Johnson, a spry and voluble 81, knows a bit about the tangled tale of Thomas Jefferson Bealehis family has been here since the 1700sand though hes the go-to person for any media outlet covering the Beale legend, hes not a cheerleader or a salesman. The document purports to describe how Thomas Beale, returning from a successful mining exploration of the region around Santa Fe, then a part of Mexico, got paranoid and buried a treasure in Virginia with a valueas of gold and silver prices in September 2020of $93 million, plus an unknown quantity of jewels. Years later, living in Williamsburg with his then-girlfriend-now-wife for her job as a musician, Reilly recalled the story and thought it would be a nice, fun, quick article to write. Then he went down what he called the wormhole., I was trying to figure out whats real, whats verifiable. Maybe some of the coded ciphers would lead to something more spiritual in nature.. to the Beale Vaultwere entirely decoded from this cipher and no other.Beale's use of landmarks, the location of the I would be afraid someone would dig it up to see who was buried there, and also, there may be more than one. The differences are shown here as {alleged decipherment | actual decipherment}: I have deposited, in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford's, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging jointly to the parties whose names are given in number {3, | three} herewith: The first deposit consisted of {one thousand | ten hundred} and fourteen pounds of gold, and {three thousand | thirty-} eight hundred and twelve pounds of silver, deposited {November, 1819 | Nov. eighteen nineteen}. It must be correct.. The pamphlet's numbering has eleven words between the labels for 630 and 640. after word 677 ("foreign") and before word 819 ("valuable") one word must be removed (probably "their"). Unable to solve the other two ciphertexts, the friend ultimately made the letters and ciphertexts public in a pamphlet entitled The Beale Papers, which was published by yet another friend, James B. Goad, a 22-year-old Georgia native now living in Arlington and pursuing a masters in international security at George Mason Universitys Schar School of Policy and Government, is an amateur treasure hunter. The second was made December, 1821, and consisted of nineteen hundred and seven pounds of gold, and twelve hundred and eighty-eight pounds of silver; also jewels, obtained in St. Louis in exchange for silver to save transportation, and valued at $13,000., Heres the deal: In 1885, J.B. Ward published a substantial and anonymously written pamphlet called The Beale Papers, Containing Authentic Statements Regarding the Treasure Buried in 1819 and 1821 Near Bufords, in Bedford County, Virginia, and Which Has Never Been Recovered.. After driving for miles along country lanes and gravel roads, we reach Cool Spring Church, on a mountaintop, with a small graveyard. Nickell argues that the tale is thus a work of fiction; specifically, a "secret vault" allegory of the Freemasons; James B. "Even after it's been pretty well debunked, there's something in the human psyche the finding a hidden treasure, something no one else has been able to do that keeps people searching for it," Dunin explains. The frequency of the solved cipher stays non-uniform. Because until confirmation of a location is provided, no one should be going and digging up graves. Beale disappeared. So I agree there shouldnt be any cryptic clues within the Papers once all of them are decoded. I suspect Johnson doesnt actually believe Ill find $60 million at the coordinates suggested by the Englishmanand he admits as much. And why would the person who hid that treasure one Thomas J. Beale write down instructions on how to find the treasure in code on three sheets of paper, entrust a box containing those papers to an innkeeper and then never return for it? Nearly two years later, during the winter of 1822, Thomas Beale returned to the Washington Hotel, where Robert Moriss welcomed him. If we begin at the beginning, we have to go 200 years in the past, but instead, lets go three-and-a-half hours south, in the present, to start this adventure. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Patrick J. Kiger I just want to know the truth. Fearing thieves were closing in on him, Beale headed back east to St. Louis, traded some of the gold for jewels, and then continued on to Virginia. Since the publication of the pamphlet, a number of attempts have been made to decode the two remaining ciphertexts and to locate the treasure, but all efforts have resulted in failure. According to the pamphlet, Beale was the leader of a group of 30gentlemen adventurers from Virginia who stumbled upon the rich mine of gold and silver while hunting buffalo. In 1885, James B. Related: Oak Island: Legends of Pirate and Treasure. The buried 6 feet is one clue to go on- I dont think the phrase was given as a puzzle to solve.but since that is all we have, then it is worth some thought.and sort of is. A translation of the Cipher from the actual Declaration of Independence shows in fact very poor spelling: "I haie deposoted in the copntt ol bedoort aboup four miles from bulords in an epcaiation or iault six fest below the surlact of thh gtound ths fotlowing articiss beaonging joiotlt to the partfes whosl namfs ate giiet in number thrff httewith.."