The buccaneer Jean Lafitte and other pirates sailed the Gulf to . There are many stories about famed pirate Jean Lafitte, but one places his lost buried treasure at the bottom of a lake right here in East Texas. Inside a tunnel stylized as pirate's cattacombs would've led to Laffite's old hideout, a capsized ship in Sawyer's island. that will never end. But the treasure is in my best belief to be in Galveston. I a month there. To the north of Tatum, in the middle of the forest, lies Lake Hendrix. [118][Note 4], Lafitte is paid tribute at Disneyland by a ship anchor monument with an accompanying plaque found in New Orleans Square. Lafitte's ship is called "The Pride," but that's something they've already found. The corsairs aimed the artillery at the Karankawa, killing most of the men in the tribe. Thankful for their help with the American victory, in February 1815 President James Madison offered pardons to the Baratarians for any crimes committed against the United States. But why? 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: Lafitte's men identified slave ships and captured them. Louisiana planters had a hard time buying enough American-born slaves to work on their everexpanding sugar and cotton plantations. 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. Laflin said he himself was a descendant of Jean Lafitte and had found the book in a trunk he had inherited. In Jean Lafitte's day, silver and gold filled a pirate's treasure chest, but today's treasures are people, places, and memories. By midmorning, 10 armed pirate ships formed a battle line in the bay. One of the pirate's captains had attacked an American merchant ship. In the early 1800s, Lafitte makes a fortune in treasure by raiding ships in the Gulf of Mexico . 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. Catiche became pregnant and gave birth to their son, Jean Pierre, on November 4, 1815. He was nursed back to health by Emma Hortense Mortimer. In the Journal de Jean Lafitte, the authenticity of which is contested, Lafitte claims to have been born in Bordeaux, France, in 1780 to Sephardic Jewish parents. [92] By the end of 1822, Cuba had banned all forms of sea raiding. Although General Andrew Jackson, commander of the American troops, originally described Lafitte as a hellish banditti, he finally accepted Lafittes help because of the ammunition, cannoneers, and knowledge of the area Lafi tte could supply. goal to once again evade U.S. seizure and to come back to it later. Check out our jean lafitte selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our prints shops. [84][Note 1], The remainder of the crew rejoined Lafitte, who finally acknowledged that he did not have a valid commission. [85] Almost half of the combined crew refused to sail as pirates; Lafitte allowed them to leave aboard his largest ship, the brig General Victoria. Omoa was the site of the largest Spanish fort in Central America, built to guard the Spanish silver shipments from the mines of Tegucigalpa to overseas destinations. You can see a small door that was covered. 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. [27], Governor William C.C. My grandfathers mother lived next to his mother and we were told of the storys on where some was at. Jean Lafitte was also offered a position in the British Royal Navy as a captain. Radford, Victor and the Pirate: A Story of New Orleans During the War of 1812, Childcraft (Vol. Lafitte possibly took an assumed name, John Lafflin, and may have given that surname to his younger two sons. 2. There are many stories about what happened to Lafitte and where he died. the Texas Gulf Coast. He was so wealthy that he built his own secret smugglers colony on the islands south of New Orleans. LINCOLNTON, N.C. (WBTV) - In the 1820s, pirate Jean Laffite, a smuggler from the Gulf Coast area in Louisiana, allegedly faked his death. The most notorious New Orleans smuggler and gentleman pirate was Jean Lafitte. Exactly where he was from remains a bit clouded, Thousands of miles away, and two centuries later, from where Laffite made his name, in Lincolnton, North Carolina, people continue to visit . [10], Sources indicate that Lafitte was sharp and resourceful, but also handsome and friendly, enjoying drinking, gambling, and women. The name Jean Lafitte is almost legendary around the upper areas of the Texas coastline. 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. Long-lost pirate ship may lie in Texas lake / Historical treasure could be wreck of Jean Lafitte. [77], At its peak the colony had more than two thousand inhabitants and 120 separate structures. When Patterson's men went ashore, they met no resistance. Other variations of the mystery say Lafitte buried the treasure in multiple Its in the concrete shell stairs. The bay was located beyond a narrow passage between the barrier islands of Grand Terre and Grande Isle. In April 1818, the United States passed a law prohibiting the import of slaves into any port in the United States. From there, he raided foreign ships in the Gulf of Mexico. [117] Laflin had been previously accused of forging letters purportedly from Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and Davy Crockett. According to Ramsay, Lafitte, his elder brother Pierre, and his widowed mother migrated from Saint-Domingue to New Orleans in the 1780s. "It started for us with this family story," Cody Hix said. He resurfaced in North Carolina under a different name, an alias. 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. Its well known about the boat company started with silver found near Lake Salvador. Lafitte se rvla un alli prcieux pour les tats-Unis lors de la . [79] It was being developed for cotton culture, as invention of the cotton gin had made short-staple cotton profitable. 