No secret in American history has influenced more major events than The Colonial Treasure.
In 1606, King James of England established the Virginia Company of London and directed them to settle the New World. Despite encountering many problems, disease and conflict in their new settlement at Jamestown, the colonists did their best to survive. Over time, they began to hear stories of great riches discovered in the mountains of the New World from Native American and Spanish traders. The colonists sent expeditions out in search of this fortune in spite of Native American resistance. Overcoming huge obstacles in their path, the colonists discovered vast riches in the mountains of Virginia.
Despite their attempts to keep it secret, in 1624, word of the immense treasure got back to King James who immediately revoked the charter of the Virginia Company and made Virginia a Royal Colony to assume government control over the vast treasure. The following year, King James passed and his son Charles assumed the throne. King Charles reign was plagued by wars and he desperately needed the colonial treasure to fund his defense and arranged for it to be consolidated and transported back to England. However, the treasure mysteriously disappeared, never making it back to England.
Decades later, in 1693, the new English King William and Queen Mary established the College of William & Mary. Many conspiracy theorists believe the college was originally a front for the monarchy's efforts to find the lost treasure. One that continued for centuries, with a number of secret societies popping up at the college attempting to discover the hidden location of the colonial treasure.
Under the guise of defending colonists against Native American aggression, Lord Dunmore, the Royal Governor of Virginia, launched a series of campaigns into the mountain regions of Virginia in an attempt to find the treasure. His plan ultimately backfired. As discontent and opposition to the British crown grew, members of the Virginia militia sympathetic to the colonial revolutionaries leaked the real purpose of their campaigns to find the treasure.
Legend has it that a small group of revolutionaries eventually found the colonial treasure and moved it toward the capitol of Virginia at Williamsburg. Infamous traitor, General Benedict Arnold, got word that the treasure was on the move and informed British General Clinton. Knowing that he could not allow the treasure to fall into the hands of General Washington's Continental Army, General Clinton immediately gave Arnold command of a British force in Virginia, and eventually ordered General Cornwallis to pursue the treasure. General Washington's Continental Army finally arrived and defeated Cornwallis at Yorktown ending the American Revolutionary War. The colonial treasure, on the other hand, disappeared without a trace.
The British were not the only ones interested in finding the colonial treasure. In 1862, Confederate President Jefferson Davis secretly hired teams of field historians, archaeologists, and treasure hunters to find the colonial treasure, as it would change the course of the war in favor of the Confederacy. To stop the Confederates, President Lincoln ordered Union General George McClellan to invade the peninsula in an attempt to prevent the treasure from falling into Confederate hands. Jefferson Davis, concerned that Union forces may actually succeed, put his best commander, General Robert E. Lee, in charge on the peninsula to drive back Union Forces.
While many British, Confederate, and Union forces searched for the colonial treasure, it is believed to have never been found. Yet the legend and clues have been passed down through generations who have kept the treasure's secret in the hope of one day finding it for themselves. Today, all that remains of the legend and the clues are this story and these three documents found in the historical archives of the College of William & Mary.
Good luck on your quest; you're going to need it. The Colonial Treasure has eluded some of the most brilliant minds in history. Take the opportunity to learn some of this incredible history on your journey through Colonial America, and please be stealthy and respectful of the sites you visit. Please cache in and trash out to help preserve our historical sites.
