Massachusetts Treasure Stories

[Westernlegend1]

Suffolk County

An Off Limits Treasure

Gallop’s Island is claimed to hold a buried treasure placed there by the pirate Avery. Some claim this treasure is a chest of diamonds, it has not been reported as ever being found, even with all the activity which has taken place in the past. The island is named after one of Boston Harbor’s first pilots who actually took up residence there. There was at one time a restaurant and inn, and during the emigration process it was used as a quarantine station. Thousands had the opportunity to search for the treasure had they known of its existence. Even the Civil War and WW II seen thousands more stationed here, these troops most likely also walked over the treasure unaware of its being on the island. Today the island is off limits due to the presence of asbestos debris, which will protect Avery’s treasure for many more years.

Photo Included:

This small island has held its secret treasure for over 200 years. Hard to believe that no one during that time has ever found it.

[Westernlegend1]

Barnstable County

Bellamy’s Buried Treasure

The Whidah captained by the pirate Samuel Bellamy wrecked in 1717 with a good deal of treasure. Most went down with the ship and some is said to wash up on shore, but there are stories that Bellamy did bury treasure on shore in the area of Eastham. Is it possible that there is a sizable cache of pirate treasure in the region?

Photos Included:

A map of a portion of Barnstable County with a red “X” in the general region of the mysterious cache. Also included is a picture from the Eastham area.

[Westernlegend1]

Middlesex County

Shirley’s Tavern Hoard

There is an old story about a hoard of gold and silver coins which are buried near the site of the old Willard Tavern in Shirley. The hoard is claimed to be in the neighborhood of $100,000, but until it is found no one will be sure of the exact figure. Doing a bit of research, such a hoard is possible with the past industry that took place here before the industrial revolution. There was a paper mill that dated back to about 1790, also in 1812, the first cotton mill was built. Other items the town provided to other communities were iron, nails, textiles and rope. All of these products were in high demand in a growing America. The religious group known as the Shakers, were also living here, so could the hoard be theirs? And what about the possibilities that the money could be proceeds from the old tavern it is located near? Someday the treasure might be found and all the questions will be answered.

Photos Included:

A portion of map of Middlesex County with a red dot marking the location of Shirley, researching old documents should help pin down the area to search. An old lithograph from the 1830’s, shows a section of Shirley where the Shakers lived.

[Westernlegend1]

Essex County

Beach Finds At Marblehead

One area where past reports have shown produces old coin finds is Marblehead Beach. In the past folks have claimed that finding coins that date from the 1700’s is not all that rare. But then this is most likely due to a sunken ship or two from the past. The area has many years of history and with storm action causing a continuous change in conditions, it is likely that the region will never be hunted out.

Photos Included:

A portion of map showing the location of the old coins finds, also included is an old photo taken in the general vicinity.

[Westernlegend1]

Nantucket County

West Of Siasconset

Nantucket Island before being heavily developed had an old town once called Tom Nevers, some list it as a ghost town today, but the name has been taken over by an area of residential housing. If you have trouble finding the original site of the town, than you might want to try to find the treasure which was buried here before the island was ever inhabited. According to legends a French ship was helpless during a fierce storm and ran aground west of Siasconet. The survivors buried what gold and valuables they had onboard at the time. Supposedly this cache of treasure was never recovered.

Photos Included:

A map of Nantucket Island with a red “X” marking the general location of both the old ghost town site and the buried French treasure, an extra photo shows some of the region.

[Westernlegend1]

Franklin County

The Deerfield Massacre

During the Queen Anne’s War, French forces along with Indian allies attacked an English settlement at Deerfield (February 1704) shortly before dawn. Killed were over 50 residents with another 100 plus taken captive and forced on a march into Canada. Many captives died along the way, some were ransomed and returned home later. Deerfield is believed to have buried caches left behind by those who died in the surprise attack. But where exactly was Deerfield? There was a Deerfield which was west of Greenfield, there were also towns named West Deerfield and East Deerfield, but I did find a source that placed the original Deerfield just south of Greenfield. If one finds the correct location it could provide some interesting hunting. One clue that was given was the town was burned to the ground by the retreating attackers. Relics dug amongst burnt remains could mean you are in the correct spot.

Photo Included:

A portion of the map for Franklin County with a red “X” marking where one source places the old town site.

[Westernlegend1]

Essex County

Somewhere At The Old Inn

North Andover has a very old story about a inn that was used as a stagecoach stop. The coach that passed thru the region had been robbed a few times in the past and the inn keeper took the precaution of burying his gold coins in the dirt floor of the basement of the inn. He ended up getting killed and the cache was supposedly never recovered. Locals claim that traces of the foundation of the old inn are still visible.

Photo Included:

A section of Essex County with a red dot marking the location of North Andover, somewhere close to the old inn site could be a cache of gold coins. There is always the possibility of a cache from the other robberies too.

[Westernlegend1]

Nantucket County

Evidence Of The Past

The whole island of Nantucket is good hunting ground for relics, artifacts as well as old coins due to its early history of shipping and being settled back around 1650. Some of the beach areas still have evidence of wrecked sailing ships which are exposed and then covered back over with the ever changing conditions.

Photo Included:

A map of Nantucket Island, the beaches are great potential hunting locations for traces of past wrecks.

[Westernlegend1]

Worcester County

The Pratts Junction Site

There was once a location called Pratts Junction which is according to some sources a listed ghost town. I did narrow down the location of the site, it is at the northwest corner of the intersection of North Row Road which runs west to east, and the railroad which runs north to south, right in between Leominster Road and I-90. The location appears to have been a very small town and train stop long ago, back when trains provided service to all stops along the way. It might be worth looking into for some interesting finds.

