FBI agents and representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources set up a base in Elk County, Pa., at a site where treasure hunters say Civil War-era gold is buried. (Katie Weidenboerner/The Courier-Express/AP)
Posted on 03/18/2018 1:25:48 PM PDT by BBell
As a 155-year-old legend goes, a Union Army wagon train left Wheeling, W.Va., before the Battle of Gettysburg, carrying two tons of gold, but never completed its 400-mile mission.
The gold was supposed to be used to pay Union soldiers. But it first had to make it to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, according to the Associated Press. It never did.
The wagon train traveled northeast and was last spotted in St. Marys, Pa. Searchers found the wagons and the bodies of dead soldiers — and the gold was gone.
But maybe not forever.
On Friday, dozens of FBI agents, Pennsylvania state officials and members of a treasure-hunting group were buzzing around the state forest at Dents Run, about 27 miles by road southeast of St. Marys and 135 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. It’s the site where the treasure-hunting group, Finders Keepers, says as much as $55 million in lost Union gold could be buried.
In 2012, Finders Keepers members said they’d found the location of the gold using powerful metal detectors and uncovered proof that soldiers had camped there. But there were two problems. First, the site is on state land, where it is illegal to dig without permission and permits. Second, they didn’t find any gold, which would have gone a long way toward getting permission from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.“We found a bullet shell, knifes, animal traps, zinc Mason jar lid, tin cans, bones (human or animal), whiskey bottle, camp fire pit, and a lot more that the state now has and won’t return,” a statement on the Finders Keepers website said. The government says “they [don’t] have the time or the money to go treasure hunting, but if we can show them the gold then they will look into it. They [also] stated
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
FBI agents and representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources set up a base in Elk County, Pa., at a site where treasure hunters say Civil War-era gold is buried. (Katie Weidenboerner/The Courier-Express/AP)
From the sounds of things, private citizens “found” it and the FBI is now in the process of confiscating it.
I thought Clive Cussler found the gold in Africa and spent it all trying to raise the Titanic ...
Speaking of buried things, whatever happened to Weiner’s laptop?
Grabbing money seems to be the one area where police excel.
Nope the gold was stolen and buried and a guy name ‘blonde’ and Tuco found it next to the grave marked Arch Stanton
Thanks BBell.
They weren’t coins yet... :)
Yes, and it will be donated to the Clinton Global Initiative after the FBI takes it's 20%.
I’m guessing the gold is hidden in plain sight - down in the bottom of those outhouses. (They’ve held up well over 150 years!)
I’ve read of guys that go through the old records and find out where the old out-houses were on people’s properties. Then they go over there and see if they can get permission to search for the old outhouse and search for the various treasures that fall down the holes!
The best places were the latrine holes behind bars and taverns.
Many a coin has fallen out of a drunkards pocket and into a latrine while he relieved himself.
bttt!
Well. If these boys didnt get the proper permits and file a claim, they are pure SOL.
I was digging a trench between a tank hole and the canopy area while building a gas station and found a honey hole. All kinds of med bottles, a shoe, a foot pedal sewing machine, etc....
If it was government gold, doesn’t matter who found it, it still belongs to the government. Perhaps if you ask really nicely, they’ll give you a finders’ fee.
I love it! That was my exact vision. Outstanding movie. Will re-watch all of those Westerns.
Somebody commented, if you inform the FBI there’s a nutcase with a gun who says he’s going to shoot up his high school, nothing will happen.
Start talking about buried treasure from 155 years ago though, they’ll be Johnny on the spot!
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