Then Beale created three ciphers now known as the Beale Ciphers. It drives them to repeated attempts to break the code and find the treasure. Related: Top Ten Lost Treasure of the World. The coordinates for BETA span between Mississippi and Alabama forming the left arm of the freemasons square. Many claim, quite compellingly, that the ciphers are a hoax, perpetrated by Ward to increase sales. The second cipher – a description of the Beale Treasure – seems entirely unnecessary. It’s just random ramblings. Conversely, if ciphers B1 and B3 are bogus, then the treasure story is a hoax. It worked for the second cipher. There is simply no way to disprove the story. 2. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Accept Read More, Oak Island: Legends of Pirate and Treasure, The Beale Papers: Containing Authentic Statements Regarding The Treasure Buried 1819 and 1821, Bufords, in Bedford County, Virginia, Which has Never Been Recovered, Roswell Rock: Magnetic Anomaly Linked to Crop Circles. The Beale Ciphers are still unbroken. “The Beale Ciphers were three codes which would enable one to locate the treasure and distribute it to the rightful heirs in the event that the group didn’t survive. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at some possible ways to approach the Beale Ciphers from a treasure hunting perspective. The Beale Treasure pertains to millions of dollars of gold, silver, and jewels allegedly buried in the mountains of Bedford County, VA. This 1885 pamphlet is the only known source for the tale of Beale's treasure. Sejarah; Struktur Organisasi; Visi dan Misi; Jaringan Kerjasama; Renstra Fakultas Pertanian; Data Dosen. If Thomas Jefferson Beale is fictitious, there seems a ready explanation for the attachment of that name to a hoax concerning a treasure trove: Thomas Jefferson, of course, for the author of the Declaration of Inde-pendence (on which the solved cipher was based), and Beale, appropri- The first Beale Cipher revealed the location of the vault. They spent the next two years excavating the gold as well as some silver they found. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. The Beale Cryptograms Treasure Truth or Hoax? Or it may not. 3 and distributing the treasure to its rightful heirs. To recap, Thomas Beale and thirty other people excavated a massive treasure between 1819 and 1821. They reburied it in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. - Guerrilla Explorer. That fact became significant later. Since 1885, hundreds of treasure hunters have descended to the Montvale, Virginia area, which used to be Buford. 3 Vaults in Cipher 2, 3 uses of “Key” in Beale’s letters etc.) This is a result of some tests tending to show that the codes were meaningless and possibly a hoax Tag Archives: hoax The Beale Ciphers: A Puzzly Treasure Hidden Since the 1800’s? Beale Ciphers #2: A Massive Treasure Revealed? As a result, he does not believe that the ciphers are a hoax. B. Dr. Carl Hammer, founder of the Beale Cypher Association (BCA), was fond of saying that when B1 is eventually decoded it may be found to say something This would usually bring forth a chuckle from BCA members. There’s nothing quite like a treasure hunt to spark the imagination. Why didn’t they split it up and go on spending sprees instead? First, Beale would have wanted to avoid a situation wherein Mr. Morriss was able to recover the key to cipher No. The box contained three sets of papers, totally unintelligible with numbers carefully printed on them. seemed like it might be possible. (Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons) RSS Feeds. “The Beale Ciphers were three codes which would enable one to locate the treasure and distribute it to the rightful heirs in the event that the group didn’t survive. The only clue to its whereabouts is a three page coded message known as the Beale Ciphers. Others believe the whole thing is a hoax. Morriss occasionally thought about the box, but he waited until 1845 to break open the lock since the key to the ciphers never arrived. Extra Notes: The case was featured as part of the special #7 episode that aired on May 18, 1988. This unidentified man spent the next twenty-three years trying to unlock the secrets of the Beale Ciphers. There are dozens of reasons to believe The Beale Papers, and thus the treasure, is an elaborate hoax. Zone of Silence: Anomalies in the Mexican Desert, Flying Dutchman: Phantom Ship, Legend and Sightings, Isolated Stairs in the Woods and Their Creepy Stories, Belmez Faces: Mystery of the People in the Floor, Genghis Khan Facts – 5 Interesting Details That May Surprise You. While the basic story of men accidentally locating a vast gold and silver deposit in the unexplored American West is perfectly plausible, the rest of the tale is found wanting on a number of points. It seems extremely likely the Beale legend is just that -- a legend, and probably a hoax perpetrated by J.B. Ward for some unknown reason. The Beale Ciphers consisted of these three cryptograms. The Locality Cipher does indeed disclose the exact. That is, the codes are almost certainly a hoax. The