Treasure hunter Stacey Hunt holds an old nail found under the ground on a wetland believed to have lost treasure. 11 The Cuerdale Treasures- $2.6 Million. This is the spot for all of your seaside decorating needs. Professional blogger, rum judge, consultant, marketer, and consumer of blue water beauty. His fleet would capture vessels at sea, and take all the goods back to Galveston. (386) 439-3061. We have seven maps.". 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. Plundering the high seas and ports alike resulted in vast riches for some of these ruthless criminals. Shopping, Gift & Specialty Shops. By Geoff Dobson. Just a salty pirate looking to explore and document the wonders of the Caribbean. We" more 2. According to some versions of the story, Gaspar started as a troubled adolescent who kidnapped a little girl for ransom. Who created the man who is now a legend? So where did Blackbeard hide his treasures? Some of the add-ons on this site are powered by, Jose Gaspar is not the only mythical pirate character that has. The pirate, whose full name is Jos Gaspar, is a legend from the 18th and 19th century. All rights reserved. Inside was a tattered map of the Hillsborough River, century-old coins, a family picture and a hand wearing a ring. So are you juiced up and just caught the gold fever? The final and perhaps most intriguing possibility is around the Spanish Fort San Carlos in Pensacola. Marias brother Mike believes the couple in the photo may be their great grandparents, Eve and Ernesto Lopez. The choice of the navy career wasn't courage and thirst for adventure on the part of Jose but an expediency of the moment. Not being able to pass up this giant score, he pursed the ship that was flying a British flag. He remembers their grandfather telling stories when they were children of Ernesto finding the treasure of Tampa Bay pirate legend Jose Gaspar. So it would seem that Gasparilla is a fiction, no more real a figure than Mickey Mouse. Gaspar was a rebel from an aristocratic upbringing. 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. Pirate Blackbeard entered the history books in the early 1700s. The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure is a gripping, heart-pounding action adventure that's akin to a modern-day Indiana Jones story. He then sailed back across the world, landing on what we now know as our home of Tampa Bay. Gasparilla fell in love with Jeffries while on land, but she informed him that she had fallen in love with one of his crew, Batista Fuentes, a handsome and well-educated man from a famous family. For one, there is no evidence of his pirate empire. The Search For The Real Captain Morgan. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". His work appears here every third Monday; the views expressed. 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. He spoke to local TV news network WFLA about the discovery, and the story kept getting stranger. Save. Seeing the writing on the wall, he decided to scuttle his own ship and hide with his crew in the forrest. 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. Much of his treasure was carried to him up the Peace River. Dropa Stones: Are They 12,000 Year Old Discs? Some say it reveals compass bearings around Lettuce Lake. I'm here writing on Treasureunknown to provide helpful resources so others can get out and enjoy the thrill of the hunt! These tunnels converged into a large chamber underground. Lesser and Greater Antilles / Windward and Leeward Islands What is What? He was most likely a sailor for the English Navy who became unemployed and turned to a life of piracy. 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. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Ye be walkin the plank if ye so think. They gave him a first name, Jose Gaspar, and they really gave him the full backstory to create that in 1904. The Gaspar myth in the very beginning was tied to the Charlotte Harbor area. Canny readers will already recognize a certain romantic streak in these stories. He supposedly buried large amounts of treasures on the islands around the bay. Contributing columnist Jose Gaspar is a news anchor/reporter for Telemundo Bakersfield and KGET. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. His ship was scuttled in the battle sending the valuables to the bottom of the ocean. Friendly down to earth staff. He claimed to be one of the few crew members to escape a fateful attack by American pirate hunting schooner USS Enterprise in 1821. Rogers is said to have hidden huge amounts of gold and silver bars worth a fortune today. Some speculate that this is remnants of Rogers great treasure. Many of the stories about Gasparilla were attributed to Juan Gomez. When he was wrongfully arrested, he hijacked a ship and fled, promising to seek revenge on his homeland. Overview. No Result Found. This is believed to be part of the bribe money given to the owner. He renamed this ship Queen Anns Revenger which gave him one of the largest fleets on the East coast of America and Caribbean. I love this place built around 1640 . 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 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. 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. The battle raged and the story goes that as Jose Gaspar realized the inevitable, he stood on the bow of the ship and stated something like Gaspar dies by his own hands. Lopez wasn't a fan of pirates when he was growing up. He did what all retired people do in Florida he fell ill one day and died. Millions of dollars have been found literally lying in front of people's feet, the world's beaches. ", Pirate treasure in grandpa's attic includes human hand. 