Captain Kidd's treasure may be under Logan Airport in Boston

I thought this was such an interesting prospect, I wanted to bring it to the attention of ATS.

There has been so much folklore in the legend of Captain William Kidd, that it fills volumes. There have been rumors that he stashed treasure in Connecticut, Block Island, The outer harbor islands of Boston, Oak Island in Nova Scotia, the islands in the Indian ocean (Skeleton Island) and numerous islands in the Caribbean.

When Captain William Kidd was captured in Boston in 1699 and sent back to London to await his trial, it was rumored that he left behind a great treasure. Kidd was tried, found guilty, and hanged at Execution Dock the following year, but throughout the process he continued protesting his innocence, and declaring that if freed he would lead his captors to his treasure. Whether the treasure actually existed or not is anyone's guess, but people have been searching the rivers and shores of New England for Kidd's secret stash since the 1700s, and continue to do so to the present day. Benjamin Franklin even wrote about it in 1729, saying, “You can hardly walk half a mile out of the town on any side without observing several pits dug … there seems to be some peculiar charm in the conceit of finding money.”

Lately, I came upon this great account of a letter that turned up in Palmer, MA, purportedly written by Kidd.

In Palmer, Massachusetts in 1849, two boys claimed to have found a bottle wedged in a ledge of rocks. Upon opening the bottle, they discovered a letter that appeared to have been written by Captain Kidd to John Bailey, Esquire, claiming that Kidd was being held as a pirate and was waiting to be taken to England. Kidd asked Bailey to come to Boston, but if Bailey did not arrive before he left, he wanted to let him know that his treasure was buried on Conant's Island, in Boston Harbor, in two chests that contained gold, silver, jewels, and diamonds. He continued on to say that they were buried about 4 feet deep, with a flat stone placed on top of them, and a pile of stones nearby to mark the place, which was about 60 rods up the side of the hill. The letter, as it turned out, did appear to have been written around 1700, as the seal on the bottle appeared to have been that old, and the information contained in the letter as well as the style of the writing all pointed to it being an actual Kidd letter. Unfortunately, the area of Conant's Island 60 rods up the side of the hill had been washed into the sea during the 150 years between the writing of the letter and its discovery, so it seemed likely that the sea had claimed the treasure

Now, Conant's Island was renamed to Governors Island. It is seen here in the old 1700's map of Boston Harbor.



A little history about Conant's Island / Governor's Island:

Governor's Island was taken down in the 1920s to create Logan Airport. It was a high green island, conspicuous in all views of the upper harbor, and had lied within two miles of Long Wharf and less than a mile from Castle Island. Governor's Island was first known as Conant's Island, probably in honor of Roger Conant, a conspicuous citizen of Hull. In 1632, the Colony granted the island to John Winthrop, the Governor of the infant State. It was then called Governor's Island, and its annual rent was placed at a hogs-head of wine that should be made thereon; and afterwards two bushels of the best apples there growing, which meant the resourceful Winthrop secured an exemption until such time as his vineyard or orchard became productive. As to the apples, one bushel was to be given to the governor of the Colony, and another to the legislature: so he thus secured for himself one-half of his own tribute.

I Put together a before and after of Boston Harbor that shows what was done to create the land that is now occupied by Logan Airport. It shows the Boston Harbor and the location of Conant's and Governor's island and how it was all merged:



Now, Imagine that the letter is authentic, and that Kidd did indeed stash loot on Conant's Island. It would have washed into the sea to the north of the original position of the island and then Logan was built atop it! I think it commands the thought of further investigiation, buy I doubt they will let us dig up holes on Logan's runways

Let's delve into some of the details about Kidd , the letter and his travels:

Here are the details of the news of the letter from a Mr. Stephen J. Sawicki, Jr. of Three Rivers, Massachusetts, who sent the following interesting excerpt from the History of Palmer.
THE KIDD LETTER.--

