Braddock's Gold Legend — Centreville

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Braddock's Gold Legend — Centreville

Lost Treasure VA • Fairfax County County
Description
Fairfax County legend of General Edward Braddock's 1755 expedition burying payroll gold in a cannon barrel near Centreville — debunked by historians but still hunted.
Historical Notes
Folklore claims Braddock poured coins into a cannon barrel and buried it when muddy roads slowed the march toward Fort Duquesne. Alternate versions place the cache near Winchester or Cumberland, Maryland. Fairfax Historical Society inquiry concluded Braddock's column did not march through Centreville in 1755 and carried no documented payroll chest. The Washington Post still calls the tale too good to die. Metal-detecting clubs periodically scour northern Virginia fields for the mythical barrel.
Status / Verification legend — Legendary or approximate

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