Photos Included:

A portion of map for Worcester County with a mark in the general location of the old town site. Hopefully the link I am including will help, use the satellite zoom feature to see the site with more detail.
http://massachusetts.hometownlocator...t-junction.cfm

[Bennym]

Good post... thanks...
Bout time Massachusetts was found ! Hahahaha ....

[Westernlegend1]

Essex County

The Dogtown Commons Site

The site of Dogtown is a protected area to a degree and open to hiking and outdoor activities today. It was settled in the late 1600’s and folks lived here due to it was fairly safe from attacks by Indians and pirates. Many colonial era cellar holes are found throughout the region, reports claim in the past thousands of relics as well as coins have been found here. Check with the proper authorities before considering metal detecting this location, just in case it is not allowed. The town died due to poor conditions for farming and once the Indian problems were settled and it was safer to move further inland, folks did so.

Photos Included:

A portion of map for Essex County is marked in the general location of the old town site. A google image also will provide some details for those who might be interested.

[Westernlegend1]

Hampden County

Congamond

This location is listed as a ghost town site, and is located in the very southern portion of the county. There are currently some small projects under way which are causing some earth moving in the area to prevent erosion damage from run off. Another project involves their beach front on the lake. This town currently is a recreational area for this section of the country and that could mean some jewelry finds as well as coins and relics.

Photos Included:

A portion of Hampden County with a mark placed in the area of Congamond, a satellite view of the region and a local photo of this less populated area of the state.

[Westernlegend1]

Barnstable County

Wreck Of The Sparrow Hawk

The beaches to the east of Orleans have produced much in the way of relics and artifacts over the years. Much of what has been found is believed to be the remains of a shipwreck from the 1600’s. A ship named the Sparrow Hawk was lost in a storm long ago while carrying settlers and supplies. After storms are considered the best times to conduct a search if you’re interest is relics from maritime mishaps.

Photos Included:

A portion of Barnstable County with a mark placed in the region of the producing beach, a satellite view of the area today.

[Westernlegend1]

Hampden County

Mount Tekoa Mysteries

The area of Mount Tekoa has several stories of interest to those who like to seek out the past. It is claimed that the area had Revolutionary War campsites, some of the locations of these have been lost to history. The area was also used by counterfeiters and folks who ran moonshine stills. Chances do exist that caches of their money could be found.

Photos Included:

A portion of map for Hampden County with a mark placed in the region where these incidents took place, a photo shows the general terrain of the area which was ideal for such activities.

[Westernlegend1]

Hampshire County

Norwich

This was once a community a few miles to the west of Westhampton, but is considered a ghost town today. By the looks of the site it could be worth looking into.

Photos Included:

A portion of map with a red dot marking the old town’s location, a satellite image shows road details as well as what the site looks like today.

[Westernlegend1]

Barnstable County

Reported After Storms

Storms in the region of Race Point have been productive in the past, allowing searchers to find older coins along the beaches. This area should be one to checkout after bad weather, who knows when the next finds will be tossed up from the bottom?

Photos Included:

A portion of map of Barnstable County with a mark placed in the region of Race Point, a photo taken at Race Point shows it to be a scenic area to spend a day of leisure.

[Westernlegend1]

Bristol County

Nonquitt

The old town once known as Nonquitt, is according to some sources a ghost town location today. Looking at the satellite image it appears that modern vacation homes are here today, but some traces of the old town could still be found, the fields to the west would be a good place to begin a search as well as any of the wooded areas.

Photos Included:

A portion of map for Bristol County with a red dot marking the old town site, a google map shows local road details, while a satellite image gives one a good idea of what the region looks like today.

[bjpbike]

Don't even think about it Nonquitt is a exclusive gated community. It has ben for years. Back in the 70's the gaurds and the people were only around in the summer. Its now a year round community and most of the folks are the sons and daughters of those that onced summered there. It was never a ghost town. I mowed lawns and help open and close cottages there when I was younger, if I had known what it was going to turn into I would still be doing it.

[Westernlegend1]

Taking a look at the portion of map where the town is marked with a red dot, that map is from 1895! The town existed prior to this and experienced a decline before it ever became a gated community, it was at that point it was classified as a ghost town site.

[bjpbike]

General Sheridan died at Nonquitt, Massachusetts on 5 Aug 1888

As far as I know nonquitt has always been a private community. None of the land is owned by the town. I know one of the familmies I worked for owned land there as early as 1901. Some where around the is a book on the history of noquiit. The entire area is along that shore is pretty much all private estates and/or communities. Bay View which in a few miles away was one of the area where the common folk were able to settle. The banks in the late side and just after the depression called the morgages. This was the typical the entire morgage is due tommorow. Although this was illegal, most of the folks did not know this until it was to late and when they did find out, they did not have the funds to fight it. My grand parents were one of the victims. Anyway back to Nonquitt now that you have pique my interest on its history I will poke around and see what I can find out. I will tell you as far as hunting it is pretty much a no way. Noquitt collectively right now is the richest community in the northeast and at one time(i not sure is standing right now) was the richest place on the east coast. Most of the folks on that side of the road are the superrich. While many of there parents and grandparents were nice folks, these folks are not, they are very snobbish and uppity. As one of the older folks there once told me they did not do a lick of work for there money and it shows.