Searching for Capt. Kidd's Treasure

On 21/11/2008
In Treasure Hunting / Recoveries
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By Jack Fichter

Did pirate Captain Kidd bury treasure somewhere near Lake Lily in Cape May Point ?

I was told that story from the time I was child, a story passed down by my family members who lived in Cape May Point starting in 1905.

The Web site: New Jersey History Mysteries tells the story of Kidd’s final months before being hanged following a spree of attacking ships for their valuables. In 1697, Kidd discovered he had been deemed a pirate and was wanted by the British government.

He had abandoned a ship that he had captured and looted, the Quedagh Merchant, then bought a small sloop and set off for Boston where he hoped he could clear his name.

I was watching a program about Kidd on the National Geographic Channel documenting a group that believes they have discovered the remains of the Quedagh Merchant off a tiny island in the Dominican Republic.

The documentary noted he removed the treasure from the ship and then burned the vessel. He must have been carrying that treasure on his way to Boston as he sailed past New Jersey, a place he knew well.

Kidd is believed to have made stops along our state’s coast on that journey. He sent landing parties to New York with bribe money for public officials and hid some of his treasure on Gardiner’s Island, off Long Island, before sailing on to Boston, where he was arrested, sent back to England and hanged.

Kidd claimed he had hidden 40,000 British pounds somewhere, but others said it was more like 400,000. Only 10,000 pounds was recovered from the Gardiner’s Island location.