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In The Midst Of All The Turmoil, A Treasure Hunt

June 3, 2024


Let’s once again put aside all the politics and call a temporary truce in the culture war; life has much more to offer. There’s music, art, literature, a good book, and the sciences, mysteries that defy the imagination and explanation. Are the daunting problems we face more important? Perhaps. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Skinwalker Ranch and the unexplainable phenomena surrounding this plot of land. Let’s take some more R & R. I would like to open up another vista for your perusal: buried treasure, right here in the good old USA.

In 1982 Byron Preiss, writer, editor, and Brooklyn New York native thought he would make life more interesting for his fellow Americans. Preiss published a book “The Secret: A Treasure Hunt,” and in it he created a map, of sorts, to buried treasures. Traveling to 12 cities across the US and Canada, he buried small ceramic boxes with keys inside them in secret locations several feet below the ground.

In his book, Preiss and several collaborators produced an elaborate and detailed set of clues, with illustrations, maps, and esoteric poetic verse. The 12 cities where the treasures were buried included: San Francisco, CA, Charleston, SC, Roanoke Island, NC, Cleveland, OH, Chicago, Ill, St. Augustine, Fl, Houston, TX, Milwaukee, WI, New Orleans, LA, Boston, MA, New York, NY, and Montreal Canada. Each of the cities was accompanied with a clue in the form of the first line in a poem, as follows.

* San Francisco: “At stone wall’s door.”  
* Charleston: “Of all the romance retold.”
* Roanoke: “Pass two friends of octave.” 
* Cleveland: “Beneath two countries.”
* Chicago: “Where M & B are set in stone.”
* St. Augustine: “The first chapter.”
* Houston: “Fortress north.”
* Milwaukee: “View the three stories of Mitchell.” 
* Montreal: “Lane.”  
* New Orleans: “At the place where jewels abound.”
* Boston: “If Thucydides is north of Xenophon.”
* New York: “In the shadow of the grey giant.”  

In several of the cities, the location given is more specific, such as in New York City, when the clue reads: Queens/Coney New York. Coney Island is located in Brooklyn; this could mean the treasure is buried somewhere on the border of each borough. Thus far the hunt has been solved and the treasure found in three of the cities: Cleveland, Chicago, and Boston. 

The actual treasure is not the ceramic box. When Byron Preiss passed away in 2005 in a car accident, his estate assumed the responsibility of maintaining and honoring the integrity of the hunt. When solved, the treasure hunter presents the box to the estate, and receives in return a gemstone worth several thousand dollars. 

Although the hunt began several decades ago, I first discovered it some years back and at the time thought it worth a look. But after researching and some investigating; there were other matters that needed attention, so I discontinued the effort. So what is it that calls my attention to this adventure once again?

In a recent news article, a Colorado family is engaged in the hunt for the New York treasure. David Hager, his wife, and two sons believe they have an idea of where the booty can be found. One of the clues in Preiss’ book to the New York treasure is an illustration of a woman in a flowing gown. Her face resembles that of the Statue of Liberty.

If I have stirred up any interest for you in this adventure and you’re so inclined to take up the hunt, good luck and good fortune. But keep in mind and take into consideration that the areas in question could have over time gone through change. There could be new structures or parks, etc. built over the locations where the treasure is supposedly buried. But if you’re a true adventurer, go for it.

This reminds me, it may be time to visit Coney Island and the Statue of Liberty, as it’s been a while. Should the Hager’s succeed and find the treasure, I will issue an update and let you know. That will also be the case if I find it first.


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