School is out and it is known many of us head to the Eastern beaches for some fun time in the sun and waves. What might not be known, however, is the beach is a perfect place to go for a treasured vacation! While looking for seashells or taking a leisurely stroll across the sands, there is a good chance you could find a lost ship’s prize.
All up and down the East Coast are documented shipwrecks. One of the greatest conglomerations of sunken ships is off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Virginia. One of the reasons for so many around the Delaware area (1,000’s of them) is because many ships of the past would attempt to travel up the Delaware Bay to deliver cargo at Philadelphia. It was a major destination and numerous boats failed to arrive because of unpredictable weather and the treacherous trek.
These large ship’s loads were then lost to the sea, and through the years, even still today, countless treasures from these wrecks are washed ashore.
The best time to search is after severe storms, when the conditions have stirred up the ocean waters. The rough currents and higher tides bring coins, jewelry, and other smaller items further inland to be found. Anytime might prove fruitful, though, for you never know when the waves will release their hidden treasures.
There is one beach in Delaware, officially named Coin Beach, that is known to continually offer coins. It is believed most of these treasured finds are from the sinking of the Faithful Steward in 1785. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, coins by the handful, some depicting King George III, were being found on the beach. Although not so numerous today, coins can still be discovered. It is worth a stroll and keeping an eye out for treasure.
Besides the beaches, where a coin or other trinket from a lost ship’s cargo can come ashore, there are numerous sites believed to be places of buried treasures from Pirates. Captain Kidd is supposed to have a ‘cave’ on the Hudson River where he hid some of his plunder, and Edward Teach, or most commonly called Blackbeard, is believed to have hidden several treasures around Ocracoke. Between, south, and north, of these areas…lol… the East Coast… legends exist. And who knows? Maybe some will be proven true. You must seek to find!
There are great museums displaying wonderful treasures recovered from the sea in these areas too. My family and I enjoyed one recently above the Sea Shell Shop in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It held absolute amazing items found from the shipwrecks off the nearby coasts.
I was surprised to see such ancient items within this museum, like shown in first image and below:
The tag reads for these:
“Many sailing ships carried trade items from around the world. Often these items had been stolen from temples and tombs. Even though many of these items were melted down for the metals they contained, some of the more interesting items survived as curiosities to be taken back on the return voyage. Remarkable, many on this shelf were recovered from the Delmarva Region despite the fact they represent a wide variety of ethnicities and cultures that span the globe.”
It goes to show one never knows what type of treasure you will find! I wonder what will be found next!
Best of luck with all that you seek! Enjoy Life’s Adventures!
Jenny, When we first visited the Pacific Ocean near Monterey, California, I told my sons to “Look for a message in a bottle” just for fun. Sure enough, they FOUND ONE!!!!’
How awesome! But don’t leave us hanging….what did it say? 🙂
“you never know when the waves will release their hidden treasures.”
Love that right there. I spent my summers on Cape Cod as a kid, and that line brought back wonderful memories.
Me too, summers on Cape Cod, beautiful, treasured memories!
Thanks Jenny, Love the vision, the ebb and flow of the tides. What hidden treasures do they hide. And what did the message in a bottle say John?
The suspense is Killing Me!
Wow. Interesting stuff. Thanks Jenny! Something to keep in mind if I ever get out East again.
Hi again, Jenny,
Here’s the rest of our message in a bottle story:
As we arrived at an ocean side cove south of Monterrey, California, our middle son Will looked out into the bay area. Solemn as a judge he said, “There’s a bottle there like you said, Daddy.” Surprised, I waded out into the sea moss and picked it up. Sure enough, it really was a bottle and there was a message in it! After some maneuvers, we got the message out. It was a phone number! We raced home, and called. A doctor answered. He said he threw the empty wine bottle from his boat into the ocean earlier that year, off the coast of Washington State. It had wandered down the coast until we found it, apparently. I was overjoyed, and called the newspaper. They ran an article, and my son was a hero!