For Immediate Release: December 19, 2008

Buried Treasure Found in Greene County after 17 Years

"Team Ria" Receives Jeweled Crown for Finding Missing Gold Coin

CATSKILL, New York (December 19, 2008)  – A treasure hunt that has lasted for nearly two decades in Greene County finally came to an end last week when Catskill resident Michael Reid found the buried gold coin that entitles him to a jeweled crown once valued at more than $10,000.

The River Street resident, who has been part of a team of people hunting for the treasure since October, found the gold doubloon buried on a small Hudson River beach at the village park,  Dutchmen's Landing, on December 8.  The team was presented with the gem-encrusted crown today at a ceremony on Main Street in Catskill.  Martin Smith, who was a founding member of the Kaaterskill Foundation, one of the original sponsors of the treasure hunt promotion, made the presentation.

Mr. Reid, his wife Laura and their extended family have been hunting for the hidden treasure in memory of Laura Reid's sister, Maria Ciancanelli-Kelly, who died unexpectedly in March 2008 and had always loved pirates.  Known as "Team Ria," the team of 15 adults and children searched for the missing coin nearly every weekend and spent "countless" hours trying to solve the clues embedded in the fictional story, "Captain Kidd and the Missing Crown.

"I'm thrilled that the hidden treasure has been found. It's especially wonderful – and not surprising – that people from the local area would be the ones to unlock the mystery of the clues and solve the puzzle," said Mr. Smith, who has safe-guarded the crown since 2002. "Greene County is grateful to all who have visited here over the years looking for the lost treasure and have been impressed with what a beautiful part of the world this is , where the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River meet."

"We congratulate Team Ria on its diligence in searching for the hidden treasure. Their patience, persistence and teamwork certainly paid off.  What an inspirational effort in memory of a loved one and a wonderful holiday gift for their family," said Wayne C. Speenburgh, Chairman of the Greene County Legislature.

The treasure hunt was launched in 1991 by the Kaaterskill Foundation and Trustco Bank as a means of generating tourism in Greene County. It followed an earlier tourism promotion that involved a gem-encrusted ninepin that was part of the lost treasure of Rip Van Winkle, as the fictionalized storyline went.  It took seven years for a Connecticut man to find the ninepin high atop Evergreen Mount in Catskill Park. Both treasure hunts were the brainchild of former Greene County Administrator Bill Hagan, along with other members of the private foundation such as Greene County Judge George J. Pulver, Jr., according to Mr. Smith.

Although the Captain Kidd treasure hunt promotion was officially discontinued in 1997 after the Kaaterskill Foundation dissolved, Greene County Tourism continued to mail and hand out the original brochure, with a hand-drawn map and the clue-laden story, to people who requested it.  The 3,000-word story tells the colorful tale of the Scottish pirate, Captain Kidd, who was hanged in 1701, but not before he buried his trove of treasure, including the ducal crown of King Henry V, "somewhere on the banks of the Hudson River."  The final paragraph of the story tells how a young woman from Catskill "wandered down to the end of a fill where the Hudson is joined by the waters of Catskill Creek" and found the golden doubloon "in the shallows."

Interest in the treasure hunt was rekindled three years ago with the publication of the novel, "The Crazyladies of Pearl Street," which was written by the best-selling author Trevanian, which is believed to be the pseudonym of Jack Hashian, the now-deceased author of "Captain Kidd and the Missing Crown."  More recently, several articles in local newspapers sparked interest in the buried treasure. As a result, there were many new treasure hunters coming to Greene County.  One resident of Norfolk, Virginia, Stephen Brown, has been to Catskill more than 35 times since 1991 to hunt for the buried treasure, while Canadian Gerard Chuggia has been coming regularly since a year after the hunt was announced.

The treasure hunt did what it set out to do: draw visitors to Catskill," said Vince Seeley, Village President, Village of Catskill. "The fact that it lasted for 18 years may have been exasperating to some, but it was good for the village and for the county."

"Catskill has a very rich history and this quest for the missing crowns has revealed much of it to treasure hunters from far and near," observed Linda Overbaugh, Executive Director of the Heart of Catskill Association.  Once a busy river port and commercial center, as well as one of America's first tourism destinations, Catskill has been revitalized in recent years with shops, galleries and restaurants and was recently named one of America's "Top 10 Cool Towns" by Budget Travel magazine.

"For nearly 20 years, the buried treasure attracted visitors to Greene County.   Although no one discovered the coin until last week, almost everyone discovered something wonderful about Greene County in the process of looking for the treasure," noted Warren Hart, Director of Greene County Economic Development, Tourism and Planning. "It was a highly successful tourism promotion effort."

Michael and Laura Reid noted: "We learned a lot about Catskill and its history in hunting for the hidden treasure.  We did a lot of digging around, both metaphorically and physically, and had a great time doing it.  It really helped our family come together in a good way after Maria's death.  It was good therapy," they recalled.

Sabra Ciancanelli, Maria's other sister, agreed that the treasure hunt helped the family heal after the sudden death. "Instead of always missing Maria and feeling bittersweet when we came together, we started having fun looking for the missing coin. We went on a lot of wild goose chases together and really bonded again as a family."

The crown, which measures about 21 inches in diameter and 5 inches high, is constructed of gold-colored tissue lame with a cloth liner, gold brocade, gold loop braid and appliqués.  It is decorated with 18 circular-cut diamonds and 53 colored stones, including amethysts, garnets, rubies and topaz.  The crown was valued at $10,600 the last time it was appraised in 1997.  The crown was on display at the Catskill branch of Trustco Bank for several years and then held by Greene County Tourism until it was turned over to Martin Smith.  Mr. Smith, who has kept the crown in a secure, undisclosed location, also checked periodically to ensure that the coin was still in its hiding place.

Mr. Reid found the coin buried in about a foot of sand in a remote beach at Dutchmen's Landing that is only accessible at low tide. He recalled: "I looked at the map from a fresh perspective and the clues just started coming together. In terms of the tide going out, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. I think I had a little help from above." 

When Mr. Reid first found the coin, which was affixed to a white plastic dish beneath a flat rock, he didn't realize he'd found the treasure, put it in his pocket and kept digging. When he got it home and measured it, he realized that its dimensions matched the description of the coin and took it to Mr. Smith to be authenticated.

"This is the best Christmas gift ever," Mr. Reid said.  He plans to have the crown appraised and will then explore the best ways to "unlock its value," he said. "We will do something wonderful to commemorate Maria's life."

Mr. Reid and his wife Laura are aiming to open a new bakery and café in the former Brando's Alley on Church Street, off Catskill's Main Street, at the end of February.   Named River Street Bakers for the name of the successful business they started selling artisan breads and baked goods at the farmers' market at Catskill Point, the bakery/café will also serve lunch.  

In addition to Michael and Laura Reid and her daughter Atticus, other members of the group who searched for the missing treasure in Maria Ciancanelli's memory included Maria's mother Linda Murphy and her partner Tim Haley; Maria's daughter Regina Kelly; Sabra Ciancanelli and Tony Bagge and their sons Henry and Solomon; Maria's brother Paul Ciancanelli and his wife Helene Tieger and their children, Shane, Ian Skye and Zachary; and Maria's cousin Rob Weidman.  The team chronicled their search on a blog:  www.teamria.org.

For more information on visiting Catskill and Greene County, go to www.greenetourism.com or call 1-800-355-CATS.

Greene County Economic Development, Tourism & Planning

Warren Hart, Director, AICP

411 Main Street Catskill NY 12414 Phone: (518) 719-3290 Fax: (518) 719-3789

business@discovergreene.com www.greenebusiness.com