As the finding of a letter signed Robert Kidd, created a great excitement in Palmer, and was commonly believed to be a genuine document, and is still thought to be genuine by well-informed men, it is given a place in these annals. (*The following statement, and copy of the letter, are taken from a paper prepared by Frederick T. Wallace, Esq.) One morning in February, 1849, rather exciting word was brought into the Depot Village on the Boston and Albany railroad, that a singular and remarkable document or letter had been found by the side of "The Old Road," on the farm of one Samuel Shaw, by his son and his cousin, the son of a Dr. Gardiner Shaw, two young men, one about twenty, the other perhaps eighteen years old, who had been out the day before with their dog in pursuit of rabbits. Having run one under a shelving ledge of rocks, they sought to dislodge him by enlarging the aperture, so that the dog might enter, or if practicable, to draw him forth with the hand. Removing a loose stone, one of the young men thrusting in his arm, his hand came in contact with a small glass bottle, or rather, perhaps, a large vial. Drawing it forth, and seeing that it contained a roll of paper, they became very much excited and curious to learn what, if anything, was written thereon. The vial was hermetically sealed with a cork made of sheet lead, closely and tightly pressed in, with a cap of the same material over all, and wound tight around the neck by a small wire or cord, somewhat after the manner in which sea-faring persons prepare communications to be thrown overboard in time of distress, hoping the same may be washed upon some distant coast. Going to the house on the side, and nearest the highest part of the rocky mountain heretofore described, and not many rods from the place of their find, they uncorked the vial and attempted to withdraw the paper, but the scroll having loosened from its coil after its insertion through the small neck, filling it full, they found it impracticable to obtain the paper intact, and were necessitated to break the glass. There were two pieces of paper in the vial; the outer one bore merely a postscript, but upon the inner one there was written what follows:

The letter is lengthy, so I will link it here: It is in the University of Massachusetts archives:

Yet another site for Kidd's treasure in Massachusetts

So, what say you ATS, is this not interesting stuff? I love a mystery and I will continue to research this and bring more of whatever new comes of it. -CharlyV

Sources for further reading:
www.bio.umass.edu...
www.ebmainstreets.com...
www.netplaces.com...
www.treasurenet.com...

It'd be fun were some adventurous young sorts with diving gear to so sifting about the bottom silt surrounding the former island.
If the loot was indeed washed into the sea, it'd be fairly well spread around such with lots of patience and persistence someone poking around with a vacuum leading to a sieve might very well sift out a potentially confirming glimmer or two.

Find a single diamond, or jewel in a setting that can be dated, something less common to be lost than a gold or silver coin, and you've got some stronger indication.

Here is another interesting source of information about the Boston Harbor Islands an their pirate legacies....
It is a readable excerpt from Google Books



The Boston Harbor Islands: A History of an Urban Wilderness

Ooo.....I can be in Boston in three hours!

Who has diving gear?

Originally posted by timetothink
Ooo.....I can be in Boston in three hours!

Who has diving gear?

And a water proof metal detector, with variable settings, for finding gold or silver, insread of just steel and other nonprescious metals.

I am about a two day trip out myself, texas to boston is one hell of drive.

If it hasn't been posted already...here is the text of the letter in the bottle.

