Pass two friends of octave
In December
Ride the man of oz
To the land near the window
There’s a road that leads to
Dark forest
Where white is in color
With two maps
After circle and square
In July and August
A path beckons
To mica and driftwood
Under that
Which may be last touched
Or first seen standing
Look north at the wing
And dig
To achieve
By dauntless and inconquerable
Determination
Your goal.

American Page / Japanese Page
Roanoke Facebook Group

Fortress north
Cold as glass
Friendship south
Take your task
To the number
Nine eight two
Through the wood
No lion fears
In the sky the water veers
Small of scale
Step across
Perspective should not be lost
In the center of four alike
Small, split,
Three winged and slight
What we take to be
Our strongest tower of delight
Falls gently
In December night
Looking back from treasure ground
There’s the spout!
A whistle sounds.

American Page / Japanese Page

At the place where jewels abound
Fifteen rows down to the ground
In the middle of twenty-one
From end to end
Only three stand watch
As the sound of friends
Fills the afternoon hours
Here is a sovereign people
Who build palaces to shelter
Their heads for a night!
Gnomes admire
Fays delight
The namesakes meeting
Near this site.

American Page / Japanese Page

Solved – Boston, Massachusetts

If Thucydides is
North of Xenophon
Take five steps
In the area of his direction
A green tower of lights
In the middle section
Near those
Who pass the coliseum
With metal walls
Face the water
Your back to the stairs
Feel at home
All the letters
Are here to see
Eighteenth day
Twelfth hour
Lit by lamplight
In truth, be free.

American Page / Japanese Page
Acrostic: ITALIAN FENWAY

Solved – Cleveland, Ohio

Beneath two countries
As the road curves
In a rectangular plot
Beneath the tenth stone
From right to left
Beneath the ninth row from the top
Of the wall including small bricks
Seven steps up you can hop
From the bottom level
Socrates, Pindar, Apelles
Free speech, couplet, birch
To find casques destination
Seek the columns
For the search.

American Page / Japanese Page

Lane
Two twenty two
You’ll see an arc of lights
Weight and roots extended
Together saved the site
Of granite walls
Wind swept halls
Citadel in the night
A wingless bird ascended
Born of ancient dreams of flight
Beneath the only standing member
Of a forest
To the south
White stone closest
At twelve paces
From the west side
Get permission
To dig out.

Acrostic: ABBOT/CABBOT
American Page / Japanese Page

At stone wall’s door
The air smells sweet
Not far away
High posts are three
Education and Justice
For all to see
Sounds from the sky
Near ace is high
Running north, but first across
In jewel’s direction
Is an object
Of Twain’s attention
Giant pole
Giant step
To the place
The casque is kept.

American Page / Japanese Page

Of all the romance retold
Men of tales and tunes
Cruel and bold
Seen here
By eyes of old
Stand and listen to the birds
Hear the cool, clear song of water
Harken to the words:
Freedom at the birth of a century
Or May 1913
Edwin and Edwina named after him
Or on the eighth a scene
Where law defended
Between two arms extended
Below the bar that binds
Beside the long palm’s shadow
Embedded in the sand
Waits the Fair remuneration
White house close at hand.

American Page / Japanese Page

View the three stories of Mitchell
As you walk the beating of the world
At a distance in time
From three who lived there
At a distance in space
From woman, with harpsichord
Silently playing
Step on nature
Cast in copper
Ascend the 92 steps
After climbing the grand 200
Pass the compass and reach
The foot of the culvert
Below the bridge
Walk 100 paces
Southeast over rock and soil
To the first young birch
Pass three, staying west
You’ll see a letter from the country
Of wonderstone’s hearth
On a proud, tall fifth
At its southern foot
The treasure waits.

American Page / Japanese Page

The first chapter
Written in water
Near men
With wind rose
Behind bending branches
And a green picket fence
At the base of a tall tree
You can still hear the honking
Shell, limestone, silver, salt
Stars move by day
Sails pass by night
Even in darkness
Like moonlight in teardrops
Over the tall grass
Years pass, rain falls.

Acrostic: SELOY
American Page / Japanese Page

In the shadow
Of the grey giant
Find the arm that
Extends over the slender path
In summer
You’ll often hear a whirring sound
Cars abound
Although the sign
Nearby
Speaks of Indies native
The natives still speak
Of him of Hard word in 3 Vols.
Take twice as many east steps as the hour
Or more
From the middle of one branch
Of the v
Look down
And see simple roots
In rhapsodic mans soil
Or gaze north
Toward the isle of B.

American Page / Japanese Page

Solved – Chicago Illinois

Where M and B are set in stone
And to Congress, R is known
L sits and left
Beyond his shoulder
Is the Fair Folks’
Treasure holder
The end of ten by thirteen Is your clue
Fence and fixture
Central too
For finding jewel casque
Seek the sounds
Of rumble
Brush and music
Hush.