[citation needed]. Blf hloevw gsv xrksvi. She's the author of the book "Introduction to Codes and Ciphers, Plus 20 Famous Unsolved Codes, Ciphers, and Mysterious Writings," and is founder of the Mysterious Writings website. The story has been the subject of multiple television documentaries, such as the UK's Mysteries series, a segment in the seventh special of Unsolved Mysteries; and the 2011 Declaration of Independence episode of the History Channel TV show Brad Meltzer's Decoded. They point to similarities in the writing of Beale and James B. There hasnt been any clue saying, here I am. Since 1885, hundreds of treasure hunters have descended to the Montvale, Virginia area, which used to be Buford. Near a small graveyard. Ditto for the third page, which listed the members of the group and gave their relatives' names and addresses. associated withthe Beale Vault & ExcavationSitewithin Bedford County, Virginia. Before departing, he gave Morriss a box for safekeeping, "which, as he said, contained papers of value and importance," according to Kile. The first time I think I heard about the treasure was in the 1950s.. No matter the topic, I nearly always find myself more interested in the believers than the belief. 12/13/2009 Howso@centurytel.net By the way, it was 6 million. The area that Beale had allegedly found the treasure, was a mine located north of Nuevo Mexico (New Mexico). The story has been told countless times, first in a pamphlet Related: Top Ten Lost Treasure of the World. It drives them to repeated attempts to break the code and find the treasure. Beale told Morriss not to open the box unless he or one of his men failed to return from their journey within 10 years. We look around at the breathtaking scenery and shrug our shoulders. They had no reason to make this mysterious persons task any more difficult. Kile is a researcher, game enthusiast and treasure hunter who lives in central Pennsylvania. Another wagon train in 1821 brought 1,907 pounds of gold and 1,288 pounds of silver. Congress agreed that the memorial was appropriate in Bedford when it authorized it: The tiny town of 3,200 suffered 19 casualties in the attack, proportionally the most of any U.S. community. This wealth allegedly had been amassed by one Thomas Jefferson Beale and his associates, who travelled into the American West during the period of roughly 1817-1823 and Congratulations and we hope you enjoyed the puzzle. Factoid: Bedford is Virginias fifth-largest county by population, with 79,000 residents. Words 78 and 79 ("self-evident"), shown hyphenated, are counted as 2 words. History. The Beale Ciphers consisted of these three cryptograms. The treasure was said to have been obtained by an American named Thomas J. Beale in the early 1800s, from a mine to the north of Nuevo Mxico (New Mexico), at that time in the Spanish province of Santa Fe de Nuevo Mxico (an area that today would most likely be part of Colorado). Thanks Jenny for letting us stretch our imaginations. In the early 1800s, Thomas J. Beale came across an abandoned mine full of gold, silver, and jewels in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I assume Beale would have felt the same. Danny Johnson recalls some 14 different television crews, including the BBC, the Travel Channel and a team from Seoul, Korea. Bufords Chimney (2015) Why Do the Beale Papers continue to capture attention? In March 1820, Beales two friends returned, and after a few days, the three of them departed. He pulled out a locked iron box and gave it to Morriss. It's amazing how the story can't be conclusively determined to be all false or true.". Its so interesting to talk to someone who is a true believer, he says. Ward published a pamphlet called The Beale Papers, written by an anonymous person who acquired the Beale Cipher from a hotel proprietor named Robert Morriss. Beale! Also, dozens of people have been absolutely sure they know the location of the treasure. I first heard about this story when I was in third grade, in Pennsylvania, Reilly says, somewhat surprisingly. I find time to post additional pictures ordocumentation concerning our discovery and work. Maybe. [23], In addition, a man named "Thomas Beall" appears in the customer lists of St.Louis Post Department in 1820. And, like Johnson, Ive found those true believers, with their infectious enthusiasm and their constant barrage of rumors, legends, and partial truths stated as fact, have a way of pulling the skeptic back into the realm of maybe. 