SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. -- Philippe Park was named for Pinellas County’s first non-native settler, Count Odet Philippe.
Historians say he was buried on what was once his plantation, but the exact location remains unknown.
Legend has it something else is also buried somewhere in Safety Harbor along the tranquil waters of Tampa Bay.
“That’s part of the story that there was buried treasure around Safety Harbor somewhere but no one ever found it," said Charles Trulock, who moved to Safety Harbor in the 1940s and remembers people searching.
“There were several deep holes dug during that period of time,” said Trulock.
As Philippe’s story goes, before ending up in Pinellas his ship was intercepted and he was captured by a pirate known as “Gomez."
“He claimed the crew was suffering from scurvy,” said Robert Scott Anderson, curator of the Safety Harbor Museum. “He treated him so in return he got a map showing this great little bay and a nice place to settle and this chest of jewels."
The map was said to lead Philippe to his future home in the safe harbor of Safety Harbor. But the “Great Gale of 1848” -- one of the worst Tampa Bay hurricanes on record destroyed much of the area, washing away the few homes in Safety Harbor along with Philippe’s treasure.
“There’s a lot of people who actually believe it because in the 1960’s and even as early as the 1940’s they tried digging for the jewels in Philippe park,” said Anderson.
But that’s as far historical fact goes. Anderson says his research shows the rest is likely fiction.
“The whole pirate thing is just a legend,” he said.
Just like stories of Jose Gaspar, historians say there’s no record of a pirate named Gomez either.
“Not that I can find. I can find no reference to any pirate activity in this area,” said Anderson.
But that hasn’t kept people from searching, even today.
“I’ve dug four or five holes and I’m just going to keep going,” said Pinellas resident Avalene Montalvo, who we found in the park Thursday night searching with her medal detector for lost jewelry and coins.
She had no idea about the legend of Philippe’s treasure but says she excited to imagine what might be buried in the sand beneath her feet.
“I’m going be here every weekend,” said Montalvo. I’m definitely going to be changing my hunt routine.”
As the legend continues even the doubtful historian won’t rule out buried riches.
“Who knows if a ship didn’t sink here,” said Anderson with a smile. “Never say never.”
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