"TO JOHN BAILEY, Esq., of New York: Sir -- I fear we are in a bad situation, we are taken for pirates, and you must come to Boston as soon as you get this; there is no one here I can depend on - the man who brings this to you cannot read it, he knows nothing what is in it - you must come as soon as you get it, or I may not see you before I am carried to England. It I do not see you I will tell you where the money is, for we have plenty of that if it will do any good. It is buried on Conant's Island, in Boston Harbor, on the northwest corner of the island in two chests, containing from fifteen to twenty thousand pounds sterling, in money, jewels and diamonds. They are buried about four feet deep with a flat stone on them, and a pile of stones near by. There is no one that knows where it is but me now living, as Dick Jones and I hid it when part of our men were in Boston and the rest were asleep one night - it is about sixty rods up the side hill. I want to see you before we are carried to Old England, if possible - if not, you must get all the witnesses in my favor, and the best of counsel to help you. I want you to see Col. Slaughter and John Nichols and James Bayard and Capt. Houson and Edward Teach, and all that can do me any good; say nothing to them about the money or that I have wrote to you. You know my old friends in New York, and who will help me. That Moore scrape is the worst part of my case. I think my interest with Lord Bellamont, and my two commissions and some French papers I have with me, and my men running away to the pirates to Culiford, and other things are in my favor. All may be safe yet; they think I have got money buried down at Plymouth or that way somewhere, they don't think it is so near Boston; but they shan't have my money and life too; don't fail to come to me as soon as you get this. I enquired the best way by land to New York, and told him to go to Worcester and then to Quabog [Brookfield], an Indian town where Maj. Willard fought the Indians; there is a pond and a stream leading to Connecticut river, and down to Hartford by water to New York, and to give this to you himself. Say nothing to him about me or that you ever saw me - but come without fail, or if I am gone to England, be there as soon as as possible. Secure the money and diamonds before you come, as my money will do a great good for us - it will buy a great many great people and all the poor I want in my favor. Keep dark in New York, say nothing to any but my friends - don't fail to be in Boston before I am carried to England, as I can tell you more than I can write, and better what I want. I told the man that brings this to you, if he met with any trouble or was taken by the Indians, to hide his papers in some safe place where he can find them if he got away. I will put them in the glass, for if he should get them wet or anything should happen to him they will be safe. I can't think of anything more to write now, but will tell you all when you come. They keep me well and are kind to me here. This is from your friend ROBERT KIDD Boston, 1700-1. N.B.

- Come soon, without fail, and I will tell you more and all about the money. It is on Conant's Island, about three miles down the Harbor of Boston - they don't think it is so near Boston; but you must keep dark here - say nothing to any one here about me till you see R. Kidd"

www.bio.umass.edu...

Who was John Bailey Esq....Any information on him

Originally posted by Soloprotocol
Who was John Bailey Esq....Any information on him

That is a good question. I have been trying to track him down. Seems he was a lawyer in New York, and interestingly enough, if you look at family trees involving the Kidd and Bailey families (for what is available) around those times you see alot of Kidd with Bailey mentioned searching either one. I would suspect he was a Lawyer and related in some with to William and Robert. It would be interesting if a geneology type saw this and could possibly verify it.

reply to post by IAMTAT


Thanks for posting it. I know ATS goes a bit bonkers if you quote too much external text. I had already quoted a lot so I linked it.

Originally posted by charlyv
reply to post by IAMTAT

 

Thanks for posting it. I know ATS goes a bit bonkers if you quote too much external text. I had already quoted a lot so I linked it.

No problem. I love a good treasure hunting story.

THIS is a fascinating story that the Astor fortune was founded upon the discovery of Kidd' treasure.

Did Astor Find Captain Kidd's Riches? Here's a True Story Stranger than Any Fiction — of Pirate Gold and the Birth of a Famous Fortune

"Mr. Astor," the senator began, "my client, Mr. Olmsted, has come to you on a matter of extreme importance and delicacy. He has indisputable proof that the Astor estate was not founded, as you and all the world have been led to believe, on your great-grandfather's profits in furs."

"Well, senator," smiled Mr. Astor, "on what was it founded?"

"On the buried treasure of Captain Kidd!"

Read on...

www.libertymagazine.com...

Originally posted by IAMTAT
THIS is a fascinating story that the Astor fortune was founded upon the discovery of Kidd' treasure.

Did Astor Find Captain Kidd's Riches? Here's a True Story Stranger than Any Fiction — of Pirate Gold and the Birth of a Famous Fortune

"Mr. Astor," the senator began, "my client, Mr. Olmsted, has come to you on a matter of extreme importance and delicacy. He has indisputable proof that the Astor estate was not founded, as you and all the world have been led to believe, on your great-grandfather's profits in furs."

"Well, senator," smiled Mr. Astor, "on what was it founded?"

"On the buried treasure of Captain Kidd!"

Read on...

www.libertymagazine.com...

Wow, now that is real interesting. He may have found one of the many caches that Kidd purportedly had on the North American seaboard. Thanks for that, that makes real great reading and helps to substantiate the fact that Kidd was very active in New England waters. Also, in Long Island, a small Kidd cache was uncovered early after Kidd was arrested in Boston, and was immediately confiscated by the Governor of New York and was used as evidence against him in his trial!

Here are some more Boston charts. NOAA puts out a nice navigation booklet on the Boston Harbor islands...

