8/26/19 Report - Tropical Storm Dorian. US POW Camps. Fort. Jackson Lake Lodge.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Dorian is the big news today.  As you can see, Dorian is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday.

While it is coming in our direction, there is a lot of uncertainty yet.  It could hit us, but if the above prediction is correct, it will only be a storm when it gets here.

In summary, it is worth watching, and we'll know more in a few days.

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Here is a nice article on WWII POW camps in this country.  Some were in Florida.  One I mentioned not long ago is not shown on this map.  It was in the Bal Harbour area.

When the United States entered WWII in 1941, the United Kingdom was running short on prison space and asked the US for help in housing German POWs. The US agreed and when Liberty Ships transported US soldiers overseas, the relatively empty ships brought back as many as 30,000 Axis POWS per month to America. From 1942-1945, more than 400,000 POWs, mostly German, were housed in some 500 POW camps located in this country.

Here is that blog.

http://blog.fold3.com/wwii-pow-camps-in-the-united-states/

And here is what I posted on the South Florida camp.

Since the 1920's, the Detroit-based Miami Beach Heights Corporation (headed by industrialists Robert C. Graham, Walter O. Briggs, and C.T. Fisher) owned 245 acres of undeveloped, partially swampy land that stretched from the bay to the Atlantic. Mr. Graham assumed the duties as the developer for Bal Harbour. In the 1930's, city planners Harland Bartholomew & Associates were called in to design the Village. The company made several plans and they were submitted for review to Miami Beach Heights. In 1940, World War II began and the plans were put on hold. As a goodwill gesture to the government, Robert C. Graham rented the land to the United States Air Corps for $1 per year. The Air Corps used this land to train their soldiers and established a Prisoner of War camp. The ocean front area was used as a rifle range and the barracks were set up on the west side of Collins Avenue. The camp for prisoners was located where the Bal Harbour Shops are presently... 
(Source: https://activerain.com/blogsview/484718/the-history-of-bal-harbour--florida----paradise-found----miami--fl-33154)

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WINDHAM, Maine — A team of Maine archaeologists is racing this summer to uncover the secrets of a colonial-era frontier fort before impending roadwork obliterates it for good. One of Maine’s most famous battles between white settlers and Native Americans raged just outside its gates.

Historians have long suspected the fort’s remains lay beneath River Road, but digging for evidence has been impossible since it was paved in the 1920s. Now, a long-planned road construction project is giving state archaeologists a chance to have a look...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://bangordailynews.com/2019/08/24/news/portland/archaeologists-race-to-uncover-colonial-fort-buried-beneath-a-maine-road-before-its-too-late/

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Grande Tetons As Seen From Pioneer Grill at Jackson Lake Lodge in Jackson Hole Wyoming.

If you watched any of the financial programs this weekend, you probably saw interviews with this view of the Tetons in the background.  The meeting occurs at Jackson Lake Lodge, which is one of my favorite vacation spots.

The hotel is not fancy, but the breakfast buffet is my all time favorite, especially when you get a window-side table.  Everything from fresh fish to blueberries and the best waffles going.  Anything you want.

Jackson Lake Lodge Lobby.

You will notice similarities between the Jackson Lake Lodge lobby and both the Disneyworld Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge.  I don't think that is accidental, as Walt Disney visited the lodge when he was making TV nature programs on the Snake River.  If you are old enough you might remember the Disney TV shows of the 1950s.

This isn't a commercial although it might sound like it.  It is just one of my favorites, and it has a lot of history.  There is a table upstairs that was used for a treaty signing between President Eisenhower and the Russians.  And other US presidents visited.  Theodore Roosevelt visited, but that was long before the current lodge was built.

Don't expect fancy rooms, but I love the lodge and surrounding area.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/16/19 Report - Treasure in Clay Jars. Oldest Maine Dugout Canoe Discovered. Old Lead Bottle Caps. Stores Tracking You.

Written by the treasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Oldest Dugout Canoe Every Discovered in Maine.

Source: See SeaCoastOnline.com link below.

KENNEBUNKPORT -- In Cape Porpoise Harbor last Saturday, a team of scientists and archaeologists expertly excavated what is believed to be the oldest dugout canoe ever found in the state of Maine...

While conducting a surface survey of the intertidal zone, Spahr located the remains of the dugout canoe, made from a hollowed tree trunk, which was revealed due to a significant sand shift. Carbon testing dates the canoe between 1280-1380 A.D...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20190606/fascinating-discovery-canoe-believed-to-be-oldest-found-in-maine

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Photos and Finds by Terry Shannon.

Yesterday I showed a lead collar that I thought might be part of a lead bottle closure.  If that is what it was, it might have gone with a cap like one of the ones shown above, which were found by Terry Shannon in an area where he has found 1715 Fleet artifacts.

I'm still looking for photos of intact examples of lead or pewter caps and collars on bottles or bottle necks.

I could see how these caps could possibly be used with a collar.

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Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.”

