Where did the infamous pirate Captain Kidd hide his considerable treasure?
Could it have been stashed away in the Caribbean, on the coast of Africa, or perhaps on a secluded island far from civilization?
In truth, Kidd selected an island setting, specifically nestled within the exclusive Hamptons on Long Island, New York. This region is renowned as a luxurious summer retreat for affluent Wall Street figures and A-list Hollywood personalities. Little do they know, buried beneath this opulent area are supposed riches of gold, silver, and invaluable gems, hidden away back in 1699.
If Captain Kidd and his wife Sarah were somehow alive today, they might be mingling with the elite, relishing gin and tonics, and partaking in rounds of golf. Indeed, Kidd was a married man, and they had two daughters together.
POPEYES TAKES OVER FAMOUS $150 CHICKEN TENDER TOWER AT HAMPTONS CELEBRITY HOTSPOT
Pirate Captain Kidd may have buried part of his legendary treasure on a private island in New York’s Hamptons. A new Fox Nation series explores the mystery and the man behind the myth. (Johnny Milano/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“They were New York’s power couple,” Daphne Palmer Geanacopoulos said. “He was a very, very stellar member of New York society. He owned a great deal of real estate. They had dinner parties. They had silver. They had china and fine linens.”
Captain Kidd’s surprising story is told in the new series, “Crazy American History with Eric Shawn,” now streaming on Fox Nation.
A pirate who was married with two kids and a big mansion. That’s crazy!
“It’s easy to believe the lore of pirates because people find it kind of sexy. You know, these are really hyper-masculine men who are out there, swinging swords and cutting people to pieces and coming around with bags of gold. And that’s kind of like, you know, dashing and dark and it’s all of that,” said Geanacopoulos, who wrote the biography, “A Pirate’s Wife: The Remarkable True Story of Sarah Kidd.” “He was a normal guy.”
And that treasure? 40 pounds of gold, silver, silk and precious rubies and stones?
Captain Kidd wasn’t just a pirate. He was a wealthy New York landowner, husband and father before his dramatic downfall. (Fernanda Calfat/Getty Images)
“He hides the treasure on Gardiner’s Island,” said Samuel Marquis, author of “Captain Kidd: A True Story of Treasure and Betrayal.” He also is Kidd’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson. (That’s the ninth great-grandson.) Gardiner’s Island is a privately owned property on New York’s Long Island still in the hands of the same family as when Kidd buried his booty there. Marquis says Kidd also stashed valuables elsewhere, including Connecticut and Rhode Island. New Jersey is also a suspected spot.
We will show you the pirate’s secret spot where he buried his booty and go along with a man who still thinks more may be out there on the East Coast.
The American who you certainly do not know — the posh pirate — a crazy and curious story we tell in the third episode of “Crazy American History with Eric Shawn” now streaming on Fox Nation.