Pirates

Pirates Past Noon (2)
Goddard Park
Warwick, RI

Both boxes will be replaced by noon on Oct 30, '04

Background: These letterboxes are the joint effort of Bob "The Wiz", his daughters, Emily and Renee, and the Kurdziels - Trish, Fred, Alicia, Andrew and Tracy. Bob's family scouted the location and wrote the basic clues. The Kurdziel's provided the box and a little historical background.

Historical Background: The history of New England in the late 17th century is filled with pirates and privateers. Privateering (legal piracy) was encouraged by the English monarchs and their governors in the New World as long as the raiding was done against the enemies of the English government; namely the French. Many of the privateers, however, ended up as pirates. One source on the subject said that there is nary a sandy beach in New England that does not have an association with pirates. Many of the pirates would "winter" in the Bahamas and "summer" in New England. Some of the most famous buccaneers who plied their trade in the area included Captains Kidd and Blackbeard. One of the more infamous pirates who finally settled in Newport was Captain Tew.

One famous governor of the New York colony, Fletcher, wrote in 1696 "Rhode Island is now a free port for pirates." Gov. Fletcher apparently was profiting quite well with his association with Captain Tew much to the chagrin of the English government. Fletcher was relieved of his governorship by the Earl of Bellmont in 1698. The Earl reported back to England: "I find that those Pirates that have given the greatest disturbance in the East Indies and the Red Sea, have either been fitted out from New York or Rhode Island…"

Several of the pirates that operated in the area were famous for hiding their ill-gotten gain from their crew and the Colonial government. Providence, in particular, was a popular place for outfitting pirate boats returning from a voyage or preparing to return to the sea. Goddard Park is a state park situated on an historic section of Greenwich Cove on Narragansett Bay. Its sheltered cove, so close to Providence, but out of the prying eyes of the local government, would have made an ideal location for secreting their treasures. It has been rumored that Captain Kidd, himself, has left a map somewhere at the park that will help guide you to buried treasure.

Difficulty: Easy. This is a fairly flat 2-1/2 mile round trip through a well-traveled state park.

Directions: From Route 1, just south of East Greenwich turn east onto Old Forge Road.
Bear left at the "Y" intersection onto Ives road and continue to the first Park entrance on the left, just after the Equestrian Center. Follow the Park Road, keeping left to the Boat Launch area, where you'll park. In the summer you will have to go to the following entrance and pay a fee. Either way, by following signs and keeping to the left you should find the boat ramp.

Find the start of the trail at the eastern corner of the parking lot. The trail is wide and you'll be following it overlooking picturesque Greenwich Cove, on the left.

At first major fork, bear to the left. The path soon turns right and heads slightly downhill.

The next intersection is a path entering from the right. You, however, will keep to the left. Your path will swing slightly right and head downhill again before cresting a small hill where you should be able to see a sandbar, known as Long Point. The path will flatten out before swinging again, to the right, then left, in a big hairpin. At this turning, look to the left for a crumbling stone and mortar wall. Though the wall is not 300 years old it hides clues to treasure that is!

Continue on your path, keeping left, and approach the wall from a side path at 215. Find the box, hidden within, stamp in and get the compass bearing from the stamp. Take your spyglass and check out the lay of the land in that direction. If unable to get a good fix, worry not. Continue on.

Hit the trail again for about 30 paces and head downhill at the side trail at 260. From the northeast corner of the old dock, again use the heading from the treasure map. Close to the water you will see the spirit of Captain Kidd and a few of his mates guarding the treasure chest.

After stamping into the treasure chest and doing some beach combing, you can head back the way you came, or continue on to the Beach. The road out from the beach parking lot will pass by the Park Headquarters and eventually lead you to a picnic area on your right just before reaching the Park Fields. You can bear right on the road at the fields, or find the trail through the woods by going through the picnic area. Follow either back to your car at the boat ramp. Hope you enjoyed your treasure hunt.