Buried Treasures in North America Blackbeard's Loot

About buried treasure in North America, history of Blackbeard's loot in Ocracoke Island and Plum point, account of previous searches and locations.

HANDY GUIDE TO BURIED TREASURE IN NORTH AMERICA

Blackbeard

The ferocious British pirate Edward Teach, of the 14 wives and pigtailed beard (which gave him the nickname Blackbeard), is supposed to have buried treasure in hundreds of places.

Ocracoke Island

How It Got There: In 1718 Blackbeard met his end and literally lost his head in a sea battle off Ocracoke Island, then his headquarters. The largest part of his treasure may be buried there, perhaps in Teach's Hole in a cove at the southern tip of the island.

How to Get There: Take Route 17 to Washington, N.C., or New Bern, N.C. Ocracoke Island, which must be reached by boat, lies in between Pamlico Sound and Raleigh Bay.

Isles of Shoals

How It Got There: Blackbeard used to rendezvous with his other pirate captains in this island group off the coast of New Hampshire. One story has it that Sandy Gordon, captain of the Flying Scot and a Blackbeard confederate, split the treasure taken from a Spanish galleon with his men while on Star Island, buried his portion of the loot on White Island, and left his girl friend Martha there to guard it. Soon after, he was killed in a battle with a British warship. On stormy nights, Martha's ghost supposedly haunts the island, which would lead the gullible to believe that the treasure is still there. (Another version of this story places Teach's 14th wife on the island.)

Previous Searches: Capt. Sam Haley found five silver ingots on Smuttynose Island, and pieces of eight are supposedly buried near the Smuttynose breakwater. During W.W.II, people living on Londoner Island saw government officials searching the crescent-shaped beach facing Star Island with radio locators and probes. In the 1950s, various newspapers printed aerial photographs that allegedly showed that metal, probably precious, was present on one of the islands. A company was established to hunt for treasure there, but nothing came of it.

The residents of the Isles of Shoals are willing to split the treasure 50-50 with anyone who will provide the capital needed to buy equipment for the search.

How to Get There: The Isles of Shoals lie off Rye Beach on the New Hampshire coast.

Plum Point

How It Got There: During his shady career, Blackbeard built a house on Plum Point. In 1716 he and his men were seen burying an iron chest in a low, sandy place not far from the house.

Previous Searches: For years, people dug for the legendary iron chest. Then in 1928 two trappers found near an ancient tree a large hole which contained an empty vault made of old-fashioned bricks. From impressions left in the mortar in the vault, it was clear that a chest had once rested there. Even the grooves made by the iron straps that had bound the chest could be seen clearly. No one knows who dug the chest up.

How to Get There: Plum Point is a narrow neck of land in Beaufort County, N.C., where Bath Creek joins the Pamlico River. Look at the end of the point on the sea side of the marsh.

Other Places to Look

Under the Blackbeard Tree on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas; on the island of Trinidad off the coast of Brazil; under a huge walnut tree in Burlington, N.J.; on Ossabaw Island, Ga.; in Blackbeard's house in Elizabeth City, N.C.

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