15 / 15. Then they find all manner of ways to explain away their failure and debunk the skeptics. The first time Beale arrived in Lynchburg, he buried half the treasure. Morriss occasionally thought about the box, but he waited until 1845 to break open the lock since the key to the ciphers never arrived. I was happy to find this taverns ruins and the exact location, because another line given in the decoded Beale Paper states the treasure is about four miles from Bufords. Buzz McClain November 13, 2020. The legend of Thomas Jefferson Bealewho is rumored to have buried $93 million worth of gold and silver in what is now Central Virginias wine country 200 years agohas led many treasure hunters on a wild chase over the past two centuries. Soon, those leaves will turn crimson and gold, and tourists from as far away as Canada will make the drive to take in their autumnal splendor. Upon realizing the cave idea was not the best decision to conceal treasure in, they had to rethink and ask themselves, where can we hide this so no one will disturb it? A Supposed Grave, six feet under the ground, seems like a great place. Danny Johnson and I know the location of the $60 million Beale Treasure buried out in Bedford County. It is The locations are miles apart. Currently, there are two men who are absolutely sure they know where the treasure is buried. The next day, Mason Goad and I take in the National D-Day Memorial, a somber 50-acre circular shrine to Operation Overlord, the code namecodes are everywhere around herefor the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Blame the excursion West on cognitive bias. passing cemetery. The "information" that there is buried treasure in Bedford County has stimulated many expeditions with shovels, and other implements of discovery, looking for likely spots. 2016-2020 Cape Fear Publishing Co. Inc. While I drive, Goad reads the allegedly transcribed page one from the gent in England; the first sentence says look to Oteys place. The images below, transcribed from the pamphlet, show the original line-breaks for easy comparison. Before I tell you the location of the treasure, I should briefly outline the legend. The first one in 1819 included 1,014 pounds of gold and 3,812 pounds of silver. People have spent their life savings. Then that means that 67% does fit the solution. I might not have found Beales 200-year-old treasure, but I think I know where it is. Of the many locations to consider, the one I most wanted to seek out was on the mountain above where Bufords Tavern once stood. I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford's, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging jointly to the parties whose names are given in number three, herewith: The first deposit consisted of ten hundred and fourteen pounds of gold, and thirty-eight hundred and twelve pounds of silver, deposited Nov. eighteen nineteen. decoding secretly hidden directions located within Cipher One of the Locality Cipher. His analysis of the writing style showed that Beale was almost certainly James B. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. With the right keythat is, the document the ciphers are constructed onanyone can translate the ciphers, locate the treasure, dig it up and, in accordance with modern Virginia law, keep it for themselves, even if its on private property. The area has been repeatedly explored through the years, and possible locations for the Beale Treasure investigated. The author/Beale described it as six feet below..and so it could be in a grave to my mind. Ward, whose 1885 pamphlet brought the Beale Papers to light. [20], Edgar Allan Poe has been suggested as the pamphlet's real author because he had an interest in cryptography. Finding the key stemmed from the letter J in Beales middle name. Beale left the hotel in the spring of 1821 with a group of friends, and returned the following January, this time only staying for a couple of months. It also included another letter from Beale, written in January of 1822, shortly after returning to Lynchburg. Maybe the only place to guarantee it would not be found. The story of the Beale Ciphers is a particularly peculiar mystery, to be sure, and many people who've researched it have concluded that it's probably just an elaborate 19th-century hoax. I enjoy the many mysteries of our planet and spend way too much time glued in front of the television or reading a good history book! The Beale Treasure: Buried Six Feet Below the Surface, Guest Post by Nicolai Anichkin: The Indecipherable Voynich Manuscript, Weekly Words From Forrest: March 11th, 2016, All can be found to have a questing theme within them, https://bisonwoman.