When it comes to spring cleaning, its always nice to have a spare hand to help. Just pick any island and start digging, because Gasparillas loot is buried on many of them, including Cayo Pelau. St. Vincent Island off the coast of Florida is said to have been an island frequented by early pirates. The family thinks the hand belongs to famous Tampa Bay pirate Jose Gaspar. Definitely try, Find our recommended Caribbean hotels, restaurants, charters, & tours. Lopez wasn't a fan of pirates when he was growing up. He supposedly buried large amounts of treasures on the islands around the bay. What he thought was a British cargo ship turned out to be the USS Enterprise, on a mission to end piracy. A Tampa, Florida family going through their grandparent's attic made an interesting discovery: a treasure map, some coins, and an old human hand! These tunnels converged into a large chamber underground. This is extremely suspect as this is the same location rumored to hide the treasure of Billy Bowlegs Rogers. There is not much known about his adventures in Florida but there is rumors of him hiding a large treasure around Choctawatchee Bay. However, he spotted a British merchant ship and could not resist one final prize. 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. According to the story, Gaspar had underestimated the USS Enterprise as an easy target. A Net Inceptions project. From a four-mile long parade of pirates and period memorabilia on display, to specialty packages and a waterfront half . His treasure might have been on the ship with him during this battle. Gasparilla 2023: The pirate party master list. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He enjoyed telling stories about his adventures on the high seas and a large amount of Gasparillas treasure that was never discovered. There are a few pirates who may have hidden treasure at this spot, including Billy. He apparently helped repeal a British Invasion on New Orleans. wtfflorida.com/information/gaspars-lost-treasure/. "Maybe my great-grandparents were pirates," Mike Lopez said. First of all there was a Spanish Catholic missionary named Gasparillo that had a mission on the island that bears his name. He has taken his place in local folklore and culture and has an annual festival in his honor. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Most, if not all, historians agree the pirate named Jose Gaspar never existed. But they know long-lost treasures and artifacts are out there. He quickly worked his way up the ranks of the Spanish Navy and became an officer. Michael Gattuso lends a hand to his wife Lauren as they dock on a wetland on the Peace River in Arcadia. Or they were always togahter. Gilchrist intended to turn the area into a community. Debbie gave us a great tip to hide the tooth in the sand and make our son think he found it. Is this the hand and treasure of Jose Gaspar? 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. This location is said to be on the southern end at False Live Oak Point. We've been chasing his treasures. One of his ships has been discovered in the waters off of North Carolina and definitely proven to belong to Blackbeard. Story continues below video. All of it is built around the story of Gaspar. Millions of dollars have been found literally lying in front of people's feet, the world's beaches. New Castle Island in Delaware is said to house treasure hidden by pirates from Madagascar in 1699. We thought that was awesome. Perhaps this suggested location is merely a case in mistaken identity. We" more 2. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. At The Jose Gaspar Treasure Co. visitors and locals can find treasures of all kinds. Before deciding to pursue this ship, Gaspar left some of his men behind with the treasure. Rogers is said to have hidden huge amounts of gold and silver bars worth a fortune today. It is said that he buried a multitude of treasure along the Pamlico Sound and on Bluff Point. Marias brother Mike believes the couple in the photo may be their great grandparents, Eve and Ernesto Lopez. This particular lost treasure consists of a bunch of silver coins, ingots and even pieces of jewelry. "We do have some treasure maps, and we're working on them," Gattuso said. Jean Lafitte. Leaving soon? But, now? What we do know is that he is considered a hero to some and a villain to others. Before we get to the treasure hunt, let's touch on the historical background of Jose Gaspar and how a now infamous fictitious pirate became a Tampa legend. There has been a lot of permanent damage to archaeological sites due to the misinformation about buried treasure in prehistoric mounds, and pushing some aspects of this myth may lead to others following suit (leading to arrests and seizures as well as loss of cultural information). (4) The person who gets most of the credit for the Gasparilla myth is John Gomez who drowned around 1900 at the age of 122. The first written account of Gaspar was written in 1900 when the Charlotte . Oak Island the Strange, the Bizarre, and Maybe the "Truth! Jos Gaspar, known by his nickname Gasparilla (supposedly lived c. 1756 - 1821), was a purported Spanish pirate, the "last of the Buccaneer s," who is claimed to have raided the west coast of Florida during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. However there are several problems with the story which have led many to question whether Gasparilla as he was known was a real historical figure. 