. It's not known who her father was. Lafittes Shipwreck | TreasureNet The Original Treasure Hunting Website Stories of the buried treasure of Jean Lafitte can be found all over the state of Louisiana. but what is clear is that he settled in the New Orleans area with his mother They had his only known son, Jean Pierre Lafitte (d. 1832). This article provides images of newspapers from 1921, and one column in particular that talks about Lafittes treasure. [59] With Lafitte's encouragement, many of his men joined the New Orleans militia or as sailors to man the ships. . Slaves captured in such actions who were turned over to the customs office would be sold within the United States, with half the profits going to the people who turned them in. The Temple was located just North of what is today Little Lake, in Lafittes time it was Little Lake Barataria, where Bayou Perot and Bayou Rigolets meet. Nice little interesting overview but the bit many accounts say lafitte settled in Galveston casts unnecessary doubt, The settlement in Galveston (Campeche) is firmly established in the history, theres even a museum there about it. [48] He had also been told in August that American officials were planning an assault on Barataria with forces under the command of Commodore Daniel Patterson. Numerous novels and stories refer to Lafitte's exploits. The Mystery of the Final Years of Jean Lafitte . These questions storytelling? The United States government passed the Embargo Act of 1807 as tensions built with the United Kingdom by prohibiting trade. [60], On December 23, advance units of the British fleet reached the Mississippi River. . They sailed three ships, which Davis described as likely "one of the largest privately owned corsair fleets operating on the coast, and the most versatile. I'm proud of them for digging into it," Tony Hix said. Campbell's Legacy. There are many stories about what happened to Lafitte and where he died. Like Barataria, Galveston was a seaward island that protected a large inland bay. By midmorning, 10 armed pirate ships formed a battle line in the bay. Let us know in the comments He could have stashed some treasure somewhere along the Eastern shore. Walk in the footsteps of the men who fought at 1815's Battle of New Orleans. I also. [61] The British began advancing upon the American lines on December 28, but were repulsed by an artillery crew manned by two of Lafitte's former lieutenants, Renato Beluche and Dominique Youx. Jackson agreed to do so. What: Lecture and book signing. ), privateer and smuggler who interrupted his illicit adventures to fight heroically for the United States in defense of New Orleans in the War of 1812. Searching for Jean Lafitte's Gold in the Sabine River "And now you [97][Note 3] The Gaceta de Cartagena and the Gaceta de Colombia carried obituaries that noted, "the loss of this brave naval officer is moving. Ramsay believes that Lafitte died of a fever in 1826 or 1827 on, Ramsay believes the documents were written by Laflin's ancestor, Matthew Laflin (18031854), who may have convinced his descendants that he was Jean Lafitte. Within weeks, Dorada captured a schooner loaded with goods valued at more than $9,000. [35] Lafitte soon acquired a letter of marque from Cartagena, but never sent any booty there. [93], In June 1822, Lafitte approached the officials in the Great Colombia, whose government under General Simn Bolvar had begun commissioning former privateers as officers in its new navy. [82] Lafitte reportedly took immense amounts of treasure with him, and was accompanied by his mulatta mistress[who?] The treasure already found was Spanish Silver, not Gold. 2001-11-18 04:00:00 PDT Wallisville, Texas -- Using a machete, Anahuac Jack hacks through branches . I have a metal detector. My grandfather never got to look for the treasure s. Ive heard he would sometimes slip into Mobile Bay. It also mentions reports of larger sums of the treasure being buried in the appropriately-named small town of Lafitte, Louisiana. The Sabin, a ship belonging to Robert Kleberg and Van Roeder, is said to have sunk with valuables off Galveston Island. Where: 1859 Ashton Villa, 2328 Broadway Ave. J, Galveston. They had 3 children together: Jean Antoine Lafitte, Lucien Jean Lafitte, and Denise Jeanette Lafitte. "It started for us with this family story," Cody Hix said. The Spanish ships were heavily armed privateers or warships and returned heavy fire. There were also those who considered him a hero. New Orleans The old 1938 cross marked "Jean Lafitte, Re-exhumado, 1938" was made to mark the burial site of a bone that was found washed up on the beach where the old cemetery eroded into the sea. "[55], When General Andrew Jackson arrived in New Orleans on December 1, 1814, he discovered the city had not created any defenses. [5], Lafitte's native language was clearly French, though the specific dialect is a matter of some debate. Subscribe to the Pelican State of Mind blog by providing your email below! In November 1822, he made news in the American press after escorting an American schooner through the pirate-infested area and providing them with extra cannon balls and food.