There is not much known about his adventures in Florida but there is rumors of him hiding a large treasure around Choctawatchee Bay. We have one with Gomez's name on it. Jose Gaspar Rodriguez de Francia: Politician: Capricon: 06 January 1766 AD . Tampans have embraced Gasparilla for more than a century, whether or not the pirate Jose Gaspar ever came to town It's a huge juxtaposition from the quiet of the Touchton Map Library at the. He has taken his place in local folklore and culture and has an annual festival in his honor. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. This is the spot for all of your seaside decorating needs. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. A fortune worth $1 million when it was hidden in 2010 is waiting to be picked up somewhere in the Rocky Mountains just a few miles from Santa Fe, New Mexico. The most famous Florida pirate was Jos Gaspar, known by his nickname Gasparilla. His treasure might have been on the ship with him during this battle. The legend of pirate Jose Gaspar, or Gasparilla as he is sometimes known, is shrouded in mystery. This tale doesnt give the Lopezes a helping hand in solving the mystery of the finds from their grandparents attic. He even set up a blockade of the port of Charleston in South Carolina for 6 days. We have seven maps.". Josh joins marine archaeologists and treasure hunters working to crack the mysteries of the pirate's life so they can find the riches he left behind. The legend of Gaspar began making its way into other writings after that, without any other historical evidence to back it up. The legend of pirate Jose Gaspar, or Gasparilla as he is sometimes known, is shrouded in mystery. 3. My grandfather had a book on all these when I was younger. No contemporaneous mention of his existence or achievements has ever been found in Spanish or American ship logs, court documents, newspapers, or other archives, and no tangible items associated with Gaspar have been unearthed in the area where he is said to have operated. However, there is another story, that has some validity, of what happened to his treasure. Ye be walkin the plank if ye so think. Plundering the high seas and ports alike resulted in vast riches for some of these ruthless criminals. He finally returned with his wife to find all but a handful of his crew had died. I love this place built around 1640 . His ship was scuttled in the battle sending the valuables to the bottom of the ocean. (5) The first written version of Gasparilla appeared in an advertising brochure of the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad Co. printed in 1900. Gaspar was a rebel from an aristocratic upbringing. His methods were black and bloody, and he stands out among all the pirates who used Florida to bury their wealth. "I'm considering it. When Gasparilla requested that they accompany him and his crew on a raid, the two young lovers assumed they would be slaughtered. Legend states they marked a tree by driving a sword into it. So, a real figure or a tall tale told by Floridians? The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Gaspar apparently did not share this attraction and instead gave his attention to other women of the court. The leaflet establishes Gaspars legend, claiming that he chose Gasparilla Island as the best of the islands in Charlotte Harbor to establish his base. https://wtfflorida.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/17-Oru-Para-Todos-Los-Santos-Part-1-Eleggua.mp3, Its gonna be really f*cking cold in Florida; impending snow, death, mayhem, Andrew Van Sickle assigned as prosecutor in the infamous shark case, Lets Make Florida Slightly Less Fucked Up, Alligator attacks Peace River swimmer in Arcadia, Florida Man Cuts off Gator Tail to Impress Girlfriend and Tries to Sell it to Neighbors, Traffic stop leads to meth arrest in Silver Springs. Find the treasure, don't report it, melt it down or sell it on the black market using a different name. Some say that as this disguised ship was sailing by, the aging pirate and his crew were in the process of dividing up the spoils as an act of retirement. The rest of the treasure remains hidden, waiting to be found. Treasure hunter Todd Stager holds a machete on a wetland where him and a small group of treasure hunters believe lies lost treasure on the Peace River in Arcadia. Tales of love and marriage, an aristocratic captain with nobility in his crew, a handsome and debonair adventurer: all these stories seem too good to be true. He did what all retired people do in Florida he fell ill one day and died. ", "Jose Gaspar, from my understanding, was a name that was made up by Ye Mystic Krewe, which they tied to Gasparilla, which was tied to the railroad pamphlet that you're talking about, which that is not real. Toward the end of his pirate career, Bowlegs was being pursued by an English warship. He confirmed that indeed the Lopezes have found a real human hand, but as for Gasparilla, that was a myth. Jos Gaspar, known by his nickname Gasparilla (supposedly lived c. 1756 - 1821), was a purported Spanish pirate, the "last of the Buccaneer s," who is claimed to have raided the west coast of Florida during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Gattuso leads a a small group called the The Treasure Hunters who spend their weekends hiking the wilderness near the