There are many stories about what happened to Lafitte and where he died. Researchers say the vessels sit in 25 feet water depth at the north of Big Bradford Island. The treasure already found was Spanish Silver, not Gold. Lafittes image changed from pirate to patriot during the War of 1812. In 1958, Laflin self-published an English translation of the journal. times as a smuggler and privateer, he became very wealthy. [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. [74], In less than a year, Lafitte's colony grew to 100200 men and several women. 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. The ship's kitchen stove was found intact. "Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jean Lafitte. We use cookies to provide you with the best possible browsing experience. Those looking for Gold, Diamonds, Jewelry etc wont find it. Woodblock print of the death of Jean Lafitte from The Pirates Own Book, published in 1837. Small but made like a brick. What: Lecture and book signing. residents of Texas have claimed that the treasure was buried somewhere along The business was so profitable because Lafitte was selling smuggled, foreign goods to the people of New Orleans. [122] He is also referred to in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in which the boat dock is labeled LaFitte's Landing. This would later be used to his great advantage. Jean Henri Laffite's father, Jean Louis Laffite, was a ship captain who died on August 1, 1782, aboard the privateer ship "EL POSTILION" during a hurricane in route . Lafitte decided to warn American authorities and offered to help defend New Orleans in exchange for a pardon for his men. The expert cannon fire of Jacksons troops, including Lafi ttes Baratarians, contributed to the American victories during the New Orleans campaign that culminated with the Battle of New Orleans on January 8,1815. During the battle Lafitte fought well. 1512. 1417 Harborside Drive. Legend holds that the Pirate Jean LaFitte, or in some other versions Santa Anna, left treasure at Hendrick's Lake near Tatum. Most of Jean Lafitte's life remains shrouded in mystery, including his name. [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. Enslaved Africans there gained their independence from France in 1804 and renamed this territory as Haiti. Jean Lafitte's ship was named "The General Jackson". 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. Louisianas 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. [6] According to Ramsay, Lafitte's widowed mother migrated with her two sons, the elder Pierre and Jean, from Saint-Domingue to New Orleans in the 1780s. That night his remaining men reboarded the General Victoria and destroyed its masts and spars, crippling the ship, but they left the crew unharmed. was born in France around the year 1780 and traveled to the United States when Jan 25, 2007. Lafitte's men identified slave ships and captured them. The story may have begun because Pierre Lafittes mistress owned a building on St. Phillip Street across from todays Blacksmith Shop. Within weeks, Dorada captured a schooner loaded with goods valued at more than $9,000. There are This information begs the question, though, How did Jean Lafitte have treasure in the first place, and if he did, why would he leave it behind?. In a personal note, Lafitte reminded Blanque that his brother Pierre was still in jail and deserved an early release. Rogers was a member of Jean Lafitte's pirate crew in 1812. 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. The ones found their range from the late 1770;s to 1814 or so. Louisiana is not exclusive to rumors of the treasures whereabouts too, as 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). [35] Lafitte soon acquired a letter of marque from Cartagena, but never sent any booty there. The ship would sail to the mouth of Bayou Lafourche, load the contraband goods, and sail "legally" back to New Orleans, with goods listed on a certified manifest. For the town named after him, see. On this occasion Lafitte's ship had been in dire danger of attack as he prepared to enter the Calcasieu Pass, for he found that the New Orleans revenue cutter "Lynx" was engaged in antislaving patrols between him and the mouth of . [55] Jackson responded, "I ask you, Louisianans, can we place any confidence in the honor of men who have courted an alliance with pirates and robbers? By 1806, several "Captain Lafitte"s operated in New Orleans; [] [88] In October or November 1821, Lafitte's ship was ambushed as he attempted to ransom a recent prize. As JeanLafitte.net explains, in 1948, a man named John Andrechyne Laflin went to the Missouri Historical Society with a document called The Journal of Jean Lafitte, which he claimed was the authentic memoir and scrapbook of the famed pirate. To the north of Tatum, in the middle of the