Treasure Hunting in New Hampshire isles of shoals-Appledore Island-pirate John Quelch-Gossport Harbor-Smuttynose Island-Cape Ann-Snake Island-Star Island-Nix Mate PART I

The isles of shoals in new hampshire's only claim to sold water islands the best known of the isles according to historians historians such as celia taxter who was brought up there in the mid 1800s she writes at the time of the first settlement the islands were infested by pirates john scribner also a historian of the previous century writes there is a strong ground for suspicion indeed that the islanders were generally indulgent and sometimes friendly and serviceable in their intercourse with the numerous pirate ships which visited the harbour one islander who befriended pirates and probably was a pirate himself was phillip bob babb legend has it that he was one of captain kids mates but he couldn't have been for he died at the isles in 1671. he's supposed to have been so desperately wicked when alive writes celia taxed her that there is no rest for him in this in his grave his dress is coarse she says of his spirit uh stripe butchers frog with a leather belt to which is attached a sheath containing a ghosty knife sharp and glittering which is his delight to brandish in the face of terrified humanity bob lived on appledore the largest of the isles half a mile long and almost as wide his house was on the hill on the south side of the island near the cove here he dug a large pit with his friend ambrose gibbon in which he supposedly found a large treasure chest it was too heavy to lift out of the pit and smoke came from its lid when they tried to break the luck writes oscar lighten another isles historian there was also the smell of sulfur when which forced them to leave the chest obviously much of bob's shady life is cloaked in legend but all historians agree that bob did dig a great hall near the cove at appledore island it was filled in during the great storm of 1851 writes layton and the coast guard boathouse was later built over the treasure pit bob's ghost of course guards the buried treasure chest and so it seems wiser that more modern day treasure hunters concentrate on pirate caches that are known to be buried at the isles and are not haunted by a demented butcher pirate captain jack welch was a butcher of another sword for his creed was to kill everyone all aboard any vessel he captured and looted members of his bloodthirsty crew were actually caught in the act of burying gold at the isles his hierarchical career lasted only a year having begun when he was the first officer aboard the privateer charles out of boston there is speculation even to this day the charles anchored at gosport harbor at the isles of shoals prior to coming into marblehead and that the heavy 1200 or more silver bars were buried on the west side of appledore island while building a seawall at marino's island isles of shores in 1816 uh same halley jr uncovered four silver bars in the sand of south beach which were taught at the time to be part of quelch's buried treasure many marble harris believe that much of the treasure was buried only a few hundred feet from the town landing in fact treasure hunter's day was celebrated in may of each year in marblehead well into the 20th century no information on pirate treasure from the charles would have been forthcoming had not some members of the crew the day after the arrival frequented marblehead taverns spanning gold doubloons and nuggets of goldust for drinks and whilst in the cups divulge to tavern wenches the great riches of portuguese cargos they had taken off brazil of the 42 pirate crewmen aboard the charles governor dudley's constables capture seven within two days carrying on that person 45 ounces of gold and gold coins john clifford one of the pirates agreed to tell the attorney general everything about the voyage if he was pardoned he confessed that after arriving at marblehead a considerable quantity of goldust and gems was put out from salem to cape n with captain thomas larimore in the lotte morgali with 11 or more captain quelch's company the governor called out the militia militia and t