remaining ciphers constitute two of the most famous unsolved codes in history. Beale Codes -- Were they a Hoax? The story has fascinated people and treasure hunters since 1885 when James B. While some will never be swayed in their resolve to find the treasure, some experts consider the Beale ciphers to be an elaborate hoax. And the third cipher – which provides the names and addresses of the heirs – seems entirely too short. Other problems abound. The second Beale Cipher described the contents of the vault. They supposedly lead to a fortune buried in the Virginia hills that has never been recovered. Ranging from loss of family and financial stability to crimes such as trespassing and grave robbery, no one has been successful in finding the treasure. When Beale and his party left to go mining and exploring in 1822, he left a strongbox with Morris for safekeeping. The census listed two males with the last name Beale. But a true list of family members would lead to Beale who is a hoax… The Beale Treasure has never been found. This 1885 pamphlet is the only known source for the tale of Beale's treasure. The others were not real. Over the next few months, Morriss received several letters from Beale, recounting the party's exploits and instructing him not to open the strongbox until 1832. And the third Beale Cipher provided names and residences of the group members as well as their heirs.” ~ David Meyer, Beale Ciphers: A Lost Treasure? Somewhere in the green hills of Bedford County in southwestern Virginia, lies a buried treasure worth over an estimated 60 million dollars. Books, television specials and the Internet all serve to keep people interested in Beale's lost hoard. In 1817, a group of thirty young, affluent, and well-educated men set out from Virginia to find adventure in the West. In March of 1822, Beale called the innkeeper to his room. In this letter, Beale told Morriss the box contained papers upon which the fortunes of many men depended. In 1885, a man named James Ward published the story and three ciphers as The Beale Papers. A good listener, he revealed little about himself. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. It’s 618 characters long. Named after Thomas J. Beale, who purportedly buried the trove, the Beale Treasure of gold and silver and jewels has languished in the ground for two centuries. 1 and recover the treasure, but somehow unable to recover the key to No. Other hotel tenants found him to be popular, especially the women. The lack of success means that we cannot exclude the possibility that the Beale ciphers are an elaborate hoax. Some letters can be change. As a result, he does not believe that the ciphers are a hoax. Beale promised he would leave the information needed to analyze the ciphers with a friend in St. Louis and, should he never return, the friend would mail that envelope to Lynchburg in 1832. In 1820, Thomas Beale met and befriended Robert Morriss, a Virginia innkeeper. I do not believe that there ever was any code except the description. The Beale Treasure pertains to millions of dollars of gold, silver, and jewels allegedly buried in the mountains of Bedford County, VA. That doesn’t leave much room for a full-blown address. According to Joe Nickell, the words, “stampeding,” “improvised,” and “appliances” did not appear in print until decades after Beale’s letters were supposedly written. Some theorists suggest someone dug up the treasure long ago. Beale disappeared. The following is a reprint of "The Beale Papers" published in 1885 by J. Results: Unresolved. This would mean that Beale had three ciphers but only two keys. The story behind the Beale Treasure is problematic. The above is securely packed in iron pots, with iron covers. Confusingly, some people argue that the Beale Papers are a fake (possibly by the promoter of the 1885 pamphlet, or even by Edgar Allen Poe, etc), claiming justification from statistical aspects of the cryptography and/or on claimed anachronisms in the language, etc: … He asked Morriss to open the box on that year if he never heard from Beale again. Prospectors even consulted mediums and astrologers. They employed guides, who advised to organize themselves as if they were a military unit. A Net Inceptions project. The story begins in January 1820, when Thomas J. Beale checked into the Washington Hotel in Lynchburg, Virginia. More than a century ago, a small pamphlet was published titled "The Beale Papers," which contained three cipher texts. In today’s economy, its value totals over $60,000,000. They both remain undeciphered. Surprisingly the letter contained the word “stampede” that was unavailable in print until 1844. For example, “Thomas Beale, Lynchburg,” runs twenty characters by itself. Last Friday, I posted the first story in a short series about the mysterious Beale Treasure. The two other men left a few days later bound for Richmond, but Beale remained through the winter. But one thing is sure, it doesn’t describe the location of a buried treasure. The evidence that Freemason Dr. Robert Morris is the architect of Beale’s Ciphers is embedded within the first field of the