forest, lies Lake Hendrix. The Laffites subsequently became spies for the Spanish during the Mexican War of Independence. They had two children together. He found his first Spanish gold coin in the year 2017. You will see it gets its name from the treasure being buried there. [60] Lafitte realized that the American line of defense was so short as to potentially allow the British to encircle the American troops. . Jackson agreed to do so. Found bones of mamouth and Indian tools. Jean Lafitte was the youngest of eight children (five boys and three girls). It was cloudy with low visibility. It reads that a cache of ancient gold coins was found near Jefferson island. knowledge (or educated guess) of Lafitte being the best privateer around, United [58] On December 19, the state legislature passed a resolution recommending a full pardon for all of the former residents at Barataria. The Laffite Society, which promotes historical research and education about Lafitte's life and times, meets the second Tuesday of each month. Lafitte wanted to avoid a Spanish invasion. He said his ships would sail as pirates. In the early 1800s, Lafitte makes a fortune in treasure by raiding ships in the Gulf of Mexico . Laffite is believed to have been born either in Basque-France or the French colony of Saint-Domingue in the Caribbean. Legend said it was a ship Lafitte sunk or said he sunk in the Old Sabine River while being pursued by a federal gunboat. When he attacked some United States ships, the government sent in troops to capture him. [28] The residents of New Orleans were grateful to the Lafittes for providing them with luxuries otherwise prevented from importing by the embargo. The man also owned documents claiming Lafi tte lived until the 1850s and was buried in Alton, Illinois. The Spanish ships were heavily armed privateers or warships and returned heavy fire. [81]. 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. [117] Most historians now believe the Lafitte journal to be a forgery. 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. Quick Facts. History suggests there is a possibility that hidden treasuresgold coins, doubloons, precious jewelryare somewhere beneath the surface just waiting to be found! the naval operations and common routes of port ships in the Mississippi River . If you study your info you will be lost. [24] They outfitted it with 12 fourteen-pounder cannons. But why? The marker was erected in 1965 by the Texas Historical Commission. Rogers started his own pirate fleet in 1818. . A statue dedicated to the pirate Jean Lafitte can be found next to the water by the fishing boats In February 1823, the infamous pirate Jean Lafitte, severely wounded from an encounter with Spanish warships, sailed his schooner General Santander westward from the coast of Cuba into oblivion. Louisiana's most well-known buried treasure mystery still to this day is the unfound treasure of Jean Lafitte. Lafitte visited in March 1817. Lafitte se rvla un alli prcieux pour les tats-Unis lors de la . [9], Acknowledging that details of Lafitte's first twenty years are sparse, Davis speculates that Lafitte spent much time at sea as a child, probably aboard ships owned by his father, a known trader. The Pride. Is the image on this article what the actual chest looked like? They had his only known son, Jean Pierre Lafitte (d. 1832). Within two days of his offer, handbills were posted all over New Orleans offering a similar award for the arrest of the governor. That was problematic for New Orleans merchants, who had relied heavily on trade with Caribbean colonies of other nations. [7] Workers would reload goods into smaller batches onto pirogues or barges, for transport through the many bayous to New Orleans. Watch an alligator bask on a bayou's bank. 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. Merchants and planters came to Barataria for auctions, which Lafitte held outside New Orleans to avoid the law. Jean Lafitte, sometimes spelled Laffite, was born in approximately 1780 in either France or Saint Domingue (modern day Haiti) and according historian H.W . Other variations of the mystery say Lafitte buried the treasure in . [38] Officials tried to break up this auction by force. [17], Based in New Orleans, Pierre Lafitte served as a silent partner, looking after their interests in the city. Could it be [7] His elder brother Pierre became a privateer; he may have operated from Saint-Domingue, which frequently issued letters of marque. One of the pirate's captains had attacked an American merchant ship. His men tore down the existing houses and built 200 new, sturdier structures. Metal detector companies may be the only satisfied that will never end. The boys were given a basic Catholic education. "[55], When General Andrew Jackson arrived in New Orleans on December 1, 1814, he discovered the city had not created any defenses. One of Lafitte's men testified that the Baratarians had never intended to fight the US but had prepared their vessels to flee. Wounded in the battle, Lafitte is believed to have died just after dawn on February 5. This account of Lafitte's death is not accepted by all historians. says that a swamp in the Natalbany River in Springfield, Louisiana, was drained Was it buried underground or lost under water? This area had been famous for smuggling even before privateers arrived in 1810 to use the deep water harbor of Barataria Bay. wrong move on Lafittes mason rouge. His men burned the Maison Rouge, fortress, and settlement. 