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 . CBS affiliate WPEC-TV reported that 43-year-old treasure hunter Jonah Martinez located the coins using a . While doing some spring cleaning a few weeks ago, Maria Lopez made an unusual discovery in her grandfathers attic. When Jose Gaspar died, he supposedly left an untold fortune in buried treasure somewhere along the Florida coast. The experts dont believe that their find is a real treasure map or that the legend of Gaspar is anything more than children story or a folk tale that adds to the culture of the area. To learn more, visit our. The legend states that Gaspar terrorized the western coastal waters of Florida in the late 18th to early 19th century. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. Chasing Treasure: The myth of Gasparilla and the real-life man Juan Gomez. Canceled2021 Gasparilla Pirate Festival / Date Tales of pirate treasures are very difficult to substantiate due to many factors. Rumors take on a life of their own and ultimately cause hurt or expense. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. Pirate Blackbeard entered the history books in the early 1700s. I have never found any real evidence he lived. Josh is on a mission to find Jos Gaspar's hidden treasure. Lafitte was wanted by the US government for they deemed his acts as piracy, not privateering. https://wtfflorida.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/17-Oru-Para-Todos-Los-Santos-Part-1-Eleggua.mp3, Its gonna be really f*cking cold in Florida; impending snow, death, mayhem, Andrew Van Sickle assigned as prosecutor in the infamous shark case, Lets Make Florida Slightly Less Fucked Up, Alligator attacks Peace River swimmer in Arcadia, Florida Man Cuts off Gator Tail to Impress Girlfriend and Tries to Sell it to Neighbors, Traffic stop leads to meth arrest in Silver Springs. The pirate is one of the most notorious in the history of pirates. 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. It's light on history and heavy on action, suspense, and intrigue. Before we get to the treasure hunt, let's touch on the historical background of Jose Gaspar and how a now infamous fictitious pirate became a Tampa legend. Do you think there's buried treasure out there? Jose Gaspar (GC3FZAF) was created by seabreezedrive on 4/1/2012. Jose was also an officer of high standing in the naval affairs of the Spaniards. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Legend has it that Gasparilla spotted a huge ship sailing in the distance. Other possible locations of Kidds treasure include Maryland in Druid Park, and Money Island off the coast of Connecticut is also claimed to be used by Kidd. The latter two locations being the most logical. Interesting history topics are just a click away. Here is what we have been able to piece together about this controversial pirate. The parade that follows is one of the largest in the country, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to Tampa Bay. "But if you're gonna make up the myth, you know, go big, and so why not make him, you know, all pirates rolled into one and, you know, the baddest of them all," Rodney Kite-Powell, a historian at the Tampa Bay History Center and Director of the Touchstone Map Library said. All of it is built around the story of Gaspar. Just like most pirates, there is little known about his early life. Dodge and Hardee get credit for creating Gasparilla, and Hardee and the krewe more so for crafting Gaspar's backstory (including giving him the first name Jose and a death date of 1821). However his name and supposed deeds are still celebrated to this day, not least with the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival, which began in 1904 in Tampa, Florida, which honors his tale. In all, he buried 13 casks and chests of treasure in the vicinity of his headquarters. 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. 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 . He is even said to have buried treasure somewhere on the island near where the lighthouse now stands. He renamed this ship Queen Anns Revenger which gave him one of the largest fleets on the East coast of America and Caribbean. "Either my great-grandfather made the best, most elaborate pirate hoax ever and never shared it with anyone or he really did find some treasure on the Hillsborough River. A couple of his rancher buddies found him and buried him. The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure is a gripping, heart-pounding action adventure that's akin to a modern-day Indiana Jones story. They gave him a first name, Jose Gaspar, and they really gave him the full backstory to create that in 1904. Leaving Spain at an early age, he sailed to the West Coast of Florida. His methods were black and bloody, and he stands out among all the pirates who used Florida to bury their wealth.
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