MW’s Friday Five: Five Lost Treasures of Pennsylvania

There are legendary lost treasures in almost every part of the world.  Often times the stories about these treasures are a mixture of facts and fiction.  It becomes difficult to discern what is truth the longer time passes, and sometimes the treasures become thought of as all fiction.  However, once in a great while, one of these treasures are found which brings hope the others can be found as well.

They are worth a read, or possibly more…

MW hopes to share many of these.   We start with five lost treasures of Pennsylvania.

Watch it on video or read below:

1)The Dents Run Treasure

One of the most publicized lost treasures of Pennsylvania has to be the Dents Run lost Civil War treasure.  Just recently, the story about its lost gold was making headlines in the news.  The FBI were seen digging at Dents Run in March of 2018, and all they would say was they were conducting a ‘court authorized excavation’. They went away empty handed.

The legend of the lost Dents Run treasure begins with a shipment of gold leaving Wheeling, West Virginia in 1863.  This shipment of 26, 50 lb gold bars, hidden in the false bottom of a wagon, was to be delivered to Harrisburg, PA. to pay union troops.  The route needed to stay clear of the Confederate Army, so it took a north eastern trek through PA.   It was later to turn south and reach Harrisburg, but this never happened.

Supposedly, some time after the wagon and crew left St. Marys, a town in Elk County, it encountered trouble. Like many of the lost treasure stories, various versions are told.  But the ending is the same.  The shipment of 26 gold bars was lost.  The most common version is the leader of the mission became ill and was unable to travel further. The unit then separated to find help.  Lost or left in the wilderness, the crew disappeared, except one, which told the story how he left the gold and his party somewhere in the mountains of Elk County.

Are the gold bars buried at Dents Run?  Some believe undoubtedly, yes.  Others say the whole story of gold bars is just that, a story.  But what if the gold is out there waiting to be found?  That is what keeps many still looking for the gold today.

2)The Kinzua Bridge Treasure

The Kinzua Bridge is located in Mckean county of Northern Pennsylvania.  It was once called the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ because of its majestic height and length. When it was first built in 1882, it was longest and highest viaduct in the world.

According to the story at the Kinzua Bridge exhibition center at Kinzua State Park, the bridge holds the key to finding a lost treasure.  In the late 1880’s, a bank in the nearby town of Emporium was robbed.  The robber was said to have made off with over $60,000 in gold coins, and fled into the surrounding mountains to escape capture.

Eventually, several days later, the robber was found, but in quite distress.  He had traveled on foot through the dense woodlands without food or water and during cold rains. He was barely alive, with a high fever, but without the coins. Before passing away from sickness, he revealed he had buried the stolen loot beneath a triangular rock within sight of the Kinzua Bridge.

Although many locals quickly searched the area, the hidden cache was never discovered.

3)The Doan Gang Treasure

During the American Revolutionary War, the Doan Boys were one of the most feared gangs of South Eastern Pennsylvania.  They were a band of five brothers, Aaron, Joseph, Levi, Mahlon, and Moses, and a cousin, Abraham, who tormented those living in Bucks, Montgomery, and surrounding counties.

Believed to be spies for the British, and against war, they were known to have caused havoc by stealing horses and ransacking homes.  They sold much of their stolen goods to Red Coats in Philadelphia and Baltimore, and amassed quit a hoard of gold coins.

They are known to have robbed numerous homes and businesses over the years and buried or hid their plunder throughout the numerous caves where they traveled.  One of their most notable robberies was of the Newtown Treasury on October 22, 1781.  These monies have never been returned.

Three of the gang, Moses, Levi, and Abraham were killed (shot or hung).  Aaron, Joseph, and Mahlon are said to have fled to Canada.  It is believed much of their stolen monies could still lie buried, as none of them could return to retrieve it all.

4)The Lost Silver Mine

The story of a lost silver mine goes back to 1894. Indians visiting the area of Coudersport were known to possess valuable Silver. Thinking the Indians were mining Silver in the surrounding mountains, a search for their secret Silver Mine went underway. Instead of finding Silver, the hunters found a large accumulation of ice.

The ice turned out to be quite the mystery.  It was forming in the heat of summer, above ground, around a 34 foot deep shaft. It only formed during the hot summer months and disappeared during the coldest months of winter. It remained a mystery for years.

Today, the most popular theory is the ice is made from moisture in the air.  The numerous crevices all around the shaft that lead back into the center of the mountain allow the cold air from within to escape out via the shaft.  This mixture of cold with the moist summer air then creates the ice.

But back to the silver. There are stories Silver remains to be found in the mountains around the ice mine. Possibly from a lost mine, but most probably from possible stashes the Indians kept and left there. It was realized the Indians traveled and carried silver in and out the area with them. They would hide stashes of it, and when needed, would return to the spot to get the silver. But some Indians might not have been able to return to their hidden stashes, and so maybe more than Ice can be found in the mountains of Potter County.

A secret silver hoard might be discovered yet!

5)The Rupert Train Robbery

While passing through the small town of Bloomsburg PA in the early 1900’s, three ruffians from the Chicago area learned a chest containing a Pennsylvania Railroad payroll would be passing through the area on the nearby Catawissa railway.  It would hold $37,000 in gold coins and $2000 in silver coins.

The villains planned to down a large tree over the train as it trekked through the town of Rupert.  Armed with guns, they were ready for when the train halted.  One man was said to hold a gun on the crew as the other two hauled off the chest with the gold.  Their plan was a success except for one instance.  The crew was able to quickly get help and chase after the criminals.

Two of the gang were captured almost immediately.  One other had pretended to be part of the search team, and wasn’t found out until a bit later.  They were all sent to jail, but not before the one ruffian could bury or hide the chest of gold somewhere in the mountains close to the heist.

The area was searched endlessly but without success.  The gold and silver was never found.  Later in the mid 1900’s, a smashed lock of the type used on the railroad chest was found, along with a piece of heavy chain.  Could someone have found it?

The mystery remains, and it is possible the payroll treasure continues to wait for a finder.  Will it be you?

 

Best of luck with all that you seek!  Treasure the Adventure!