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. 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. The building was surrounded by a moat and painted red; it became known as Maison Rouge. [44], Captain Nicholas Lockyer, the commander of the Sophie, had been ordered to contact the "Commandant at Barataria". Found a mamouth tooth a a tiny brick made of shell it has letters P on it and the other I cant make out. Lafitte was horribly excited by the result of this trial. [99], Davis writes that Lafitte's death prevented his becoming obsolete; by 1825 piracy had been essentially eradicated in the Gulf of Mexico, and "the new world of the Gulf simply had no room for [his] kind. Annual income reached more than $2 million ($35.4million in today's terms) in stolen currency and goods. [20] As the schooner did not have an official commission from a national government, its captain was considered a pirate operating illegally. [He] is supposed to have captured one hundred vessels of all nations, and certainly murdered the crews of all that he took, for no one has ever escaped him. 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. Though Lafitte's home is gone, this property across the street from the Port of Galveston contains the ruins of a later structure and a trove of ghost tales. He heads off to a plantation (as a legend says that . He was so wealthy that he built his own secret smugglers colony on the islands south of New Orleans. SS Jean Lafitte may refer to one of two Type C2-S-E1 ships built by Gulf Shipbuilding for the United States Maritime Commission: . Most of his men had believed that Lafitte had a valid privateering commission although there was confusion as to which country had issued it. He had been credited with much, and accused of plenty, yet there is doubt even. With the Some accounts say Most of the people were locals, from Lafourche Parish, the southern part, mainly Cut Off and Larose and the Gheens area, and also from the Des Allemands location. Many of the city's merchants were unhappy with this auction, because it allowed their customers to buy goods directly from Lafitte at a lower price than the merchants could charge in the city. There were also those who considered him a hero. What books would you recommend about this pirate? 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. His maternal grandmother and mother, both Conversos, fled Spain for France in 1765. He and his elder brother, Pierre, spelled their last name Laffite, but English-language documents of the time used "Lafitte", and this is the commonly seen spelling in the United States, including for places named for him. [18] Seamen flocked to the island, working on the docks or at the warehouses until they were chosen as crew for one of the privateers.[19]. In 1966, Louisiana authorized a state park to be established at the present site of the Barataria Preserve. Widely publicized, the raid was hailed by the Niles' Weekly Register as "a major conquest for the United States". Like Barataria, Galveston was a seaward island that protected a large inland bay. By 1810 he was in Louisiana with his older brother Pierre. Several of Lafitte's men were arrested and convicted of piracy. The Laffites moved their operations to an island in Barataria Bay, Louisiana. "Very few shipwrecks have been found that still have the stove intact," Irion said. His game was spread far and wide and there were those who feared and hated him. [114][115] When the historical society could not authenticate the claim, Laflin approached Louisiana author Stanley Arthur. Lafitte escaped. Charles Gayarre wrote the first serious biography of Lafitte. In 1821, the schooner USSEnterprise was sent to Galveston to remove Lafitte from the Gulf. [21] In January 1813, they took their first prize, a Spanish hermaphrodite brig loaded with 77slaves. Following Lafitte's departure from the Texas coast in 1821, James and Mary Campbell remained in the region, ultimately settling on a plot of about 1500 acres at Campbell's Bayou (Articles, 1998). Here, there would be lots of different activities for the kids. [64] He formally requested clemency for the Lafittes and the men who had served under them. Despite this, no silver bars were found. 