[96]. JEAN LAFITTE (1778 DEC 27 - 1823 . The Indians in the Mandeville area helped him escape to the Pearl River. He had to take a pirogoe which is a wood boat that would have sank if all the treasure would have been on board. [95], Lafitte continued to patrol the shipping lanes around Cuba. In 1821, the schooner USSEnterprise was sent to Galveston to remove Lafitte from the Gulf. Merchants and planters came to Barataria for auctions, which Lafitte held outside New Orleans to avoid the law. At its height, the colonists and privateers earned millions of dollars annually from stolen or smuggled coin and goods. Jean Lafitte, a famous pirate, buried his treasures along the coasts of Florida. The letters gave the ships permission to attack ships from all nations. With his business carrying on and continuing to grow, so did his wealth. ", This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, A family in Baytown, Texas tell their story. In late 1815 and early 1816, the Lafitte brothers agreed to act as spies for Spain, which was embroiled in the Mexican War of Independence. The other went north later over seas where he was killed during WW2. The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1983.123.8. Lafitte se rvla un alli prcieux pour les tats-Unis lors de la . It was, at least initially, relatively free of scrutiny from any of the governments in the region. The Mystery of the Final Years of Jean Lafitte Lafitte's Treasure Links One of Lafitte's men testified that the Baratarians had never intended to fight the US but had prepared their vessels to flee. It is quite certain that Napoleon is buried in Paris and that Jones, who died in 1792, is buried at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Jean Lafitte in 1813. In the 1938 and 1958 films The Buccaneer, Lafitte claims he never attacked an American ship. The park was named after Lafitte because of his smuggling operations in the area. . Found bones of mamouth and Indian tools. Much to the [49] He sent a message to the Americans that few of his men favored helping the British but said he needed 15 days to review their offer. Britain maintained a powerful navy, but the United States had little naval power. Yet, Lafitte's strong connections to historical figures suggests that he was the culprit of this incident. Jean Lafitte: Mystery of the Unfound Treasure - Pelican State of Mind Jean Lafitte (ca. . Stories of Jean was a handsome man by all accounts, of great personal charm and became . he was in his early twenties. What if these stories are factual? Lafitte agreed to leave the island without a fight, and on May 7, 1821, departed on The Pride. [4][5] In the late 18th century, adult children of the French planters in Saint-Domingue often resettled along the Mississippi River in La Louisiane, especially in its largest city of New Orleans. Jean had taken the helm of a band of pirates when the U.S. found itself at war with . (In English documents, his last name was often spelled Lafitte, but Laffite was the spelling used by Jean and his brother Pierre.) For the first time, it was made available for research. locations along the Gulf Coast. I always heard that an area Boat Company Owner started his business with a 5 gallon bucket of silver taken from that area. [77], At its peak the colony had more than two thousand inhabitants and 120 separate structures. I have no doubt that the Historians will decry what Ive said here, and Im cool with that, I know what I saw and found, and I know what others saw and found. As part of Mexico, it was outside the authority of the United States, and was largely uninhabited, except by the Karankawa, a Native American people. Constructed in the 1720s, the structure stands today as possibly the oldest building in the United States housing a bar (Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar).[105][106]. It was stuck in the crack of the stairs. There are many stories about what happened to Lafitte and where he died. Enslaved Africans there gained their independence from France in 1804 and renamed this territory as Haiti. Because of his track record and reputation, Jean Lafitte was still seen as a criminal in the eyes of the United States. The Barataria chief then had 1100 men under his . Found a mamouth tooth a a tiny brick made of shell it has letters P on it and the other I cant make out. The mysterious sunken pirate ship contained about $5 million in silver and gold coins. [24] They outfitted it with 12 fourteen-pounder cannons. Claiborne took a leave of absence in September 1810, leaving Thomas B. Robertson as acting governor. This has become the common spelling in the United States, including places named after him.