1417 Harborside Drive, Galveston, TX ( Directions) One of over 200 historical markers on the island, this marker is located at the former house Maison Rouge of notorious pirate Jean Lafitte. There were no chests. Lafittes men did resist arrest by American federal agents and soldiers, wounding, murdering, and capturing several. In September 1814, British military officials sought Lafittes help in their campaign to attack the U.S. from the Gulf of Mexico. storytelling? April 23, 2022. His men tore down the existing houses and built 200 new, sturdier structures. Key to remember is that Lafitte was a business man, who turned merchandise that he acquired into money. The park was named after Lafitte because of his smuggling operations in the area. Orleanshe did not disappoint. [115] The paper and ink were analyzed and confirmed to be of mid-19th-century origin. Several of Lafitte's men were arrested and convicted of piracy. He fled New Orleans to Lake Pontchartrain. Claiborne took a leave of absence in September 1810, leaving Thomas B. Robertson as acting governor. [24] They outfitted it with 12 fourteen-pounder cannons. [102] Ramsay believes that over time, almost "every foot of Grande Isle has been spaded for pirate gold". Lafittes final resting place is unknown. [50], The US ordered an attack on Lafitte's colony. For the town named after him, see. LA . 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. This story first appeared in a local newspaper in the 1920s from an unnamed source and has no basis in fact. In the 1950s, a man claiming to be a descendant of Lafitte published The Journal of Jean Laffite. The journal was republished in the 1990s as The Memoirs of Jean Laffite. A major theme in the memoir/journal is Lafittes change of heart from slave trader to anti-slavery activist. [123][124], There were also plans to connect the Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion attraction and Tom Sawyer's island using Laffite. "Very few shipwrecks have been found that still have the stove intact," Irion said. [60] Lafitte realized that the American line of defense was so short as to potentially allow the British to encircle the American troops. After Jean's reported death in the mid-1820s, the widowed Catiche took up with Feliciano Ramos. have buried a large cache of treasure somewhere in the bayous of Louisiana. While his fleet took a hit, Lafitte himself managed to evade capture. that the treasure is in a different location now than where it was buried? And whether it's a pirate's ship or not, they hope it's a clue to their ultimate treasure. Jean Lafitte (also spelt Laffite, c. 1780 to c. 1820 CE) was a Franco-American leader of pirates and privateers who captured merchant vessels of various states in the Gulf of Mexico from 1810 to 1820. Much to the In the 1938 and 1958 films The Buccaneer, Lafitte claims he never attacked an American ship. [25] Dorada captured a fourth ship, a schooner they renamed Petit Milan. On September 13, 1814, Commodore Daniel Patterson set sail aboard the USSCarolina for Barataria. The fortune is said to have been stolen from the Spanish by Jean Lafitte. It also mentions reports of larger sums of the treasure being buried in the appropriately-named small town of Lafitte, Louisiana. Because of his track record and reputation, Jean Lafitte was still seen as a criminal in the eyes of the United States. below! He was said to use it as a base for arranging the transfer of smuggled goods. Later, in return for a legal pardon, Laffite and his fleet helped General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans to defend the city during the War of 1812. Jean Lafitte. 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. [76] Lafitte forged letters of marque from an imaginary nation to fraudulently authorize all the ships sailing from Galveston as privateers. [48] Lafitte had copies of the letters sent to Jean Blanque, a member of the state legislature who had invested in the Barataria operation. The fleet anchored off Grande Terre and the gunboats attacked. However, due to a combination of the enhantments that were cast on the ship, the fanatical loyalty of her crew, the ledgentary will of Jean Lafitte, and decades of personification by powerful beings, a spirit was bornkniting together the souls of the . Was it buried underground or lost under water? By 1812 Lafitte was the leader of the Baratarians with headquarters on Grand Terre, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico near Grand Isle. His men burned the Maison Rouge, fortress, and settlement. [56] It had approximately 1,000 unseasoned troops and two ships for its use. [4][5] In the late 18th century, adult children of the French planters in Saint-Domingue often resettled along the Mississippi River in La Louisiane, especially in its largest city of New Orleans. According to HendricksLake.com, created by author and independent researcher Gary L. Pinkerton, this is where six wagons of silver stolen by Jean Lafitte from a ship called the Santa Rosa were allegedly washed up. A privateer has permission from a government at war to capture any enemy ships. It's okay, because we're here to bust them! [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. In the ensuing gunfight, one of the revenue officers [39] was killed and two others were wounded. Although the plans were scrapped, a bricked up entrance close to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride pays homage to this idea.