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. Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is named after him. Baratarias swamps and bayous stretched south of New Orleans to the Gulf of Mexico. Key to remember is that Lafitte was a business man, who turned merchandise that he acquired into money. They sailed three ships, which Davis described as likely "one of the largest privately owned corsair fleets operating on the coast, and the most versatile. that the treasure is in a different location now than where it was buried? 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. Mystery and legend surround the life of Jean Lafi tte. For the Hix boys, the legend of Jean Lafitte was always their family's little secret. They married and had two sons together, Jules Jean and Glenn Henri. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Jean Lafitte is thought to have died in 1823, whilst attacking a Spanish ship. On February 13, he escaped, likely with outside help. Smugglers would purchase the slaves for a discounted price, march them to Louisiana, and turn them in to customs officials. Much to the Registration for Pierre Lafitte's ship Goelette la Dilidente,a 136 ton schooner, captained by . You would eventually merge onto the hold of a buried ship on Tom Sawyers Island. Captain Campbell became a farmer and remained so until his death in 1856. 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. My grandfathers mother lived next to his mother and we were told of the storys on where some was at. A $27 million treasure supposedly lies buried on Pelican Island. He vowed his intention to make indiscriminate war upon all God . 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. What did the USS Enterprise do to Jean Lafitte? Within two days of Lafitte's notes, Pierre "escaped" from jail. Later, the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette, the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center in Eunice, and theWetlands Acadian Cultural Center in Thibodaux were added to the park, and stories connect Lafitte with those areas too. [34] Biographer Jack Ramsay speculates that the voyage was intended to "establish [Lafitte] as a privateering captain". Check out our jean lafitte selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our prints shops. In the summer of 1814, Pierre was arrested and jailed in New Orleans, but he escaped from jail under mysterious circumstances in September. A mysterious shipwreck is capturing imaginations as a team of researchers sift through the remnants of an early 19th-century vessel located 150 miles off the Galveston Island coast.. The smugglers often held letters of marque from multiple countries, authorizing them to capture booty from differing nations. This has become the common spelling in the United States, including places named after him.[1]. In 1814, the U.S. sent a naval force to invade Lafittes fleet and was mostly successful, seizing many of Lafittes comrades and ships. Some speculate it was Jean. [4], Some sources speculate that Lafitte was born in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (known as Haiti since it gained independence in 1804). 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. Jean Lafitte was likely born in 1782, although he was not baptized until 1786. there were treasure legends, and the most common story is that Lafitte stranded a ship, a Spanish ship with gold, in Matagorda Bay in Corpus and was taking it to St. Louis on some wagon trains over roads that don . Resentful of the raid on Barataria, Lafitte's men refused to serve on their former ships. [23], The brothers soon acquired a third ship, La Diligente. An American ship was boarded near our coast, . Jean Lafitte was also offered a position in the British Royal Navy as a captain. He refused to allow anyone else to see the original documents until 1969, when he sold them to a professional document dealer. I always heard that an area Boat Company Owner started his business with a 5 gallon bucket of silver taken from that area. that is. Inside a tunnel stylized as pirate's cattacombs would've led to Laffite's old hideout, a capsized ship in Sawyer's island. They believe now they've found his sunken ship. (The United States and the United Kingdom had prohibited the Atlantic slave trade after 1808, but Spain continued to import slaves to the Caribbean.) 5, 7. Smith believes he found a sunken ship on Google Earth in 2006 in Refugio, just north of Corpus Christi. She was the sister of Marie Villard, the mistress of his brother, Pierre. Walk in the footsteps of the men who fought at 1815's Battle of New Orleans. Jean Lafitte (c. 1780 - c. 1823) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. William Bartlett explored a three-hundred-year-old shipwreck. [101] In 1909, a man was given a six-year prison sentence for fraud after swindling thousands of dollars from people, by claiming that he knew where the Lafitte treasure was buried and taking their money for the promise to find it.