Friends of Little Rocky Run Tales About Our Watershed, Story 3

Is there treasure buried in the Little Rocky Run watershed? Maybe there is and maybe there isn't, but it is fun to speculate about.  Specifically, there is a 250 year-old rumor that General Braddock's men buried gold near what is now U. S. 29.  According to the October 1983 issue of Rural Living, supply wagons became mired down in the mud on the hill that rises into Centreville proper just past the marsh near the junction of Union Mill Road and U. S. 29.  Supposedly, to lighten their load, the British filled two brass 6-pounder cannons with gold coins, plugged the ends, buried them nearby, and headed on.

Later General Braddock's army suffered their catastrophic defeat at Fort Duquesne.  Unfortunately all of the men involved in burying the treasure were killed, including General Braddock who died of wounds four days later on July 13, 1755.  Years later an archivist is said to have come upon papers detailing the burying of the treasure and an expedition was mounted to find it.  Unfortunately, perhaps, the expedition came up empty-handed claiming that they could not find either the treasure or the howitzers.  Meanwhile, the records have all disappeared from the British Museum.  As far as anyone knows, the treasure is waiting to be found, maybe. If you would like to find the treasure, here are the directions: "50 paces east of a spring where the road runs north and south."  Click here for a topo map of the area the treasure is believed to be buried in.  Find the spring and go for it. Oh, and you might want to consider that some people believe that Braddock's gold is buried in Pennsylvania along the Youghiogheny River somewhere.                                                                           Return to index.                 NF, October 2002

General Braddock.  His grave is beside Braddock Road in Pennsylvania.