Names Cipher or C3. The only clue to its whereabouts is a three page coded message known as the Beale Ciphers. Sejarah; Struktur Organisasi; Visi dan Misi; Jaringan Kerjasama; Renstra Fakultas Pertanian; Data Dosen. "There are two--or many more--layers of encryption!" In 1862, he passed the burden on to a young man whose identity remains anonymous. Undoubtedly, Beale researchers will continue to study the codes, searching for a breakthrough. Ward. But is the Beale Treasure even real? 1 and thus be able to decode No. Named after Thomas J. Beale, who purportedly buried the trove, the Beale Treasure of gold and silver and jewels has languished in the ground for two centuries. The first time Beale arrived in Lynchburg, he buried half the treasure. The other two ciphers, allegedly detailing the adventurers’ names, their immediate heirs, and, more importantly, the location of the treasure. Until officially debunked, people will continue to believe that over $60,000,000 in gold, silver, and jewels lies buried in the Blue Ridge Mountains. An attempt to identify Mr. Beale by looking at the 1820 census proved unsuccessful. for the Beale Ciphers to be genuine even though the treasure story itself may be a hoax." Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. The Beale treasure remains unaccounted for, at least as far as we know. “I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford’s, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging jointly to the parties whose names are given in number three, herewith: The first deposit consisted of ten hundred and fourteen pounds of gold, and thirty-eight hundred and twelve pounds of silver, deposited Nov. eighteen nineteen. If the treasure story is true, then ciphers B1 and B3 are genuine and created by Beale. The decrypted text from the second cipher: I have deposited in the county of Bedford, about four miles from Buford’s, in an excavation or vault, six feet below the surface of the ground, the following articles, belonging jointly to … Although a lucid message isn’t given, a string of numbers within the coded page deciphers to a very suspicious alphabetical sequence. There are several on-line copies in various locations of an 1885 booklet which was the original publication of Beale's … But not in the cave, because farmers utilized the cave for storage. To recap, Thomas Beale and thirty other people excavated a massive treasure between 1819 and 1821. Beale then left a lockbox with a hotel owner in case he never returned. They reburied it in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Thomas Jefferson Beale supposedly left encoded (enciphered) messages in 1822 telling where he buried a large treasure in Bedford County Virginia. Readers know that in 1885 “The Beale Papers” was a money-making pamphlet; it was published (and probably written) by James B. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Based on this serious discrepancy, I conclude that the site is a hoax. The winter passed quietly. Only one of the ciphers – the second one – has ever been decoded. Then Beale created three ciphers now known as the Beale Ciphers. Last Friday, I posted the first story in a short series about the mysterious Beale Treasure. Ward published a pamphlet called “The Beale Papers,” written by an anonymous person who acquired the Beale Cipher from a hotel proprietor named Robert Morriss. Yesterday, I discussed whether the Beale Codes are real or a giant hoax. Robert Morriss spent many hours of his life trying to decipher the cryptograms without success. If you assume that it is a hoax then there must be a "joke" somewhere in it. While most of it burned in a warehouse fire, enough copies circulated to excite quite a few people. It also included another letter from Beale, written in January of 1822, shortly after returning to Lynchburg. Why would Beale and his companions dig up a giant treasure only to hide it somewhere else? A Beale Cipher Association was born from viewing the documents. They reburied it in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The first Beale Cipher revealed the location of the vault. For the full story, check the Museum's Beale Cryptograms Page. For instance, the letter of Beale that was ensconced inside the box along with the ciphers was assumed to be written in 1822. Some say it is Jefferson. The absence of any progress or a hint of success could imply that the Beale papers are an elaborate and convoluted scam. This would seem to indicate the letters were written at a later date or someone edited them along the way. Assuming it’s encoded like Beale Cipher #2 (one number is equivalent to one letter), each heir gets about twenty characters. Interesting history topics are just a click away. They traveled to St. Louis, where they geared up for buffalo and bear hunting. He was with two other men, all of whom appeared to be gentlemen of substance. were symbolic of the following: Jefferson was our 3rd President The DOI led to The Revolutionary War with King George 3 The DOI was used as a Key to Cipher 2 and Thomas J Beale was implied to be Thomas Jefferson Morriss died the next year.