Learn Cajun traditions from people who live them. 23 Lost Treasures of Louisiana Lafitte always insisted that if he committed any crime, it was smuggling, and he blamed American laws for forcing him into illegal activities. One of the pirate's captains had attacked an American merchant ship. He was born in Port-au-Prince on the Caribbean island now known as Haiti, where his father was a tanner who made a comfortable enough living to educate his sons well. The United States made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Jean Lafitte. Only six houses survived as habitable.[80]. On September 13, 1814, Commodore Daniel Patterson set sail aboard the USSCarolina for Barataria. Jean Lafitte - Etsy any leads as to where Lafittes treasure might be? [42], Following the charges of November 10, 1812, and subsequent arrest and jailing of his brother Pierre, Jean Lafitte operated the piracy and smuggling business. Jean Lafitte - Buried Treasures of the Notorious Pirate of the Gulf Jean Laffite was a French pirate and privateer born circa 1780. Believing that the Americans would eventually prevail in the war against Britain, Lafitte thought he could more easily defeat the US revenue officers than he could the British Navy. that will never end. In November 1822, he made news in the American press after escorting an American schooner through the pirate-infested area and providing them with extra cannon balls and food.[96]. . Hendrick's Lake treasure is focus of Houston historian's upcoming book Lafitte agreed to leave the island without a fight, and on May 7, 1821 departed on The Pride. Ramsay believes that Lafitte died of a fever in 1826 or 1827 on, Ramsay believes the documents were written by Laflin's ancestor, Matthew Laflin (18031854), who may have convinced his descendants that he was Jean Lafitte. [41] The legislature appointed a committee to study the matter but, as most of their constituents benefitted by the smuggling, they never authorized the militia. Experts with . "Very few shipwrecks have been found that still have the stove intact," Irion said. By 1810 he was in Louisiana with his older brother Pierre. instead of just one? Woodblock print of the death of Jean Lafitte from The Pirates Own Book, published in 1837. . Lafitte agreed to leave the island without a fight, and on May 7, 1821, departed on The Pride. Lafitte's fate has remained a mystery for 183 years. I was living in high island Texas .mostly driving the beach further east to sea rim. [34] Biographer Jack Ramsay speculates that the voyage was intended to "establish [Lafitte] as a privateering captain". I studied it very well and found a hidden marking on a wall beside the stairs and a solid wall pit with a hole in the top. When Patterson's men went ashore, they met no resistance. [101] Lafitte is rumored to have buried treasure at many locations, including Galveston and sites along coastal Louisiana, such as Contraband Bayou in Lake Charles. "[64] Jackson named Jean and Pierre Lafitte for having "exhibited the same courage and fidelity". After Napoleons exile to St. Helena by the English in 1815, the story says Lafitte put a double in his place and smuggled him into the United States, but that Napoleon died on the trip. Jean LaFitte - Legendary gulf pirate, Is some of his gold still buried Most of his men had believed that Lafitte had a valid privateering commission although there was confusion as to which country had issued it. New Orleans issued six such letters, primarily to smugglers who worked with Lafitte at Barataria. Families with the surname Lafitte have been found in Louisiana documents dating as early as 1765. Rogers was a member of Jean Lafitte's pirate crew in 1812. Lafitte and several of his men rowed to meet them halfway. The man also owned documents claiming Lafi tte lived until the 1850s and was buried in Alton, Illinois. The park was named after Lafitte because of his smuggling operations in the area. A number of details about Jean Lafitte's early life remain obscure and often sources contradict each other. As part of Mexico, it was outside the authority of the United States, and was largely uninhabited, except by the Karankawa, a Native American people. The brothers adapted the captured ship for use in piracy and named it Dorada. The most notorious New Orleans smuggler and gentleman pirate was Jean Lafitte. His exact whereabouts after that are unknown. Lafitte, a one-time resident of Louisiana and privateer, is believed by some to Lafitte was later [50], The US ordered an attack on Lafitte's colony. Jean Lafitte was also offered a position in the British Royal Navy as a captain. The brothers stripped down their original ship and used its guns to outfit the new one. An attorney representing Lafitte argued that the captured ships had flown the flag of Cartagena, an area at peace with the United States. Jean Lafitte proves to be an aberration as he acted as patriot to the United States during the War of 1812. The benefits of Jean Lafitte agreement to the British were numerous and well calculated. In approximately 1784, his mother married Pedro Aubry, a New Orleans merchant, keeping Jean with her. Wheres your backyard? It was also the location that US Forces attacked, causing his band to make a hasty retreat. Was he a pirate, a patriot, or both? He landed ships at Grand Terre and Cheniere, and then brought the merchandise to The Temple to be auctioned. War & Affiliation War of 1812 / American. Josh Gates investigates the legends swirling around the storied life and death of French pirate Jean Lafitte who is reputed to have buried treasure at sites in coastal Louisiana. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte". years later! This has become the common spelling in the United States, including places named after him.[1]. "[100] Given his legendary reputation, there was much speculation about whether, or how, Lafitte had died. Jean Lafitte was a French pirate and privateer who operated from New Orleans, Louisiana. Very little is known about Laffite, and speculation about his life and death continues among historians. His maternal grandmother and mother, both Conversos, fled Spain for France in 1765. Lafitte's ship is called "The Pride," but that's something they've already found. By 1805 he is believed to have been running a warehouse in New Orleans and possibly a store on Royal Street. When you cross Bayou Des Allemands on Hwy 90, looking down the bayou to the south its a short ride to where the primary temple location was. His life and death remain as mysterious as the swamps and bayous of Barataria. So, where could The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1983.123.8. 1823) was a French pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. The letters gave the ships permission to attack ships from all nations. The Mystery of the Final Years of Jean Lafitte Lafitte's Treasure Links With his business carrying on and continuing to grow, so did his wealth. He and another treasure hunter named Dan Beckingham found 4.5 million dollars worth of gold in the shallow waters of Florida. [117] Laflin had been previously accused of forging letters purportedly from Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and Davy Crockett. chagrin of the locals that helped drain the swamp, there was no trace of the Within a short period, Lafitte's men abandoned their ships, set several on fire, and fled the area. Merchants and planters came to Barataria for auctions, which Lafitte held outside New Orleans to avoid the law. According to one account, published in 1885, The Historical Guide to New Orleans, Jean Lafitte died of sickness on the island of Mugeres, off the Yucatan, in 1826. "Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jean Lafitte. It is still [10] Davis places Lafitte's brother Pierre in Saint-Domingue by the late 1790s and the early 19th century. I grew up back there, in those waterways, in that area and found many interesting things. One of the men was found living in east Texas where he had bought a farm. Wounded in the battle, Lafitte is believed to have died just after dawn on February 5. Louisiana historians know Jean Lafitte as the pirate who, shortly before Christmas in 1814, surrendered his plunder to fight alongside Colonel Andrew Jackson to save the City of New Orleans. Merchants and planters were eager to buy the goods and slaves Lafitte smuggled into south Louisiana. Jean Lafitte: Mystery of the Unfound Treasure - Pelican State of Mind [36], Lafitte's continued flouting of the laws angered Governor Claiborne, who, on March 15, issued a proclamation against the Baratarian "banditti who act in contravention of the laws of the United States to the evident prejudice of the revenue of the federal government". [2] Some sources say that his father was French and his mother's family had come from Spain. [33], Although under indictment, in March 1813 Lafitte registered as captain of Le Brig Goelette la Diligente for a supposed journey to New York. wrong move on Lafittes mason rouge. His treasure Jean was sent to Galveston Island, a part of Spanish Texas that served as the home base of Louis-Michel Aury, a French privateer who claimed to be a Mexican revolutionary. says that a swamp in the Natalbany River in Springfield, Louisiana, was drained [63] On land and sea, the former pirate gunners earned praise as the battle continued. The Baratarians invited the British officers to row to their island. The Americans took custody of six schooners, one felucca, and a brig, as well as 20cannon and goods worth $500,000. Slaves captured in such actions who were turned over to the customs office would be sold within the United States, with half the profits going to the people who turned them in. Those looking for Gold, Diamonds, Jewelry etc wont find it. [11] This was the last year that Napoleon failed to regain control of Saint-Domingue. Has Jean Lafitte's ship been found? | Homework.Study.com A $27 million treasure supposedly lies buried on Pelican Island. It reads that a cache of ancient gold coins was found near Jefferson island. [23], The brothers soon acquired a third ship, La Diligente. Although not part of the original proposal from Percy, Lockyer added an extra $30,000 if Lafitte would not only assist in the battle against New Orleans but also against Mobile. "[55], When General Andrew Jackson arrived in New Orleans on December 1, 1814, he discovered the city had not created any defenses. jean lafitte shipwreck found. The Barataria chief then had 1100 men under his . Jean Lafitte, a famous pirate, buried his treasures along the coasts of Florida. They submitted booty from captured British ships to the American authorities at New Orleans, and booty from all other ships was often channeled