charles III of Spain. Rather than be captured by the United States Navy, he wrapped an anchor chain around his leg and jumped overboard, the heavy metal dragging him out of sight into the deep blue waters. Bipin Dimri is a writer from India with an educational background in Management Studies. 128 were here. Lesser and Greater Antilles / Windward and Leeward Islands What is What? When Jose Gaspar died, he supposedly left an untold fortune in buried treasure somewhere along the Florida coast. Did Grandpa find pirate treasure? His piratical career always starts with an injustice and he is seen as a lovable rogue rather than a murderous monster. They will be focused on the Florida coastline, right in my back yard. First of all there was a Spanish Catholic missionary named Gasparillo that had a mission on the island that bears his name. However, like Billy Bowlegs, Jose Gaspar the lack of historical evidence suggests he never existed.21 Although most Tampa residents and several books claim Jose Gaspar was authentic, so far no documentation has proven he was real.22 The Gasparilla Pirate Festival started in 1904, and since it started a full fifty years before the Billy Bowlegs .