[103]. Throughout Barataria, Lafitte built warehouses to store goods and pens to hold slaves. He brought all captured goods to Barataria. he found that there had already been a small colony established, founded by Spaniard . [68] Two weeks into his stay, the two leaders of the revolutionaries left the island. The Jean Lafitte Swamp Tour, held in the eponymous Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, is also named after the pirate/privateer. . "[100] Given his legendary reputation, there was much speculation about whether, or how, Lafitte had 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. It was specifically intended to prohibit trade with the United Kingdom, as tensions were increasing between the two countries. After his three children were grown, Lafitte fell sick in his 50s. Andrew Jackson asked Lafitte to help defend New Orleans in the Battle of 1815. [71] Texas was lightly populated at this time, and the base had no significant populations nearby. His knowledge of the swamps helped him to make quick getaways. He had to take a pirogoe which is a wood boat that would have sank if all the treasure would have been on board. After securing victory, Jackson paid tribute in despatches to the Laffite brothers' efforts, as well as those of their fellow privateers. On November 10, 1812, United States District Attorney John R. Grymes charged Lafitte with "violation of the revenue law. That was more of his commerce center, again where he exchanged merchandise for coin. [99] In 1843, Mirabeau B. Lamar investigated many of the Lafitte stories and concluded that, while there were no authentic records of death, Lafitte was likely dead. This article provides images of newspapers from 1921, and one column in particular that talks about Lafittes treasure. Catiche died July 2, 1858, around the age of 65. So, if you google Money Hill in Abita Springs ,La . I also. Located on Bourbon Street, it is associated with Lafitte, who may have spent time there in his earlier years. Jean Lafitte (c.1780 c.1823) was a French pirate and privateer who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. So, where could [11] This was the last year that Napoleon failed to regain control of Saint-Domingue. In-between Matagorda Bay and the mouth of the Sabine River, there are dozens of lost treasure tales associated with the infamous 19th Century buccaneer, and over the years there have been countless attempts undergone to recover some of the lost loot that Lafitte supposedly hid. [31], As the smuggling operations reduced the amount of revenue collected by customs offices, American authorities were determined to halt business at Barataria. They took 80 people captive, but Lafitte escaped safely. There were no chests. [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. She placed Pierre to be raised by extended family elsewhere in Louisiana. I a month there. While his fleet took a hit, Lafitte himself managed to evade capture. Lafitte tried to convince the Americans that they had nothing to fear from him. Families with the surname Lafitte have been found in Louisiana documents dating as early as 1765. I have no doubt that the Historians will decry what Ive said here, and Im cool with that, I know what I saw and found, and I know what others saw and found. 3. both men served under Governor Bernardo de Galvez during the American Revolution and can be found listed on the New Orleans Militia Roster. The name Jean Lafitte is almost legendary around the upper areas of the Texas coastline. [29], On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Britain. Lafittes men did resist arrest by American federal agents and soldiers, wounding, murdering, and capturing several. The law left several loopholes, giving permission to any ship to capture a slave ship, regardless of the country of origin. It was stuck in the crack of the stairs. floor after a shipwreck. The brothers adapted the captured ship for use in piracy and named it Dorada. The crew would create a manifest that listed not the provisions that had been purchased, but smuggled items stored at Barataria. In the ensuing gunfight, one of the revenue officers [39] was killed and two others were wounded. [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. The bay was located beyond a narrow passage between the barrier islands of Grand Terre and Grande Isle. the treasure be today? Jean Lafitte, a famous pirate, buried his treasures along the coasts of Florida. He requested approval to raise a militia company to "disperse those desperate men on Lake Barataria whose piracies have rendered our shores a terror to neutral flags". during the Battle of New Orleans.