Jos Gaspar. According to archives, the island community was created by Albert W. Gilchrist, Floridas 20th governor. Source: Theartofphoto / Adobe Stock. RECOMMENDED: The legend of Jose Gaspar and the history of Gasparilla. Whether the coins are authentic or not, Mike thinks the hand is real, and may belong to Jose Gaspar himself. At The Jose Gaspar Treasure Co. visitors and locals can find treasures of all kinds. Gasparilla seized her ship, and the hostages were brought to his hideout on Gasparilla Island. Not being able to pass up this giant score, he pursed the ship that was flying a British flag. Gasparilla, if he existed, wrapped himself in chain and jumped overboard with both hands still attached. It's located in Florida, United States.A real, albeit, small treasure chest on a real small island. This allegedly infuriated the young lady who devised a plan to essentially frame Gaspar for stealing some jewels. Gasparilla not only granted Lopez permission but also bestowed his blessing on his long-time friend, providing a ship and several men to accompany him back to Spain. In or around 1806 the brothers arrived in New Orleans Louisiana and were licensed privateers operating in the Gulf of Mexico. 3. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. And indeed there are serious problems with the stories of Gasparilla. I love this place built around 1640 . Did Grandpa find pirate treasure? He ignored this order and stayed in Galveston for about another year before the Army returned forcing him to leave. The experts dont believe that their find is a real treasure map or that the legend of Gaspar is anything more than children story or a folk tale that adds to the culture of the area. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Icelanders and the Huldufolk: A Nation Gripped by Farinis Great Discovery: Is there a Lost City Top Ten Knights of King Arthurs Round Table. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This was to prove his doom as the ship he had targeted was no harmless cargo ship but in fact the USS Enterprise, a heavily armed and very dangerous pirate hunter. So, a real figure or a tall tale told by Floridians? Jos Gaspar, also known by his nickname Gasparilla (supposedly lived c. 1756 - 1821), is an apocryphal Spanish pirate who terrorized the Gulf of Mexico from his base in southwest Florida during Florida's second Spanish period (1783 to 1821). JavaScript is disabled. 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. Most of the suspected locations are in and around the state of Florida. "The Gasparilla Day Parade, the big parade, is the third largest parade in this country after only the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Bowl parade. According to some versions of the story, Gaspar started as a troubled adolescent who kidnapped a little girl for ransom. I love this place built around 1640 . The Legend of Jose Gaspar. Website. It does not store any personal data. Show more. So where did Blackbeard hide his treasures? Pricing is not too high. History of Gasparilla: Jos Gaspar & his krewe. To learn more, visit our. His work appears here every third Monday; the views expressed. Treasure hunter Stacey Hunt holds an old nail found under the ground on a wetland believed to have lost treasure. "Maybe my great-grandparents were pirates," Mike Lopez said. Years ago I hunted the fabled Jose Gaspar treasure pirate who, as the story goes, was a pirate on the gulf coast and when attacked by a US Navy vessel, wrapped the anchor chain around him and jumped in while his crew escaped up Peace River with treasure to a property owner named Lady Boggess near an area called Lettuce Lake. This treasure as well as the tunnels remain lost. 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. It's light on history and heavy on action, suspense, and intrigue. On the Hawaiian island of Oahu there is said to be six chests buried along a stone wall somewhere around Kaena Point. So it would seem that Gasparilla is a fiction, no more real a figure than Mickey Mouse. Another logical location said to hide this cache of valuables is in South Carolina. Spain and Great Britain were adversaries in the complex tangle of European politics . However, this treasure is also attributed to the infamous pirate Blackbeard. The family thinks the hand belongs to famous Tampa Bay pirate Jose Gaspar. 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During his 38 year career as a pirate, Gaspar attacked over four hundred ships in the Gulf waters of Florida, including supposedly the vessel carrying $11.75 million in gold bullion that the United States had paid Napoleon for the Louisiana Purchase. Tales of pirate treasures are very difficult to substantiate due to many factors. Supposedly this fort had hidden tunnels leading under the fort. His sister found a box in their grandfather's attic in Tampa, Fla., a few weeks ago while doing some spring cleaning. In this time Spain controlled a huge swathe of the Americas and Gaspar grew rich. In 1705 the group was killed by French traders who were tired of being robbed by these men. When a ship was taken, the people aboard were not immediately murdered but instead offered the option of dying or joining Gasparillas crew. This story states that the vast treasure was actually siting on the beach in numerous chests waiting to be divided. 