Fun to try and figure out where they might be. Geo
A few miles south of Hartford is the reputed burial site of a pirate treasure. There is a well-authenticated story that Captain William Kidd buried two chests of gold, silver, and jewels somewhere in the area.
His sloop has been anchored for a while off Oyster Bay on Long Island. He slipped the hook one dark night, sailed to the mouth of the Connecticut River, and continued upstream. On a small peninsula jutting into the river near what is now the town of Weatherford on the west bank, and the town of Naubuc on the east bank, Kidd went ashore. He selected a hillside and buried the chests.
Kidd then returned to Oyster Bay. His wife and a lawyer, James Emmot, whom he had sent for, came on board. On Emmots promise to defend him against charges of piracy, Kidd agreed to surrender in Boston. He was at first allowed his freedom, but on July 6, 1699, he was arrested and confined in chains. Kidd was then sent to London for trial and subsequently hanged.
Kidd had told Emmot where the chests were buried and asked him to dig them up for the benefit of his wife. However, Emmot waited until after Kidds execution before trying to recover the treasure. He then found the markers but not the treasure. Thinking that Kidd had double-crossed him, Emmot revealed the secret location before his death.
Narrowing the search area enough so that metal detectors could be used hinges on careful research. The area was practically wilderness in 1699, with no towns or settlements of any kind, just primeval forests reaching to the waters edge. Moreover, the river has changed course many times since Kidd died.
A few miles south of Hartford is the reputed burial site of a pirate treasure. There is a well-authenticated story that Captain William Kidd buried two chests of gold, silver, and jewels somewhere in the area.
His sloop has been anchored for a while off Oyster Bay on Long Island. He slipped the hook one dark night, sailed to the mouth of the Connecticut River, and continued upstream. On a small peninsula jutting into the river near what is now the town of Weatherford on the west bank, and the town of Naubuc on the east bank, Kidd went ashore. He selected a hillside and buried the chests.
Kidd then returned to Oyster Bay. His wife and a lawyer, James Emmot, whom he had sent for, came on board. On Emmots promise to defend him against charges of piracy, Kidd agreed to surrender in Boston. He was at first allowed his freedom, but on July 6, 1699, he was arrested and confined in chains. Kidd was then sent to London for trial and subsequently hanged.
Kidd had told Emmot where the chests were buried and asked him to dig them up for the benefit of his wife. However, Emmot waited until after Kidds execution before trying to recover the treasure. He then found the markers but not the treasure. Thinking that Kidd had double-crossed him, Emmot revealed the secret location before his death.
Narrowing the search area enough so that metal detectors could be used hinges on careful research. The area was practically wilderness in 1699, with no towns or settlements of any kind, just primeval forests reaching to the waters edge. Moreover, the river has changed course many times since Kidd died.