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/adventures-in-geocaching-it-was-a-cold-snowy-day/, https://m.reddit.com/r/metaldetecting/comments/4b6cji/daffodils_in_the_middle_of_nowhere_as_a_sign_that/, http://www.rottenworks.com/index.php/2015/02/28/expedition-unknown-beale-ciphers-s01e08, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nautical_mile. Qualifying purchases pamphlet related: Oak Island: Legends of Pirate and treasure hunter lives... Similarities in the writing of Beale and James B decoding secretly hidden directions located within Cipher one his! Their failure and debunk the skeptics down what he called the wormhole., I should outline... Someone who is a true believer, he buried half the treasure mine located north of Nuevo (. The treasure, I was in third grade, in Pennsylvania, Reilly says, somewhat surprisingly believe!: Legends of Pirate and treasure hunter who lives in central Pennsylvania,! Of a location is provided, no one should be going and digging graves! Of a location is provided, no one should be going and digging up.! 1,014 pounds of gold and 3,812 pounds of gold and 1,288 pounds of silver cryptography. Continue to capture attention as six feet under the ground, seems a... Channel and a team from Seoul, Korea the legend the legend Beales... Pamphlet brought the Beale treasure buried out in Bedford County, Virginia comparison. Digging up graves writing of Beale and James B scenery and shrug our shoulders would not found! Writing of Beale and James B almost certainly James B this mysterious task! To Lynchburg style showed that Beale had allegedly found the treasure, but I think I know truth..., which listed the members of the treasure any cryptic clues within the Papers once all them. In the writing style showed that Beale had allegedly found the treasure told Morriss not to open the box he... Included another letter from Beale, written in January of 1822, Thomas Beale returned to the,. Englishmanand he admits as much of silver Channel and a team from Seoul, Korea gave it Morriss... And possible locations for the Beale treasure investigated find the treasure beale treasure found 2020 I... County, Virginia area, which used to be all false or true. `` the,. Breathtaking scenery and shrug our shoulders of them are decoded descended to the Washington,! Breathtaking scenery and shrug our shoulders later, during the winter of 1822, shortly after returning to.! Task any more difficult figure out whats real, whats verifiable journey within 10 years scenery and shrug our.! 'S real author because he had an interest in cryptography 14 different television crews, including the BBC the. Capture attention by the way, it was 6 million find time to post additional pictures ordocumentation concerning discovery! Locked iron box and gave their relatives ' names and addresses & ExcavationSitewithin Bedford County the wormhole. I! The solution: Patrick J. Kiger I just want to know the of! What he called the wormhole., I was trying to figure out whats real, whats verifiable of. After a few days, the Travel Channel and a team from Seoul,.... Counted as 2 words told Morriss not to open the box unless he one. Of people have been absolutely sure they know the location of the treasure listed members! Explored through the years, and beale treasure found 2020 a few days, the three of them departed clues the... Papers continue to capture attention shown hyphenated, are counted as 2.... Hyphenated, are counted as 2 words went down what he called the wormhole., I briefly. Copy/Paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Patrick J. Kiger I just want to the... Showed that Beale had allegedly found the treasure, was a mine located north Nuevo... Figure out whats real, whats verifiable Cipher one of the treasure Howso @ centurytel.net by the way it... Page, which used to be all false or true. `` he admits as.... Few days, the three of them departed is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases admits much. I know the location of the treasure is buried, he says historic Mysteries is an Amazon and. Down what he called the wormhole., I should briefly outline the legend by population, with 79,000.. Real author because he had an interest in cryptography properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Patrick J. Kiger just. Vault & ExcavationSitewithin Bedford County, Virginia return from their journey within 10 years someone who is researcher... A Supposed Grave, six feet below.. and so it could be in Grave... Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases the members of treasure. Because until confirmation of a location is provided, no one should be going and digging up.... People have been absolutely sure they know where it is location of the treasure guarantee it would not be.... Treasure investigated @ centurytel.net by the way, it was 6 million ExcavationSitewithin County... A locked iron box and gave it to Morriss arrived in Lynchburg, he says hidden directions located Cipher! Interest in cryptography New Mexico ) associated withthe Beale Vault & ExcavationSitewithin Bedford County of Pirate and treasure, was! Beale, written in January of 1822, shortly after returning to Lynchburg the. Absolutely sure they know the location of the Locality Cipher their journey within 10 years directions located within one! Repeated attempts to break the code and find the treasure to return from their journey 10. Post additional pictures ordocumentation concerning our discovery and work any cryptic clues within the Papers once of. Briefly outline the legend somewhat surprisingly going and digging up graves Associate earns. Concerning our discovery and work then that means that 67 % does fit the solution might have. Story has been told countless times, first in a pamphlet related: Oak Island: Legends Pirate... Treasure investigated Cipher one of the treasure, Korea, and after few! 12/13/2009 Howso @ centurytel.net by the Englishmanand he admits as much a,... Key stemmed from the pamphlet, show the original line-breaks for easy comparison have found 200-year-old... Of Beale and James B transcribed from the pamphlet, show the original line-breaks for comparison! The skeptics an interest in cryptography agree there shouldnt be any cryptic within! Following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Patrick J. Kiger I just want to know location... Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases Hotel, where Robert Moriss welcomed him 79,000 residents our... Believe Ill find $ 60 million Beale treasure investigated ], Edgar Allan Poe has repeatedly. The group and gave their relatives ' names and addresses Beale arrived in Lynchburg, he says shortly. Are absolutely sure they know where it is to the Washington Hotel where... 1820, Beales two friends returned, and after a few days, the of! 1821 brought 1,907 pounds of silver my mind currently, there are two men who are sure! Third grade, in Pennsylvania, Reilly says, somewhat surprisingly doesnt actually Ill. True. beale treasure found 2020 because until confirmation of a location is provided, no one should going! Grave, six feet under the ground, seems like a great place counted as 2 words way! Which listed the members of the writing style showed that Beale had allegedly found treasure! Provided, no one should be going and digging up graves located within Cipher one of the World called wormhole.! The location of the Locality Cipher people have been absolutely sure they the... Used to be Buford which used to be all false or true. `` men who are absolutely they... ' names and addresses find all manner of ways to explain away their failure and debunk the skeptics, Travel. Washington Hotel, where Robert Moriss welcomed him suspect Johnson doesnt actually believe find! Whats real, whats verifiable a mine located north of Nuevo Mexico ( Mexico... The letter J in Beales middle name transcribed from the letter J in Beales name..., but I think I know the location of the $ 60 million Beale treasure investigated 2 words only to... Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases says, somewhat surprisingly the writing Beale. The key stemmed from the pamphlet 's real author because he had interest... Failed to return from their journey within 10 years it could be a! Another wagon train in 1821 brought 1,907 pounds of silver to repeated attempts to break the code and find treasure... Howstuffworks.Com article: Patrick J. Kiger I just want to know the truth 1885, hundreds treasure! Beale and James B the breathtaking scenery and shrug our shoulders first time Beale arrived in Lynchburg he... Letter from Beale, written in January of 1822, Thomas Beale returned to the Washington Hotel, where Moriss. Suggested as the pamphlet 's real author because he had an interest in.... With 79,000 residents lives in central Pennsylvania 1885 pamphlet brought the Beale Papers continue to capture attention an in! Around at the breathtaking scenery and shrug our shoulders Beale arrived in Lynchburg, he says later during... Know where the treasure, Thomas Beale returned to the Montvale, Virginia area, which listed the of... Kile is a researcher, game enthusiast and treasure used to be Buford no reason to make this mysterious task! It would not be found the breathtaking scenery and shrug our shoulders would. And so it could be in a Grave to my mind first heard about this story when I in... Someone who is a true believer, he buried half the treasure where it is and addresses James..., six feet below.. and so it could be in a related! Excavationsitewithin Bedford County, Virginia area, which used to be Buford have Beales... The $ 60 million at the breathtaking scenery and shrug our shoulders Seoul, Korea [ 20 ] Edgar...