1 Review #9 of 11 Shopping in Flagler Beach. By Geoff Dobson. The rest of the treasure remains hidden, waiting to be found. Jose Gaspar Treasure Company | Flagler Beach FL "Possibly keep it forever. He supposedly buried large amounts of treasures on the islands around the bay. (386) 439-3061. Since 1904, pirates have invaded the City of Tampa to kick off the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. Who created the man who is now a legend? In his early pirate career, he teamed up with a few other pirates and eventually took over a ship named The Revenge. To add more to the story, the treasure map contained the name of the infamous mythical pirate Gaspar. Rogers lost interest in the hunt after this and it is said he lived near his treasure to guard it for the remainder of his life. He even set up a blockade of the port of Charleston in South Carolina for 6 days. Rumors take on a life of their own and ultimately cause hurt or expense. Michael Gattuso lends a hand to his wife Lauren as they dock on a wetland on the Peace River in Arcadia. The author of the pamphlet readily stated that the spectacular tale was a work of fiction with no genuine facts in it. 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 are multiple stories about his life that vary greatly depending upon the source of the information, leading some to conclude that he was not a real person. The story of Juan Gomez is also published in the Library of Congress. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Mysterious box containing a map, coins and a mummified hand found in Tampa Bay attic. Many believe it is Edward Teach, but some claim it is Edward Thatch. The 300,000 partiers who will swarm the streets Saturday in Tampa for the annual Gasparilla pirate parade wont care. (4) The person who gets most of the credit for the Gasparilla myth is John Gomez who drowned around 1900 at the age of 122. Or show us love by sharing articles and leaving great comments. The Choctawatchee Bay is an area of a lot of speculation of the location of some of Bowlegs hidden treasure. Finally Pirates Cove, which is on the southern tip of Connecticut may house these valuable chests. He was sentenced to prison and eventually released. The legend states that Gaspar terrorized the western coastal waters of Florida in the late 18th to early 19th century. Lets do this. During his 38 year career as a pirate, Gaspar attacked over four hundred ships in the Gulf waters of Florida, including supposedly the vessel carrying $11.75 million in gold bullion that the United States had paid Napoleon for the Louisiana Purchase. One of his ships has been discovered in the waters off of North Carolina and definitely proven to belong to Blackbeard. 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. Save. We will discuss a few of them here. Buumi . (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); If anybody wants to start a treasure seach team, WTF Florida? Legend has it that in the late 1700s, a pirate named Jose Gaspar kidnapped the Spanish princess Joseffa de Mayorga. I'm here writing on Treasureunknown to provide helpful resources so others can get out and enjoy the thrill of the hunt! The legend of pirate Jose Gaspar, or Gasparilla as he is sometimes known, is shrouded in mystery. Starting in 1911, though, the event's founders, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, switched . If we find that buried treasure together, we can split the booty among all of our readers and we never have to work again. It is said that he and his brother buried all of his money on the islands in and around Charlotte Harbor. Texas is also a logical location for this pirate to bury treasure. Spending most of his time here and running a larger business would provide ample opportunity and necessity to hide valuables. "I'm considering it. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. In the following years, he accumulated a board estimated at $30,000,000. Evidently, though, the treasure is not. The ship contained $1,000,000 in assorted treasure, and should be there today. Gilchrist intended to turn the area into a community. Story continues below video. TAMPA, Fla. - Docked in downtown Tampa, the Jose Gasparilla II is one of the most iconic parts of Gasparilla and a year-round reminder of Tampa's biggest party and quirkiest tradition. As with any tale of vast hidden riches, these stories can not be 100 percent verified to even exist. What he thought was a British cargo ship turned out to be the USS Enterprise, on a mission to end piracy. Upon hearing this news, he unloaded his spoils and set sail for America (where he was later arrested and sent back to England). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Upon returning he discovered that he had been labeled a pirate by the British government. Mike Lopez tells WFLA that his sister was. He relocated to Galveston Island around 1817 where he set up a pirate empire. They took the box to a few antique stores around Tampa and the contents were described as "gruesome and authentic.". If you choose to embark on a hunt for any treasure do so at your own risk. For whatever reason, burial of chests laden with gold and jewels seems to be the norm, but is there any pirate treasure left? The pirate, whose full name is Jos Gaspar, is a legend from the 18th and 19th century. Lafitte was wanted by the US government for they deemed his acts as piracy, not privateering. The Search For The Real Captain Morgan. 2119 N Ocean Shore Blvd, Flagler Beach, FL 32136-2802. will support that mission. Once he was a few hundred meters away, the British flag came down and the American flag rose up the mast. Pirate treasure rumors. Useppa Island was a military outpost, resort, Confederate stronghold, and CIA site to train Cuban exiles for the Bay of Pigs invasion and was continuously inhabited for 10,000 years by the Calusa Indians. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, no pirate was more feared in the southern United States than Jose Gaspar. History Gattuso will keep them busy on Useppa and across Florida. All of it is built around the story of Gaspar. Strap yourself in for a wild ride and buy this international bestselling book today! He soon picked a good spot in Charlotte Harbor, and began to build his pirate kingdom. The pirate is one of the most notorious in the history of pirates. Here Lafitte had a very fair treasure distribution policy that everyone seemed to like. Dodge and Hardee get credit for creating Gasparilla, and Hardee and the krewe more so for crafting Gaspar's backstory (including giving him the first name Jose and a death date of 1821). Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. But Rodney Kite-Powell, a Tampa-Bay curator, doesn't believe that the legendary figure was even real. There has been a lot of permanent damage to archaeological sites due to the misinformation about buried treasure in prehistoric mounds, and pushing some aspects of this myth may lead to others following suit (leading to arrests and seizures as well as loss of cultural information). Enjoy. This location is said to be on the southern end at False Live Oak Point. (5) The first written version of Gasparilla appeared in an advertising brochure of the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad Co. printed in 1900. As promised here is the start of your Pirate Treasure stories. 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. Still, it was not very soon after that, that Tampa captured that myth," Kite-Powell said. The parade that follows is one of the largest in the country, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to Tampa Bay. The parade that follows is one of the largest in the country, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to Tampa Bay. No contemporaneous mention of his existence or achievements has ever been found in Spanish or American ship logs, court documents, newspapers, or other archives, and no tangible items associated with Gaspar have been unearthed in the area where he is said to have operated. He found a hillside where he buried 2 pirate chests filled with valuable metals and jewels. Tampa family finds pirate treasure in grandpa's attic Box found in Tampa attic has coins, a map, a hand and a mystery - WFLA News Channel 8 Share or comment on this article: Tampa family finds. 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. We have one with Gomez's name on it. Treasure hunter Todd Stager holds a machete on a wetland where him and a small group of treasure hunters believe lies lost treasure on the Peace River in Arcadia. A team of treasure hunters could be on the verge of unearthing the "world's largest treasure hoard," said to be worth over $20 billion. While doing some spring cleaning a few weeks ago, Maria Lopez made an unusual discovery in her grandfathers attic. "So, it's interesting how Tampa, in a sense, stole; we were pirates ourselves. Billy left the vast majority of his crew behind and sailed north to gather supplies to salvage his ship. CBS affiliate WPEC-TV reported that 43-year-old treasure hunter Jonah Martinez located the coins using a . However there are several problems with the story which have led many to question whether Gasparilla as he was known was a real historical figure. Jean Lafitte. 