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. Many believe it is Edward Teach, but some claim it is Edward Thatch. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The story of the famed pirate may have been the tall tale of a U.S. naval officer. These recommended links below will help you save money and book your trip: We use all the companies listed here or on the resource page. It's part of our family now.". He finally returned with his wife to find all but a handful of his crew had died. Email him at elcompa29@gmail.com. Caesar was forced to push his pirate pack north to the Gulf of Mexico. The poem, maps, comments from other searchers, and other guides to finding the treasure are online and easy to find. Jose Gaspar commandeered the 'Floridablanca', the ship upon which he was serving, to commence his life of piracy. Gaspar is presented as dignified, noble in heart and rich and titled in some versions. Stingy Jack and the History of the Jack-o-Lantern, The Varangians: Viking Conquerors turned Byzantium Honor Guard, The Secret Necropolis of Ancient Varna and the First Goldsmiths. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, no pirate was more feared in the southern United States than Jose Gaspar. Once he was a few hundred meters away, the British flag came down and the American flag rose up the mast. It's light on history and heavy on action, suspense, and intrigue. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. When Jose Gaspar died, he supposedly left an untold fortune in buried treasure somewhere along the Florida coast. You are using an out of date browser. will support that mission. "We go after Juan Gomez because everything, all the treasures and everything we've come through, is tied to him. Treasure hunter and researcher Lauren Gattuso sits on the boat as it heads toward an area where her and a small group of treasure hunters believe lies lost treasure. Lots of shells and jewelry and other gifts. The Gasparilla Inn was a hotel on the island. He was said to have been extremely active for many years, attacking merchant ships and evading justice, and in this time he won himself a huge fortune. His men, who numbered in the hundreds, also buried their smaller caches on these islands. The story states that Rogers discovered these lost tunnels and used them to store his treasure. When a ship was taken, the people aboard were not immediately murdered but instead offered the option of dying or joining Gasparillas crew. Website. Jose Gaspar Treasure 2119 N Ocean Shore Blvd Flagler Beach FL 32136 (386) 439-3061 Claim this business (386) 439-3061 Website More Directions Advertisement Photos See More Hours Wed: 11am - 5pm Thu: 11am - 5pm Fri: 11am - 5pm Sat: 11am - 5pm Sun: 12pm - 5pm Website Take me there Jewelers Nice Shell Shop. Most of the suspected locations are in and around the state of Florida. Aged Rum. A few years later, he fell out of favor with the government and turned to a life of piracy. Go find it, unbury it, take tons of pictures, bury it back again, and prove to the world that you found it. Many say he buried treasure here during this time. With the help of the Prime Minster she was able to convincingly spread this rumor leading to Gaspars impending arrest by the king. (story from treasurelore.com). In 1897, he purchased land at Boca Grande, an island outpost. I have never found any real evidence he lived. What year did Gasparilla start? Here Lafitte had a very fair treasure distribution policy that everyone seemed to like. A Beginners Guide to Magnet Fishing: 15 Sure Fire Tips. ", The story of Gaspar begins in 1782; the brochure states, "he stood high in the graces of the Spanish Court, so high indeed that he niched the crown jewels. He quickly worked his way up the ranks of the Spanish Navy and became an officer. Jose Gaspar, the legendary buccaneer who inspired Tampa's Gasparilla Pirate Festival, as well as fantastic tales of lost treasure, most likely never really existed. Our Florida pirate "Jose Gaspar enters history's scene in Spain where he was born in the year 1756 and started adult life with a career in the Spanish Navy, serving aboard the warship Floridablanca. If we find that buried treasure together, we can split the booty among all of our readers and we never have to work again. This state also holds another possible location on the banks of Blackbird Creek. By booking through these links, the small commission we earn helps us bring you more Caribbean content so that you can save money and have a better island vacation. My grandfather had a book on all these when I was younger. 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. Rumors take on a life of their own and ultimately cause hurt or expense. 1 Review #9 of 11 Shopping in Flagler Beach. This location is said to be on the southern end at False Live Oak Point. In it, she introduced herself and wrote that her parents were. Latest Blog . This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The men were executed but Gomez was to be the final survivor of this piratical outfit. In this time Spain controlled a huge swathe of the Americas and Gaspar grew rich. He met and married his wife in New York and had 2 daughters.
