While Gaspar chained the anchor of his ship to his waist and dove into the water to avoid giving the enemy the satisfaction of killing him, Gmez lived to tell the tale. Story continues below video. Who has not heard the rumor which has been going on in St. Augustine that Six Flags is coming to St. Johns County and will be constructed off of State Road 206? 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. By clicking Accept Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. The pirate is one of the most notorious in the history of pirates. We're back to the hotel brochure. Though that treasure has never been discovered, the story of the swashbuckling Gaspar was unearthed and his memory revived in 1904 when Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla was formed and adopted the pirate as patron rogue of their city . Mike Lopez tells WFLA that his sister was. Leaving Spain at an early age, he sailed to the West Coast of Florida. He has written for 8 years in a variety of fields including history, health and politics. Gasparilla 2023: The pirate party master list. To learn more, visit our. Always being on the run from mercenaries, armies, navies, and any and all other law enforcement agencies of the day, often resulted in the necessity to hide their riches. Canceled2021 Gasparilla Pirate Festival / Date 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. For whatever reason, burial of chests laden with gold and jewels seems to be the norm, but is there any pirate treasure left? His fleet would capture vessels at sea, and take all the goods back to Galveston. Whether the coins are authentic or not, Mike thinks the hand is real, and may belong to Jose Gaspar himself. Have you ever hunted a treasure story? | Friendly Metal Detecting Forum Find the treasure, don't report it, melt it down or sell it on the black market using a different name. He told of the looting of ships, the massacre of innocents, and last of all, when his life had nearly passed, he told the story of 'The Little Spanish Princess,' whose name he did not remember. Dropa Stones: Are They 12,000 Year Old Discs? Having spent some time here, Blackbeard built a fort near a swamp west of Charleston. It is said that he buried a multitude of treasure along the Pamlico Sound and on Bluff Point. The Gasparilla Inn was a hotel on the island. However, like Billy Bowlegs, Jose Gaspar the lack of historical evidence suggests he never existed.21 Although most Tampa residents and several books claim Jose Gaspar was authentic, so far no documentation has proven he was real.22 The Gasparilla Pirate Festival started in 1904, and since it started a full fifty years before the Billy Bowlegs . He found a hillside where he buried 2 pirate chests filled with valuable metals and jewels. It's a Small size geocache, with difficulty of 3.5, terrain of 5. There are many differing versions about the pirates origins and life, but there is no real historical evidence that he ever existed. The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure is a gripping, heart-pounding action adventure that's akin to a modern-day Indiana Jones story. So it is a huge, huge draw for people to come to Tampa.". The most notorious and successful pirate was Jose Gaspar, better known as Gasparilla. Some more information on the cruise of the USS, I did not find a reference to Gaspar in Gardner Allen's, I was always Told Jose Gaspar, was also known as Juan Gomez. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. You must log in or register to reply here. "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. Just a salty pirate looking to explore and document the wonders of the Caribbean. They took the box to a few antique stores around Tampa and the contents were described as "gruesome and authentic.". Lets do this. He then sailed back across the world, landing on what we now know as our home of Tampa Bay. 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. We have seven maps.". All had been going along fine for Gasparilla until the year 1822. "They were the ones that profited from the story to attract visitors to their new train stop and hotel (Gasparilla Inn)," Crystal Diff, Executive Director of the Boca Grande Historical Society and History Center, wrote in an email. Jose Gaspar Treasure Co | Flagler Beach, FL 32136 History Gattuso will keep them busy on Useppa and across Florida. Mysterious box containing a map, coins and a mummified hand found in Tampa Bay attic. Jos Gaspar allegedly lived between 1756 and 1821 and was based on southwest Florida, on the edge of the Gulf of Mexico. Photos: Treasure Including Spanish Gold Found on Colombia Shipwreck Perhaps this suggested location is merely a case in mistaken identity. He spoke to local TV news network WFLA about the discovery, and the story kept getting stranger. 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. Jos Gaspar, also known by his nickname Gasparilla , is an apocryphal Spanish pirate who terrorized the Gulf of Mexico from his base in southwest Florida during Florida's second Spanish period . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Charlotte Harbor is an ideal spot to go treasure hunting. He was wanted until 1815 when opinion of him changed. In Polish origin the meaning of name Gaspar is : Treasure keeper Spanish Meaning : The name Gaspar is an Spanish baby name. jose gaspar, coins, and treasuremap found. We will discuss a few of them here. The story of the famed pirate may have been the tall tale of a U.S. naval officer. What he thought was a British cargo ship turned out to be the USS Enterprise, on a mission to end piracy. You'll need a boat or kayak for this cache. Lesser and Greater Antilles / Windward and Leeward Islands What is What? One such account concerns Maria Louise, a lovely Spanish princess, who was returning to Spain after a journey to Mexico with 11 Mexican princesses who were to be educated and married in Spain. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, no pirate was more feared in the southern United States than Jose Gaspar. What you don't expect to find is treasure. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad Company are said to have distributed the brochures. He would even compensate for injuries if they were sustained while obtaining cargo from another ship. The story states that Rogers discovered these lost tunnels and used them to store his treasure. Though details about his early life, motivations, and piratical exploits differ in various tellings, they agree that the 'Last of the Buccaneers" was a remarkably active pirate who amassed a huge . They took the box to a few antique stores. A Beginners Guide to Magnet Fishing: 15 Sure Fire Tips. Our knowledge of Jean and his brother Pierre begins in the early 1800s. This story seems to border on the outer limits, but a local historian doesnt believe that the hand belongs to the famed pirate. 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. Old Hand Found In Florida Attic With Coins And Treasure Map. Answer: True This is an area where the stories of Gaspar are for once consistent. Though he is a popular figure in Florida folklore, no evidence of his existence appears in writing before the early 20th century. But the idea of a pirate named Gasparilla (or some variant) goes way back. When Jose Gaspar died, he supposedly left an untold fortune in buried treasure somewhere along the Florida coast. According to historians, it was a real man named Juan "Panther John" Gomez from Gasparilla Island, or as he was known locally, John, or Panther Key John. The map is estimated to be from the 1930s and shows the Tampa area. This allegedly infuriated the young lady who devised a plan to essentially frame Gaspar for stealing some jewels. Youll read about many that are hidden and a few that were found, so it can happen. The team found a few nails, a beer can, and a screw during this hunt. The race of the old buccaneer was nearly run, but all through that night, he told a story of piracy that could scarce be believed, yet it was a dying man that was clearing his soul before his Maker. During this time a woman of the royal family, rumored to be the kings daughter-in-law sought the attention of this young naval officer. Inside was a tattered map of the Hillsborough River, century-old coins, a family picture and a hand wearing a ring. Oak Island the Strange, the Bizarre, and Maybe the "Truth! Ye be walkin the plank if ye so think. Deleware holds one more possibility around Woodland Beach. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. According to some versions of the story, Gaspar started as a troubled adolescent who kidnapped a little girl for ransom. The tale of pirate captain Jos Gaspar who, according to the stories, ravaged the west coast of Spanish Florida for 40 years is the inspiration for a bombastic plundering that continues from 1905. 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. What year did Gasparilla start? Some records give him the honor of being what we would call an admiral. There are at least 3 different locations said to hold his riches in Connecticut. In it, she introduced herself and wrote that her parents were. In 1897, he purchased land at Boca Grande, an island outpost. 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. Tales of love and marriage, an aristocratic captain with nobility in his crew, a handsome and debonair adventurer: all these stories seem too good to be true. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. But treasure hunters believe there is truth in his tall tale, and buried treasure is out there. Definitely try, Find our recommended Caribbean hotels, restaurants, charters, & tours. "You'll hear more of us, you know; we'll do this until we're old and, you know, can't do it anymore.". Go find it, unbury it, take tons of pictures, bury it back again, and prove to the world that you found it. He wished to return to America to retrieve this treasure after Kidds execution but he never made it back. One day Gasparilla prepared to attack a merchantman, but to his surprise, it turned out to be a United States man-of-war. Later that fall, he captured a large French slave ship bound for some sugar plantations. Named for legendary pirate, Jose Gaspar, who terrorized the coastal waters of West Florida during the 18th and early 19th centuries, Tampa Bay's destination-wide annual Gasparilla celebration kicks off each January with a full schedule of exciting pirate-themed events. Another logical location said to hide this cache of valuables is in South Carolina. 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 . Email him at elcompa29@gmail.com. Rumor has it, that the stolen goods are still hidden somewhere on the island. There is a new book out "Pirates of Southwest Florida, Fact and Legend" by James F. and Sarah Jane Kaserman that debunks some of the stories of Gasparilla. 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. A Net Inceptions project. Box allegedly containing Gaspars hand and related items Photo Credit. The parade that follows is one of the largest in the country, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to Tampa Bay. https://www.cultofweird.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/pirate-treasure-hand.jpg, https://www.cultofweird.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/cultofweird-new-logo.png, Mysterious Pirate Treasure Box Found in Tampa Bay Attic, February 17, 2023 - 9:45 pm by dEBRINA bLACKMOON. 15 Lost Treasures People Actually Found | TheRichest