[125]. are why the mystery is still such an interesting topic todaymore than 200 Most who plied that area back then kept what they found close to the vest, and today that area is all open water, though many locals can still point out to you exactly where the Temple was. Jean Tensions were high during this time between the United States and Great Britain, creating the War of 1812 and forcing the United States to be on edge about who they could and could not trust. "Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jean Lafitte. On January 21, Jackson issued a statement praising his troops, especially the cannoneers and "Captains Dominique and Beluche, lately commanding privateers of Barataria, with part of their former crews and many brave citizens of New Orleans, were stationed at Nos. Jean Lafitte was born September 25, 1781. Jean lists his age as 32 and his birthplace as . It was cloudy with low visibility. Guides educate the public on wildlife, Cajun culture, and life on the bayou. After his three children were grown, Lafitte fell sick in his 50s. There is no . Around the same time it became illegal to bring slaves from Africa into Louisiana; it later became illegal to import slaves into the rest of the United States. After Jean Lafitte and his Baratarian crew finished fighting in New Orleans, and received their promised pardon, Lafitte could not maintain a simple private life for long, so he returned to life on the high seas. [38] Following the reward offer, Lafitte wrote Claiborne a note denying the charges of piracy. For the first time, it was made available for research. and an infant son[who?]. Resentful of the raid on Barataria, Lafitte's men refused to serve on their former ships. This story was told to me several years ago by a man in his 80 s Back in 1940 or 41 two men hired to clean up around what is said to be Lafittes red house disapeared after a few days. that the treasure was on board one of Lafittes vessels and sank to the ocean Jean Lafitte was a Franco-American privateer captain and pirate of the Caribbean sea who operated off of Baratia Bay, Louisiana in the early 19th century. [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). Legends of the Gulf Coast museum on the Strand. Governor Claiborne of Louisiana once offered a $500 reward to anyone who captured Jean Laffite; Laffitte offered a counter reward of $5,000 to anyone who captured the governor. An American ship was boarded near our coast, . When a giant storm hit the region, the raft was washed away and destroyed. [16] Barataria was far from the US naval base, and ships could easily smuggle in goods without being noticed by customs officials. He is best known for his role in the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812. . Most of Jean Lafitte's life remains shrouded in mystery, including his name. He wrote Jean Laffitte: Gentleman Rover based on the journal. 5 , Mexican outpost further south along the Gulf Coast, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States, "FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: GENERAL QUESTIONS", "Jean Laffite as a Father | Historia Obscura", "The Legend of Jean LaFoote Advertising Week 360 AW360", "Cinnamon Crunch (Cap'n Crunch) Cereal | MrBreakfast.com", "Then and Now: Lafitte's Anchor at Disneyland Park", "20 Things You May Not Know About Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean Ride", "History and a Behind the Scenes Look at the Pirates of the Caribbean Attraction in Disneyland", "Why is the Name Jean Lafitte Everywhere at Disneyland", History of the second war between the United States of America and Great Britain: declared by act of Congress, the 18th of June, 1812, and concluded by peace, the 15th of February, 1815, Jean Lafitte: Gentleman Pirate of New Orleans, "Jean LaFitte's piratical topsail schooner", History, photos and movies about Jean Lafitte, Paris Declaration Respecting Maritime Law, Jim Hawkins and the Curse of Treasure Island, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jean_Lafitte&oldid=1142807831, Recipients of American presidential pardons, Pages using embedded infobox templates with the title parameter, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from July 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, pirate, privateer, spy, naval artillery officer, slave trader. His maternal grandmother and mother, both Conversos, fled Spain for France in 1765. Jean Lafitte in 1813. Jean Lafitte (c.1780 c.1823) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. There are [90] In late April 1822, Lafitte was captured again after taking his first American ship. 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]. Despite the Treaty of Ghent having been signed, and peace ensuing, it would take months for the news to reach New Orleans. [116] Many researchers noticed a similarity between John Laflin's handwriting and the writing in the journal. One of Lafitte's men testified that the Baratarians had never intended to fight the US but had prepared their vessels to flee. The treasure already found was Spanish Silver, not Gold. These men were pardoned after testifying that they had deserted from Lafitte's ship in Galveston when they discovered that it did not have a valid privateering commission. He brought all captured goods to Barataria. Lafitte may have had as many as 1000 people working for him, including free men of color and runaway slaves. [4], Some sources speculate that Lafitte was born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (known as Haiti since it gained independence in 1804). In 1821, the schooner USSEnterprise was sent to Galveston to remove Lafitte from the Gulf. Merchants in New Orleans began to run out of goods to sell. Jean Lafitte was the youngest of eight children (five boys and three girls). Rumors abounded that he had changed his name after leaving Galveston and disappeared, that he was killed by his own men shortly after leaving Galveston, or that he had rescued Napoleon and that both had died in Louisiana. Lafitte always insisted that if he committed any crime, it was smuggling, and he blamed American laws for forcing him into illegal activities. was born in France around the year 1780 and traveled to the United States when He refused to allow anyone else to see the original documents until 1969, when he sold them to a professional document dealer. [53], Likely inspired by Lafitte's offer to help defend Louisiana, Governor Claiborne wrote the US Attorney General, Richard Rush requesting a pardon for the Baratarians, saying that for generations, smugglers were "esteemed honest [and] sympathy for these offenders is certainly more or less felt by many of the Louisianans".