NOAA Boston Harbor Nav book. (PDF)

I annotated the Boston harbor chart.....



A Google view of what this looks like....

The location of the airport at that spot might have been done for the purpose of finding that treasure had it actually existed. And if it did, they would have found it during the excavation of the land.

From the look of the maps it looks as if the airport is completely over where the island use to be, with maybe a small portion of it in the sea.

That letter that was found by the boys would have been in the news and others would have been alerted to its supposed location of the treasure. Though if it wasn't found then it might still be out there but good luck swimming near an airport with a metal detector. You'd be lucky if your not shot on sight for being a potential terrorist or something. Airport security can be a bit scary.

Nice find and story, that would be an awesome treasure hunt. 2 chests full of loot would be a nice retirement

Originally posted by Lostmymarbles
The location of the airport at that spot might have been done for the purpose of finding that treasure had it actually existed. And if it did, they would have found it during the excavation of the land.

From the look of the maps it looks as if the airport is completely over where the island use to be, with maybe a small portion of it in the sea.

That letter that was found by the boys would have been in the news and others would have been alerted to its supposed location of the treasure. Though if it wasn't found then it might still be out there but good luck swimming near an airport with a metal detector. You'd be lucky if your not shot on sight for being a potential terrorist or something. Airport security can be a bit scary.

Nice find and story, that would be an awesome treasure hunt. 2 chests full of loot would be a nice retirement

Hi, thanks for the post. Boston proper is really a manufactured land mass. Nearly all of the coastal property of the early town was built up and expanded into the harbor over the years. The back bay area especially is completely artificial and if there were ever an earthquake, it would probably become the largest sinkhole ever recorded.

Many of the inner islands were made into peninsula and then the gaps were filled in as well. My brother was a contractor in Boston and worked on many of the historic waterfront homes. They would basically move the homes worth saving off their foundations, build a new one and plop them back on. He has seen situations where some properties had up to 6 foundations, all stacked on each other. I have a nice collection of old bottles he found just floating in abandoned rooms below the ground level floors!

There have been many old artifacts found in the harbor, as they had been somehow squeezed in to the channel. This is probably going on today, and my theory is that that treasure is probably somehow oozing into the harbor. It is true that that the area of the suspected treasure is most likely located at the crossing of the 2 lower runways, so a dig is not gonna happen. The other theory is that it was found, and by people more interested in money than history, where sadly, a great deal of recovered treasure is never reported. In a way, you cannot blame them because if it was told to any authority in Massachusetts, it would be automatically claimed by the land owners and/or the Commonwealth itself.

The letter itself did make the news, and there were many people looking for it. The geography of then,Conant's island lost most of its North West shoreline in the hundred years that past between Kidd's demise and the finding of that letter, so the sea in the area had probably already claimed it and strained it through the harbor channel southward. That would be the only hope that some of it would be recovered today, I would imagine.

Yes, Logan airport security is tight, however you can get right up near the shore liine, and diving would be possible. I know because I am a boater and have fished off that area for years. It is a sandy bottom, because what you catch there are flounders. A diving expedition would have to be really professional because the water is as murky as chocolate milk. It would take some sophisticated equipment to find anything there, but at least there is a hope something will some day be found!

Very true, lots of the older cities were built right on top of the previous structures, which would be a treasure hunters dream come true. Kinda crazy to see 6 different foundations though, that just does not sound safe lol.

I'm not sure on how the construction of that particular artificial island was built, but I have read that some artificial islands are first dug up to remove the loose materials and then replaced with a more solid foundation. Now if they did that here, then they have the treasure. But if they didn't then it would be somewhere out off the bay, but probably very very deep underground. Not sure where one would find either information though.

Can't believe they allow people to dive that close to the airport. Does it have a single giant fence or multiple fences? Would be pretty cool to check that out.

Just about every community along the east coast has a rumor of pirate's treasure buried in some nearby locality.

it could very well be true about caption kidd as i have found this clue in the bottom off one of kidds money pitts tat is a half silver coin that has arrows pointing to the word boston that was found on the bottom of a spring stuck inside a rock were conant could very well have had the other half of the coin