Peace River in search of lost treasure believed to have been left behind by Jose Gaspar. When Jose Gaspar died, he supposedly left an untold fortune in buried treasure somewhere along the Florida coast. Dodge and Hardee get credit for creating Gasparilla, and Hardee and the krewe more so for crafting Gaspar's backstory (including giving him the first name Jose and a death date of 1821). The city of Tampa hosts a Gasparilla Day each year. It's light on history and heavy on action, suspense, and intrigue. However there is a salacious twist to this tale, in that when this lovely young girl declined his romantic proposition, he had her executed. However, perhaps the most famous story of Gaspar concerns his death. His piratical career always starts with an injustice and he is seen as a lovable rogue rather than a murderous monster. His flagship was eventually ran aground and he was ultimately killed by English warships off the East Coast of America. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Lacking experience in seamanship, he and his crew of escaped slaves limited their raids to smaller ships and coastal villages but managed to amass a large amount of treasure, which was hidden in several caches on the . But they know long-lost treasures and artifacts are out there. Jose Gaspar (aka: Gasparilla) was a quasi-mythical Spanish pirate who roamed the waters of Tampa Bay, Florida. It is said that he and his brother buried all of his money on the islands in and around Charlotte Harbor. We're back to the hotel brochure. So where did Blackbeard hide his treasures? Caesar was forced to push his pirate pack north to the Gulf of Mexico. The San Jose, a Spanish treasure ship, was attacked and sunk by a British warship in June 1708. Since 1904, pirates have invaded the City of Tampa to kick off the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. He would then sell these items to local customers in east Texas. He would even compensate for injuries if they were sustained while obtaining cargo from another ship. Available at: https://www.wfla.com/news/gasparilla/history-of-gasparilla-jose-gaspar-his-krewe/, ymkg, 2022. (3) The Spanish kept meticulous records and there is no mention of Gasparilla in the archives. These men witnessed the battle and when the pirate ship began to sink, they loaded this vast treasure onto small boats and escaped unnoticed to a place called Spanish Homestead around the Peace River. You must log in or register to reply here. History of Gasparilla: Jos Gaspar & his krewe. He has taken his place in local folklore and culture and has an annual festival in his honor. Aged Rum. The legend of Gaspar was first recorded in promotional materials for this Boca Grande Hotel. "But, what we believe is that Juan Gomez had ties to him. You are using an out of date browser. JavaScript is disabled. RECOMMENDED: The legend of Jose Gaspar and the history of Gasparilla. (4) The person who gets most of the credit for the Gasparilla myth is John Gomez who drowned around 1900 at the age of 122. Gasparilla had fallen into a trap! Fastened inside the box with copper wire is an old wedding photo, 18th century Spanish and Portuguese coins, a 1930s map of the Hillsborough River and a mummified hand wearing a ring. There is a new book out "Pirates of Southwest Florida, Fact and Legend" by James F. and Sarah Jane Kaserman that debunks some of the stories of Gasparilla. 1 Review #9 of 11 Shopping in Flagler Beach. If you choose to embark on a hunt for any treasure do so at your own risk. The most notorious and successful pirate was Jose Gaspar, better known as Gasparilla. Born in 1756 in Spain, Gaspar served in the Spanish Navy until a mutiny in 1783. Some records give him the honor of being what we would call an admiral. He soon picked a good spot in Charlotte Harbor, and began to build his pirate kingdom. Much of his treasure was carried to him up the Peace River. "The Gasparilla Day Parade, the big parade, is the third largest parade in this country after only the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Bowl parade. Crystal and I greatly appreciate any support! We thought that was awesome. During his 38 year career as a pirate, Gaspar attacked over four hundred ships in the Gulf waters of Florida, including supposedly the vessel carrying $11.75 million in gold bullion that the United States had paid Napoleon for the Louisiana Purchase. Jose Gaspar Treasure Co. Is this your business? Most, if not all, historians agree the pirate named Jose Gaspar never existed. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. When it comes to spring cleaning, its always nice to have a spare hand to help. Captured ladies were not raped and murdered, but instead had the option of marrying one of his crew members or being transferred to Captiva Island in Florida. When it comes to the legend of Jose Gaspar, Diff told us to "be cautious that the information you present as there are lots of versions of this story and everyone's version is 'true.' Retail store with the following - shells, shellcraft, wood carvings, shark teeth and jaws,. What date is Gasparilla 2021? A Net Inceptions project. Gasparilla had decided to retire following the sale of Florida to the United States, and was dividing his treasure (valued at six times the purchase price of the entire state of Florida) between his crew.