We've been far too busy and too obsessed with all things Medicare this week. So how about a daytrip. Living in Floriduh does have its benefits you know! Aside from retired folks, alligators, and hurricanes Florida is rich in TREASURE! That's right treasure of the yo ho ho and a bottle of rum type.
Many researchers and historians claim that Florida contains more buried and sunken treasures than any other state. They have also put a price tag on these treasures, which amounts to a cool $165 million ( and thats in 1964!!!!). Florida, like all other states, has a fascinating and romantic history. Seven different flags have flown over her, not to mention the black flag of the pirates. Florida became the haven of many notorious pirates, including Blackbeard, Lafitte, Gasparilla, Kidd, Rackham, Bowlegs, Bonnett, and possibly even Morgan himself. They roamed the waters of the Caribbean Sea, and captured every ship in sight. Often, they brought their loot back to Florida, and buried it on some lonely shore. When they finally died, the location of their hidden wealth died with them. The majority of all buried treasure in Florida is the work of pirates.
Florida has already yielded hundreds of lost treasures to many happy people. Among these are: A chest containing $25,000 in Mexican gold was found on Grassy Key. Miami has yielded some buried treasure. A road crew while building a new road near Cocoa found thirteen chests of treasure. $70,000 in silver coins were discovered on Lower Matecumbe Key, plus another 61 gold pieces were found by fishermen there. Dozens of pirate caches have been found on the West Coast of Florida. Millions of dollars have already been salvaged from the Spanish galleons off Florida. Some of these sunken treasures can be seen at Art McKee’s Sunken Treasure Museum on Plantation Key. This is only a small sample of what has been unearthed and salvaged in Florida.
The Story of The 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet
On July 31st, 1715 a hurricane struck the Florida coast, sinking 10 of the 11 ships that made up the plate fleet of 1715. The plate fleets carried the Quinto, or royal fifth, a 20 percent tax on gold, silver and other valuables traded in new world.
The loss of the 1715 plate fleet was probably the largest loss of treasure at sea in all of maritime history.
A beachcomber named Kip Wagner, a resident of Sebastian Creek on the Florida coast, walking the shore after a major storm discovered a coral encrusted lump of coins, all dated 1714.
At the library of congress, Kelso found a book called A Concise Natural History of East and West Florida, by Bernard Romans. Written in 1775, only 60 years after the destruction of the plate fleet of 1715, Romans had visited Sebastian Creek and learned the exact location of the wrecked fleet from the natives who lived there:
"Opposite this river [Sebastian Creek], perished, the Admiral commanding the plate fleet of 1715, the rest of the fleet fourteen in number, between this and the bleach yard"
Armed with this new information, Kip Wagner took to the sea on an inflatable tire inner tube and immediately found the 1715 fleet, their cannon laid bare by the same storm that had washed up the clump of coins he had found on the beach.
After recruiting a team of divers (including a young Mel Fisher), salvage of the wrecks began in earnest, thousand of coins and artefacts worth countless millions of pounds were uncovered by Wagner's team.
Salvage operations continue at the site to this very day.
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Along the East coast of Florida you can find an enormous wealth of Spanish treasure on any given beach within a 10 mile stretch of Sea Grape Trail in Vero Beach. Mike Maguire was just that lucky in 1995 when he discovered a quarter million dollars worth of 1715 Fleet jewelry on the beach near Sea Grape Trail. Vero Beach has a beach site called Corrigan's known for its shipwrecked coins that are washed up on its sandy beaches from the doomed 1715 Plate Fleet. Mike Maguire was in the right place at the right time when he discovered a 24K solid gold jewelry box on the beach. When Mike opened the box he found 5 rings and a rosary. Don't feel like getting the old metal detector out and doing the "Treasure Coast Shuffle", but still want to share in the excitement of treasure hunting? Mike MacGuire is looking for investors click..here
For the definitive webpage on Florida Treasures, Florida's Fabulous Treasures is chock full of well ....treasures see more here
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