Swift's Silver Mines and Related Appalachian Treasures

Book excerpt: Of all the myths, legends, and stories, one man’s hidden treasure stands above the rest. Jonathan Swift’s lost silver mines have been woven into legend and passed from one generation to the next for more than 230 years. Beginning with an introduction by the late Michael Paul Henson, nationally known treasure expert, this comprehensive volume explores the legend of this enigmatic character who mined the mountains of Appalachia from 1761 until 1769. Unable to remove his entire cache of silver when he left the region, Swift hid much of his treasure in the mines. When he returned in the late 1700s to retrieve the secret caches, he was unable to locate them. During this time, copies of a journal kept by Swift (giving directions and clues to the hidden stashes) were sold and/or given away. Steely has collected and compared legends from across the region, found maps and old journals, and compiled all the information in this interesting, organized book for treasure hunters and historians. Drawing upon treasure lore from the Shawnee, Cherokee, Spanish, French, and Melungeons, this work spans Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Alabama.