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. Many of the stories about Gasparilla were attributed to Juan Gomez. Gaspar's legend is one of a murderous, bloodthirsty swashbuckler who stole money from Spain, stole a ship, kidnapped a Spanish Princess, and left a trail of death and gold throughout the high seas. The team used metal detectors and shovels but didn't find anything. He spent nearly 30 years plundering ships in and around the gulf coast. As with any treasure hunting adventure, be sure and obtain permission from any applicable parties before your hunt begins. Photos show a centuries-old shipwreck found off Colombia's coast carrying lost treasure worth billions of dollars, including gold coins and emeralds. ", The story said Gaspar hid in the Charlotte Harbor area, and "while taking the census of 1900, two gentlemen stopped at Panther Key and spent the night with *John Gomez. 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. It appears Philip Gosse got the story from Bradlee's book. Canny readers will already recognize a certain romantic streak in these stories. Canceled2021 Gasparilla Pirate Festival / Date If the legend is true, Gasparilla was extremely successful and plundered more than 400 ships. A treasure said to be worth $30 million. A band of pirates in Wisconsin operated out of a cave on Hermit island. When it comes to spring cleaning, its always nice to have a spare hand to help. The city of Tampa hosts a Gasparilla Day each year. The legend of pirate Jose Gaspar, or Gasparilla as he is sometimes known, is shrouded in mystery. I have never found any real evidence he lived. However, even from the first we run into different versions of the story. Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by, Jose Gaspar is not the only mythical pirate character that has. There is another treasure said to be buried on Kelly Island in Delaware by James Gillian, a member of Kidds crew. It was a simple wooden box, but inside were fascinating (and macabre) clues to a family mystery. Oak Island the Strange, the Bizarre, and Maybe the "Truth! Wikipedia, 2022. "Either my great-grandfather made the best, most elaborate pirate hoax ever and never shared it with anyone or he really did find some treasure on the Hillsborough River. 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. . The Real Treasure Hunters have come a long way from social media in their hunt for the treasure of Jose Gaspar in the Peace River. 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. There have been many stories told of treasure Captain Kidd buried back in America. 1. Some records give him the honor of being what we would call an admiral. He finally returned with his wife to find all but a handful of his crew had died. The San Jose, a Spanish treasure ship, was attacked and sunk by a British warship in June 1708. He wished to return to America to retrieve this treasure after Kidds execution but he never made it back. The poem, maps, comments from other searchers, and other guides to finding the treasure are online and easy to find. Available at: https://ymkg.com/the-legend-of-jose-gasparilla/. According to Floridian folklore, Gaspar was a fearsome pirate that operated out of a secret base in southwest Florida in the late 18th and early 19th . Overview. All rights reserved. Hitting the scene in the early 1800s Billy Bowlegs Rogers was a pirate to be reckoned with. This action helped turn opinion of Lafitte from villain to hero. He has written for 8 years in a variety of fields including history, health and politics. The coins are believed to be 18th century Spanish and Portuguese coins and the ring on the hand's is expected to be from around the same time period. What you don't expect to find is treasure. Magnet fishing is a hobby that is quickly increasing in popularity with good reason. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Legend has it that Gasparilla spotted a huge ship sailing in the distance. You'll need a boat or kayak for this cache. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. From seashells to lost treasure, this shop has it all. The legend of Gaspar was first recorded in promotional materials for this Boca Grande Hotel. Around noon on the Gasparilla Day, members of YMKG set sail across Tampa Bay from near Ballast Point Park to downtown aboard the Jose Gasparilla, a 165' long flat . "I'm considering it," he said with a big smile. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. ", "Jose Gaspar, from my understanding, was a name that was made up by Ye Mystic Krewe, which they tied to Gasparilla, which was tied to the railroad pamphlet that you're talking about, which that is not real. He successfully captured a few ships during his years long voyage. Tyrons Landing located between the towns of Wethersfield and Naubuc. So are you juiced up and just caught the gold fever? A few years later, he fell out of favor with the government and turned to a life of piracy. 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.
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