The Apostle Paul used the figure of treasure in clay jars to refer to the Spirit within man.  The use of the figure of speech suggests how common it was in antiquity to bury treasure in clay jars.

Source: See BiblicalArchaeology.org link below.

Here is a excerpt from an article published in Biblical Archaeology.

… There we visited the Cyprus National Museum in Nicosia, which houses a small but rich collection of artifacts. One display in particular jumped out at me—a clay pot lying on its side with a bunch of coins spilling out of its mouth. The description said it was a coin hoard found nearby dating from the first century C.E. The topic of coin hoards caught my interest, and I discovered that archaeologists and treasure hunters working in the Greco-Roman world have found thousands of such hoards. The size of these hoards ranges from fifty to fifty thousand coins. The coins were buried in clay jars for safe keeping, often in times of warfare or instability. Coins were also hoarded for ritual purposes as votive offerings. The phenomenon was so well known that Jesus told a parable about a man who found such a hoard and sold all his possessions to buy the field (Matthew 13:44). The Greek word for “treasure” (thesaurus) used by Jesus is the same word that Paul used in 2 Corinthians 4:7. So they seem to be talking about the same thing!..

Here is the link for more of that article.

https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-artifacts/artifacts-and-the-bible/treasures-in-clay-jars/

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Did you know that stores can use Bluetooth tracking to tell what part of the store you are in and send ads relative to where you are?

Here is that link.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/14/opinion/bluetooth-wireless-tracking-privacy.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

The devices we use to gather information and stay collected also sends out information about us.

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I have some projects planned and  have been developing some new projects.

Beach detecting conditions remain poor with no change expected soon.  Conditions are good for the salvage crews.

Expect a one foot surf for several days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/14/18 Report - Hidden Prize in Every News Story. Wreck Uncovered. Nonmetallic and Artifacts of Common Man.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Do you remember Cracker Jacks back when they had a nice little prize hidden in every box?  That is how this blog is.  You might not realize it - in fact I didn't until just a few minutes ago - but the news stories aren't just news stories.  I don't post all of the ones that might apply to treasure hunting, and I don't put them in as fillers or because you might be remotely interested: I post them because of the prize inside.

I know some people don't find the prize.  They think that the story has to do with some other part of the world or something that doesn't really apply to them or that they don't need to know, and they miss the prize.

I don't take the time every day to expand on every story and make all of the tips and clues completely clear and obvious.  I expect treasure hunters to be alert and adept at finding those hidden prizes for themselves.  I think it is fun too.  It is a part of the process of treasure hunting.

Before I get into my first news story for today, you are probably aware of the storms that have been hitting the northeast for the past few weeks.  Those storms, as you would expect, have uncovered shipwrecks and treasures.

The bones of one such wreck was recently uncovered on York Beach in Maine.  The bones of  the same shipwreck was uncovered in 1958, then after disappearing, appeared several times again, including after the storms of 2007 and 2014.

So you don't go ho hum and miss the good part, I'm going to help you find the prize in that little bit of information.  What is the general principle that applies to the Treasure Coast and any other beach in the world.  It isn't so obvious as "storms uncover old shipwrecks."  Take the time periods.  It was uncovered in 1958.  It showed up in 2007 and 2014.  That is seven years between 2007 and 2014.  Imagine a fairly stationary set of shipwreck bones.  Now think of the erosion that occurs during the right kind of storm, which typically occurs once every so many years and then the recovering that lasts for several years.  If there was a treasure chest - the type everybody seems to dream of and which reality TV programs think must have been present everytime they find a key, screw or nail - the treasure would only be exposed every so many years and then covered for a length of time again.  It probably seems like I'm laboring to make the obvious boring, but I'm trying to get you to internalize this process that occurs on what I might call a moderately long-term time table on most every beach.  Some Treasure Coast beaches hit those kinds of "treasure levels" once every several years.  I'm thinking of one in particular that has not been productive in the last few years but was remarkably productive back a couple decades ago for a few years. 

I hope I slowed you down long enough to savor that point a while.  There is a difference between "knowing" something and really making it a part of your sensory process so you apply it automatically when you are in the field.

Here is the link if you want to read more of "Uncovering the Secrets of York Beach."

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20180310/uncovering-secrets-of-york-beach-shipwreck

Remember, it is not just about York Beach.

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Treasure hunters that hit the 1715 Fleet beaches dream of finding treasures like the queen's jewels.  You might, however find more mundane items.  You might even find items that you dismiss imply because the don't look like the treasure you imagine.  Remember that not everybody that sailed with the fleet was of high rank.  And those that worked to salvage the wrecks were of common rank.  Some were indigenous peoples impressed into service to dive for the crown's sunken treasure.  You might find common items meant for daily life and survival as well as the royal treasures and cherished prizes of the rich and high ranking.

There were also items that were imported to the New World for the use of the colonists as well as those treasures being shipped to Spain.  Items that were imported to the colonies might not be the type that you are dreaming about and might not be quickly or excitedly recognized as Spanish sunken treasure.