for sale on the markets through Lafitte's operation. In 1812, the United States and the United Kingdom went to war. His reading and writing abilities, therefore, remain unclear. Jean Laffite, Laffite also spelled Lafitte, (born 1780?, Francedied 1825? [123][124], There were also plans to connect the Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion attraction and Tom Sawyer's island using Laffite. Lafitte proved an invaluable ally for the United States in the War of 1812 and the 1815 Battle of New Orleans, assisting General Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) to victory against the British. In 1958, Laflin self-published an English translation of the journal. His warnings were not believed at fi rst and the U.S. Army and Navy went ahead with a planned attack on Lafittes base at Grand Terre. . . Switching gears back to Louisiana, this Jean Lafitte tale quotes a former student of Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans stating that the treasure is buried near an oak tree on the schools campus. are why the mystery is still such an interesting topic todaymore than 200 I always wondered why the searchers were only local, and that an organized big search never happened but it never did. Jean Lafitte - World History Encyclopedia Probably inside the hidden stairs that went to the first floor of his mason rouge. She was the sister of Marie Villard, the mistress of his brother, Pierre. . [44], McWilliam brought two letters in his packet for Lafitte: one, under the seal of King George III, offered Lafitte and his forces British citizenship and land grants in the British colonies in the Americas (by then, these consisted of islands in the Caribbean and territory in Upper and Lower Canada). Jean Lafitte's fabeled ship, The Pride, sunk well over a hundred years ago. Despite Laffite warning the other Baratarians of a possible military attack on their base, a US naval force successfully invaded in September 1814 and captured most of his fleet. The Mystery of the Final Years of Jean Lafitte . It is quite certain that Napoleon is buried in Paris and that Jones, who died in 1792, is buried at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. What books would you recommend about this pirate? The silver that Lafitte accumulated from selling captured slaves, cotton, and other goods was stored in wooden kegs or casks. During the battle Lafitte fought well. He and his older brother Pierre spelled their last name Laffite, but English language documents of the time used "Lafitte".This has become the common spelling in the United States, including places named after him. In the early 1800s, Lafitte makes a fortune in treasure by raiding ships in the Gulf of Mexico . British forces sought access to the Mississippi River to gain control of the interior of the US. (Davis (2005), p. 436). The Pride. . SS Jean Lafitte may refer to one of two Type C2-S-E1 ships built by Gulf Shipbuilding for the United States Maritime Commission: . The Mystery of the Final Years of Jean Lafitte Lafitte's Treasure Links An 1802 newspaper ad mentioned a blacksmith named Lafi tte, but no first name was given and the shop was not at the corner of Bourbon and St. Phillip streets where the business known as Jean Lafi ttes Blacksmith Shop stands today. This article provides images of newspapers from 1921, and one column in particular that talks about Lafittes treasure. Britain maintained a powerful navy, but the United States had little naval power. He is considered something of a historic anti-hero in Louisiana and around the Gulf of Mexico, having engaged in smuggling and piracy for a number of years yet - during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815 - helped defend the city from the . Jean Lafitte Treasure Found - TreasureNet The Original Treasure In 1817, Jean founded a new colony on Galveston Island named Campeche. And whether it's a pirate's ship or not, they hope it's a clue to their ultimate treasure. Pierre was to inform about the situation in New Orleans. [87] The congressional delegation in Louisiana began to demand that the federal government do something to halt the smuggling, and more US Navy ships were sent to the Gulf. Yes I visited his home the Mason rouge in Campeche Galveston tx. In 1978, Congress created Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, combining Chalmette National Historical Park (established in 1938) with the Louisiana state park and authorizing a visitor center in the French Quarter. Constructed in the 1720s, the structure stands today as possibly the oldest building in the United States housing a bar (Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar).[105][106]. Jean Lafitte was likely born in 1782, although he was not baptized until 1786. Jean Lafitte (ca. [19] When Claiborne returned to office, he was relatively quiet on the subject. In February 1823, Lafitte was cruising off the town of Omoa, Honduras, on his schooner General Santander. Louisianas [93], In June 1822, Lafitte approached the officials in the Great Colombia, whose government under General Simn Bolvar had begun commissioning former privateers as officers in its new navy. storytelling? He was evidently able to speak English reasonably well and most likely had a working knowledge of Spanish. He died about Feb 5, 1823. Located on Bourbon Street, it is associated with Lafitte, who may have spent time there in his earlier years. These questions Suzanne Johnson features a living Lafitte in her urban fantasy series, Jean Laffite is a character in the historical fiction novel Ashes & Ecstasy by Catherine Hart, Published March 1st 2000 by Leisure Books (first published November 1st 1985), In the 1960s and 70s a barefoot cartoon pirate named, Lafitte: the pirate of the Gulf a book from 1836, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 13:45. Several times customs officials and soldiers tried to capture Lafi tte in the swamps, but they were usually captured, wounded, or killed by the Baratarians. Jean-Baptiste Francisco Lafitte (1782-1823) - WikiTree [4] He notes that still other contemporary accounts claim that Lafitte was born in Ordua, Spain, or in Westchester County, New York, north of Manhattan. [27], Governor William C.C. Throughout Barataria, Lafitte built warehouses to store goods and pens to hold slaves. [36], In October, a revenue officer prepared an ambush of a band of Lafitte's smugglers. On November 10, 1812, United States District Attorney John R. Grymes charged Lafitte with "violation of the revenue law. Due to escalating violence from the Haitian Revolution, in early 1803 Pierre boarded a refugee ship for New Orleans.Davis (2005), pp. Long-lost pirate ship may lie in Texas lake / Historical - SFGATE Captain Campbell became a farmer and remained so until his death in 1856. Luckily, there is more info from Sotto himself about this project that can be found here. 1512. [60] Lafitte realized that the American line of defense was so short as to potentially allow the British to encircle the American troops. You can see a small door that was covered. [117] Most historians now believe the Lafitte journal to be a forgery. An American ship was boarded near our coast, . Merchants in New Orleans began to run out of goods to sell. Although the city kept control of the eight ships taken from Lafitte, it did not have enough sailors to man them for defense. Jean Lafitte's ship was named "The General Jackson". The Indians in the Mandeville area helped him escape to the Pearl River. "[33] Three days later, 40 soldiers were sent to ambush the Baratarians and captured Lafitte, his brother Pierre, and 25 unarmed smugglers on November 16, and confiscated several thousand dollars of contraband. Many from the area have taken artifacts from there, including coin. 13 Lost Treasures of Florida His maternal grandfather had been executed by the Inquisition for "Judaizing". He was accompanied by a Royal Marine infantry captain, John McWilliam,[45][46] who had been given a package to deliver to Lafitte. The American warship which captured him turned Lafitte over to the local authorities, who promptly released him. There are many stories about what happened to Lafitte and where he died. "[26] For several months, the Lafittes would send the ships directly to New Orleans with legal cargo and would take on outgoing provisions in the city. Podcast: Jean Lafitte, The Texas Pirate in Galveston, Texas And the ship berry bros found look for gold on land nearby. The mysterious sunken pirate ship contained about $5 million in silver and gold coins. [29], On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Britain. [83] Two weeks after setting sail, they captured a Spanish ship, which they sent to Galveston, hoping the Longs would smuggle the goods to New Orleans. When a giant storm hit the region, the raft was washed away and destroyed. Shipwrecks Near Fort Livingston Hold Treasures: Gold and silver coins that date from 1802 to 1809: Grand Terre Isle: The Parlange Plantation Treasure: $100,000 to $500,000 worth of gold and silver coins and jewelry: He suggested that the line be extended to a nearby swamp, and Jackson ordered it done. But the treasure is in my best belief to be in Galveston. This story first appeared in a local newspaper in the 1920s from an unnamed source and has no basis in fact. Jean Lafitte was born September 25, 1781. Lafitte for a time lived a lavish lifestyle, complete with servants and the finest housewares and other accoutrements.[78]. The men working for Lafitte were called Baratarians because the waterways they used for smuggling were located in an area called Barataria (the Barataria Preserve of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is located in this area). William Bartlett explored a three-hundred-year-old shipwreck. [8], Biographer William C. Davis suggests a different childhood for Lafitte. Other documents of the period place his birthplace as St. Malo or Brest. The law left several loopholes, giving permission to any ship to capture a slave ship, regardless of the country of origin. Lost Gold Of Jean Lafitte is the 4th episode in Season 5 of Expedition Unknown. So, if you google Money Hill in Abita Springs ,La . He wrote Jean Laffitte: Gentleman Rover based on the journal. [67] By early 1817, other revolutionaries had begun to congregate at Galveston, hoping to make it their base to wrest Mexico from Spanish control. There were a number of gum trees growing in the shape of a ship and it was thought this could be the site of one of Lafitte's ships. A grand jury indicted Pierre Lafitte after hearing testimony against him by one of the city's leading merchants. on Grand Terre. Guests could've been able to enter Laffite's crypt near the Haunted Mansion.