[1]. If they refused the offer, the letters informed Lafitte that the British had orders to capture Barataria to put an end to their smuggling. He sold those at his location The Temple. The money that he sold them for was Spanish Coin, Reales usually in 2,4,8 denominations, minted in Mexico. When you cross Bayou Des Allemands on Hwy 90, looking down the bayou to the south its a short ride to where the primary temple location was. Pierre was to inform about the situation in New Orleans. They submitted booty from captured British ships to the American authorities at New Orleans, and booty from all other ships was often channeled for sale on the markets through Lafitte's operation. He seemed to think the whole world was against him, and he determined to be against the world. Lafitte escaped. the treasure be today? The city of Cartagena in present-day Colombia had rebelled against Spain and gave permission through letters of marque for privateers, including Lafittes men, to capture Spanish ships and the goods and slaves on board. Other variations of the mystery say Lafitte buried the treasure in multiple 1512. Other variations of the mystery say Lafitte buried the treasure in . LINCOLNTON, N.C. (WBTV) - In the 1820s, pirate Jean Laffite, a smuggler from the Gulf Coast area in Louisiana, allegedly faked his death. Do you have Jean Lafitte, sometimes spelled Laffite, was born in approximately 1780 in either France or Saint Domingue (modern day Haiti) and according historian H.W . The name Jean Lafitte is almost legendary around the upper areas of the Texas coastline. Galveston County, Texas Lost Treasures | The Rocker Box Jean Lafitte, The French Pirate King Who Saved Louisiana Jean Lafitte- Pirates, Catacombs, and a Legend - Just Disney The expert cannon fire of Jacksons troops, including Lafi ttes Baratarians, contributed to the American victories during the New Orleans campaign that culminated with the Battle of New Orleans on January 8,1815. and an infant son[who?]. Charles Gayarre wrote the first serious biography of Lafitte. The ship's kitchen stove was found intact. Even the date and place of his birth and death are unknown. In April 1818, the United States passed a law prohibiting the import of slaves into any port in the United States. [57], In mid-December, Jackson met with Lafitte, who offered to serve if the US would pardon those of his men who agreed to defend the city. Jean Lafitte (1780-1823) was a legendary French privateer and pirate who resided in the Gulf of Mexico throughout the early 19th century and was widely believed to have been born in either the French colony of Saint-Domingue or in Basque-France. He fled New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain. His brother Pierre Lafitte was a blacksmith. Jean Lafitte became labeled by some as a 200-year-old shipwreck found in Gulf of Mexico - CBS News Click the image below to read our free eBook "The Big Book of Credit Union MythsBUSTED! After Napoleons exile to St. Helena by the English in 1815, the story says Lafitte put a double in his place and smuggled him into the United States, but that Napoleon died on the trip. Within two days of his offer, handbills were posted all over New Orleans offering a similar award for the arrest of the governor. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is named after him. hidden treasures have been told time and time again in childrens books, video [72] Ships operating from Galveston flew the flag of Mexico, but they did not participate in the revolution. Louisiana is not exclusive to rumors of the treasures whereabouts too, as any leads as to where Lafittes treasure might be? Legend holds that the Pirate Jean LaFitte, or in some other versions Santa Anna, left treasure at Hendrick's Lake near Tatum. instead of just one? Lafitte then was supposed to have buried Napoleon in the town of Lafittes Perrin Cemetery; later Jones and Lafitte himself supposedly were buried there. By 1805, Laffite was operating a warehouse in New Orleans to help distribute the goods smuggled by his brother Pierre Lafitte. Forced to leave the city, Lafitte decided to set up shop on a small island in Barataria Bay, about 40 miles south of New Orleans, to continue his smuggling ways. [122] He is also referred to in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in which the boat dock is labeled LaFitte's Landing. "[100] Given his legendary reputation, there was much speculation about whether, or how, Lafitte had died. I grew up back there, in those waterways, in that area and found many interesting things. The Dread Jewish Pirate Jean Lafitte - Tablet Magazine He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte".This has become the common spelling in the United States, including places named after him. That night his remaining men reboarded the General Victoria and destroyed its masts and spars, crippling the ship, but they left the crew unharmed. [52], Following the custom of the times, Patterson filed a legal claim for the profits from the confiscated ships and merchandise.
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