Captain Kidd and Money Island LbNA #67996 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Reepicheep  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Dec 31, 2014 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Pine Beach |
| County: | Ocean |
| State: | New Jersey |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | MikeMD3 |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Apr 4, 2015 |
| Status: | FFar |
| Last edited: | Dec 31, 2014 |
6/21/15: UNFORTUNATELY, THE BOX IS GONE. WILL REPLACE SOON.
Captain William Kidd, 1645-1701, was a Scottish sailor. He was commissioned by the King of England as a privateer to hunt pirates and enemy French ships. Back then, many privateers gradually became pirates themselves. Through his life, Kidd sailed to Africa, the Indian Ocean and up and down the eastern coast of America, plundering and amassing a fortune along the way. He probably wasn’t a great sea captain. A pirate, Robert Culliford, stole his ship in the Caribbean. Years later, Kidd’s crew abandoned him in Madagascar to join with that very same Culliford. The Royal Navy impressed another of his crews when they refused to salute a passing Naval vessel and instead turned and slapped their backsides in defiance. Eventually the crown and his financial backers turned on him, and he himself was captured as a pirate in Boston. He was sent to England, where he was tried, convicted and hanged for murder.
A few days before his execution, Kidd put pen to paper and wrote to Robert Harley, Speaker of the House of Commons, offering to take a party to the location of his buried treasure in return for his life. His offer was refused. The story of Kidd’s secret treasure cache immediately became legendary, and many stories were told and songs sang about Kidd’s fabulous hidden treasure in the dockside taverns frequented by sea rovers throughout the world. Writings, such as Edgar Allan Poe’s The Gold Bug and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, furthered Kidd’s legend and inflamed quests to find his buried treasure.
Kidd’s effectiveness as a privateer or pirate can be debated. But legends of his treasure still live on. Even today, treasure seekers dig in places thought to have a connection with Kidd. While some of these places include Nova Scotia, Long Island and Connecticut, many focus on New Jersey, which holds a special place in Kidd’s life. His wife was the daughter of a wealthy landowner in Monmouth County. His ship frequently harbored in the Raritan Bay. Many of his pirate mates were from New Jersey, including one Moses Butterworth from Middletown, who was arrested for piracy but escaped when a mob of 50 residents stormed his jail days before his trial and set him free.
Although many places in New Jersey have been touted as the site of Kidd's hidden treasure, three have a particularly strong claim. One site is Cape May, where pirate and other ships often stopped because it was a source of fresh water. Another possible location is Sandy Hook, near where Kidd anchored on his final voyage in Raritan Bay. A third area is a small finger of land jutting into the Toms River, just west (and in the lee) of Island Heights and well protected from any marauding ships or Royal Navy that might have been sailing in the ocean or Barnegat Bay. This area became known as “Money Island” (even though it technically isn’t an island) because of what may have been buried there.
Money Island may have been inhabited by pirates in the late 1600s, but today it is populated by residential homes and the Toms River Yacht Club. A great place to view Money Island is across the river in Pine Beach, NJ. On Riverside Ave, between Hillside and Midland, there is a new pier and gazebo with parking. Look directly across the river from the gazebo – this island with the high hill is Money Island. The height of the hill would have afforded Kidd an excellent opportunity to hide his ship from the Barnegat Bay. Toms River Yacht Club is on the right end – at 60-degrees. Further east at 100-degrees is Island Heights, with its mansions on high bluffs and wrap-around boardwalk – a worthwhile walking destination if you have time. By the way, on the other side of the road is a rise with a monument marked by a flag. This commemorates the site of what was the Admiral Farragut Academy, America’s first college prep school with naval training. The academy began in 1910 and operated until 1994, when it was closed and razed to make room for a development of large, upscale houses.
To get to the box: Go west of the pier/gazebo and walk a few yards along the water until you get to a wooden “wall”. The box is hidden at the 8th piling from the water. Then enjoy the walk along the river.
Captain William Kidd, 1645-1701, was a Scottish sailor. He was commissioned by the King of England as a privateer to hunt pirates and enemy French ships. Back then, many privateers gradually became pirates themselves. Through his life, Kidd sailed to Africa, the Indian Ocean and up and down the eastern coast of America, plundering and amassing a fortune along the way. He probably wasn’t a great sea captain. A pirate, Robert Culliford, stole his ship in the Caribbean. Years later, Kidd’s crew abandoned him in Madagascar to join with that very same Culliford. The Royal Navy impressed another of his crews when they refused to salute a passing Naval vessel and instead turned and slapped their backsides in defiance. Eventually the crown and his financial backers turned on him, and he himself was captured as a pirate in Boston. He was sent to England, where he was tried, convicted and hanged for murder.
A few days before his execution, Kidd put pen to paper and wrote to Robert Harley, Speaker of the House of Commons, offering to take a party to the location of his buried treasure in return for his life. His offer was refused. The story of Kidd’s secret treasure cache immediately became legendary, and many stories were told and songs sang about Kidd’s fabulous hidden treasure in the dockside taverns frequented by sea rovers throughout the world. Writings, such as Edgar Allan Poe’s The Gold Bug and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, furthered Kidd’s legend and inflamed quests to find his buried treasure.
Kidd’s effectiveness as a privateer or pirate can be debated. But legends of his treasure still live on. Even today, treasure seekers dig in places thought to have a connection with Kidd. While some of these places include Nova Scotia, Long Island and Connecticut, many focus on New Jersey, which holds a special place in Kidd’s life. His wife was the daughter of a wealthy landowner in Monmouth County. His ship frequently harbored in the Raritan Bay. Many of his pirate mates were from New Jersey, including one Moses Butterworth from Middletown, who was arrested for piracy but escaped when a mob of 50 residents stormed his jail days before his trial and set him free.
Although many places in New Jersey have been touted as the site of Kidd's hidden treasure, three have a particularly strong claim. One site is Cape May, where pirate and other ships often stopped because it was a source of fresh water. Another possible location is Sandy Hook, near where Kidd anchored on his final voyage in Raritan Bay. A third area is a small finger of land jutting into the Toms River, just west (and in the lee) of Island Heights and well protected from any marauding ships or Royal Navy that might have been sailing in the ocean or Barnegat Bay. This area became known as “Money Island” (even though it technically isn’t an island) because of what may have been buried there.
Money Island may have been inhabited by pirates in the late 1600s, but today it is populated by residential homes and the Toms River Yacht Club. A great place to view Money Island is across the river in Pine Beach, NJ. On Riverside Ave, between Hillside and Midland, there is a new pier and gazebo with parking. Look directly across the river from the gazebo – this island with the high hill is Money Island. The height of the hill would have afforded Kidd an excellent opportunity to hide his ship from the Barnegat Bay. Toms River Yacht Club is on the right end – at 60-degrees. Further east at 100-degrees is Island Heights, with its mansions on high bluffs and wrap-around boardwalk – a worthwhile walking destination if you have time. By the way, on the other side of the road is a rise with a monument marked by a flag. This commemorates the site of what was the Admiral Farragut Academy, America’s first college prep school with naval training. The academy began in 1910 and operated until 1994, when it was closed and razed to make room for a development of large, upscale houses.
To get to the box: Go west of the pier/gazebo and walk a few yards along the water until you get to a wooden “wall”. The box is hidden at the 8th piling from the water. Then enjoy the walk along the river.