Imports to the New World between 1511 and 1613 included a lot of beads and jewelry, but they were not of the most expensive type.  Among the finger rings are listed over 11,000 glass rings.  Yes, glass.  And thousands of rings of jet.  Also many wood rings.  I see 36 gilded rings listed.  By far, most of the rings imported into the New World for the colonists (and there were thousands and thousands) were not metal.

That information on imported personal items, including jewelry, is listed in Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500 - 1800, volume 2: Portable Personal Possessions, by Kathleen Deagan, Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002.

Deagan does show a number of copper alloy rings found at Spanish colonial archaeological sites, as well as a few of the nonmetallic rings.  I suppose some of the metal rings found at those archaeological sites were brought as personal possessions or made for individuals by artisans in the New World.  Cheap items were also imported for trade with the indigenous populations.

How many glass rings have you found?  Jet?  Wood?  Very possibly you've found more gold jewelry from the wrecks than items made of nonmetallic materials even though a lot of nonmetallic jewelry, as well as tons of beads, were brought to the New World.  That would probably be because you are using a "metal" detector.  Also, glass and wood are not that durable.

I once found a very small gold bead on a treasure wreck beach.  It took me a long time to see it even after I had it on top of my detector coil moving it around with the sand.  If it was glass or wood, I would never have seen it.

Among my nonmetallic finds is the clay pipe fragment that I recently found and posted.  I have not reason to believe it is Spanish or has anything to do with the wrecks.  On that subject, Deagan says that pipes were not often found in Spanish colonial sites, and of those that were found dating to the first half of the 18th century are nearly always of Dutch or English origen.

Keep your eyes open for nonmetallic items as well as metallic.  There should be a lot of them out there.  I've found a few.  One of my favorites is a wax seal impression.  I'm amazed that it lasted centuries.  Maybe you'll be able to find an 8th century glass or wood ring if you keep your eyes open.  Hint: they will not tend to gather with coins.

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Nice cool morning.  The surf is two to three feet today.  The tides are getting a little bigger, but not much.  The wind and swells will be northish.

Happy hunting.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/8/18 Report - What Pirates Read. Story of a Medieval Norse Penny Found In Maine.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Scrap of Paper Recovered from Queen Annes Revenge

Source: Salisbury Post (See link below)

What did Blackbeard's pirates read?  You might be surprised if he read at all, but small scraps of paper including the one shown above was recovered from the Queen Anne's Revenge and identified as being from“A Voyage to the South Sea, and Round the World, Perform’d in the Years 1708, 1709, 1710 and 1711” by Captain Edward Cooke.  I imagine the book might have been a very useful resource for seamen of the day.  And maybe they just liked to read the same type of things we read today.


Here is a bit of the article.

...During conservation work on artifacts recovered from the wreckage of Queen Anne’s Revenge — the flagship of the pirate Blackbeard — 16 tiny fragments of paper were discovered in a mass of wet sludge removed from the chamber for a breech-loading cannon.

The largest fragment was only about the size of a quarter. Paper is an extremely rare material to find on shipwrecks, especially one 300 years old, because it usually disintegrates quickly under water...

And here is the link.

http://www.salisburypost.com/2018/01/04/scraps-of-paper-found-on-queen-annes-revenge/

Fascinating that something so fragile not only survived but could be identified as being from a specific book!

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Richard H. sent me the following link to an article about a medieval Norse penny found in Maine that may be evidence of a Norse settlement that would be much older than the Spanish New World.

Here is an excerpt.

...After Mellgren’s coin was identified as Norse, the Maine State Museum sent a team of professional archaeologists to the Goddard Site to better understand the context the coin had come from. While no other Norse artifact has ever been found there, the site did hold surprises—artifacts attesting to an explosion of trade contact between Native American groups, stretching from the eastern Great Lakes up to Labrador. At the same time the coin shows up, for instance, archery first appears in the region.

“The site has an unspeakably dense concentration of archers,” says Bourque. Excavations have turned up thousands of arrowheads, along with mounds of pottery sherds and stones that come from hundreds of miles away. “It’s off the charts,” he says. “The real mystery is—what the hell is going on at the site at the time?”

To Bourque, the coin is a clue in this other mystery. All sorts of objects that seem out of place in 12th-century Maine show up in this one spot, as if it were site of a pre-Columbian World’s Fair for northeastern coastal America, from Lake Erie to Newfoundland. Unlike the sagas—all story, little evidence—this site is full of interesting evidence in search of a story.

And here is the link.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/maine-norse-penny-archaeology-vikings-north-america

Richard H. included the following interesting postscript with his email. Samuel Harding, 1683-1733 is my 6th Great Grandfather and first to pillage the pirate ship WHYDAH ashore on Cape Cod's Nauset Beach, 

Thanks Richard.  That's an interesting bit of ancestry.

I encourage everybody to research their ancestry.  It really makes history come alive.

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The Treeasure Coast surf is predicted to be around four to six feet today.  The wind is from the east.  It was foggy again this morning.  The tides are not as big as they were a few days ago.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net