Blackbeard Treasure — Sullivan's Island

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Blackbeard Treasure — Sullivan's Island

Lost Treasure SC • Charleston County County
Description
Sullivan's Island legend that Edward "Blackbeard" Teach buried gold after blockading Charleston in 1718 — using a medicine-chest ransom as cover while hiding plunder on the barrier island.
Historical Notes
USC Digital Folklore Archives records a Charleston tradition that Blackbeard visited the city, held it hostage for medical supplies, and buried a large share of his gold on Sullivan's Island rather than sail north with all his loot. Legends of America documents Blackbeard's 1718 Charleston blockade: eight or nine ships taken, Samuel Wragg's £6,000 seized, and the harbor paralyzed before Teach departed for North Carolina. Occasional recovery of colonial-era Spanish gold offshore keeps treasure-hunter interest alive on Sullivan's Island and the harbor entrance.
Status / Verification legend — Legendary or approximate

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