American Page / Japanese Page

Image 3 / Verse 11: Roanoke
Painting Name: Medieval Scarecrow
Painting Inspired by: Unknown
Latitude Longitude 35 / 75 (lat/long not very clear in image)
Month: January
Birthstone: Garnet
Time: 1 o’clock
Flower: Carnation
Nation: England
Line tying verse to image: To the land near the window
Litany quote: “Fairies of England proudly bear Garnet, crown-jewel of their Queen.. 
Parks Department: National Parks Service
Official Contact: Deputy Chief/LE Specialist, Mike Henry
Dig Status: Dig requests must go through Mike Henry and be supported and observed by State Agencies. The following is posted at the request of the National Park Service:
The criminal activity associated with unlawful digging within a National Park falls under 36 CFR Section 2.1; Preservation of natural, cultural and archaeological resources and shall be punished by a fine and or by imprisonment.

Period Maps courtesy of James Watson – These files are huge.
Roanoke Cape Hatteras 1978 – 5Mb
Roanoke Fort Raleigh 1974 – 2Mb

Japanese Keywords and HInts:
Line 1: octave
Octave refers to the number 8, in music term one octave is a range of notes however octave is a proper noun.
Line 3: man of oz
Line 6: Dark forest
Line 7: white
Line 8: maps
Line 11: path
Line 12: mica and driftwood
Line 16: wing
Line 18: To achieve
Line 19: By dauntless and inconquerable
This is a direct quote from a book. Let’s pull out the encyclopedia or dictionary.

Stephen Bryant’s Focus Crop
”secret roanoke focus crop

Common Image Matches to City

Common Maps or City Name in Image

Japanese Pages

46 Comments

  1. William Hamilton Jr

    It’s seems like we mostly are on the same page in the verse until we get to “A path beckons to mica and driftwood”, and the rest of the verse for that matter. Mica is a hexagonal sheet like arrangement of atoms (6) which I believe is hinting to the seating sections of the theater. From an overhead view the seating is clearly 6 sections. Also driftwood can be found along the shore. So this line indicates a path to the “Waterside” Theater.

    Reply
    • burnstyle

      It’s also important to remember that the rock wall, which most people associate with ‘Mica’ was not installed until after the treasures were buried.

      Reply
    • Steve Norris

      You guys are really looking in the wrong place for the Roanoke casque.

      You have literally everything correct up to the line “Look north at the wing”.

      I think most believe Preiss means face the wing, but what he is saying is go to the wing and then look north. Which coincidently points you right down the path of the Wright Brothers four inaugural flights.

      Some clues being overlooked:

      1- The breastplate has lines that very close match the paths around the Wright memorial.

      2- In the center of the breast plate is a shape similar to the base of the memorial.

      3- If you check the base of the actual monument, it is shaped very much like the helmet

      4- Follow the line of the helmet to the breast plate and you see a long straight “path” that corresponds with the memorial’s layout and the flight path of the 4 flights the Wright Brothers made.

      So where to dig? Look at the shoulder plate on the left side in the image): it has 8 dimples; the neck piece 5 dimples; the right shoulder piece 2 dimples, That’s 852 which is the distance the 4th flight traveled and is clearly marked on the 4th flight marker You need to be digging at the 4th flight marker

      Reply
      • David Foster

        Mica=silicate=sand. Fancy way for BP to say “sand”……Driftwood and sand would be found near or along the shoreline of Roanoke. Look north at the wing=Wright Memorial Beacon….So you have to see all these things in one place. Sand, Driftwood and the Memorial..dig site is near.

        Reply
    • Talmage Blevins

      Mica in the verse refers to the mineral “mica”. NC was the largest producer of Mica for many years and still produces the most in the U.S.

      Reply
  2. Doug Zimmerman

    First, thanks for this website and your work. I became a patron for that reason. The Hi Res pics and content are great. Full disclosure, I am the orb guy on twitter/reddit. contact me anytime.
    please suspend disbelief. why not, after almost 40 years and the waterside area completely dug up. No surprise.
    Consider: spoon and the “pea” or sphere. look at the “handle”,closely. it is an illusion. The spoon actually bends slightly left where the handle appears to join, a bend in Pear Pad Rd, with perspective. Look immediately behind the spoon, in the background. clearly a white vertical structure with a black square imbedded. other smaller structures in the background.

    the sphere is the ORB I have been pointing out for months in several illustrations. The orb is floating in plain sight above the treasure, in this case a spoon shaped area at the very end of Pear Pad Rd, at the water. Google earth today shows newer rocks, in spoon shape. Not a stretch to think that shape was there in 1981, with older rocks perhaps, and dock or landing. A landing could be the last thing touched and first seen standing. Standing at the end of the road and looking back and to the left over the bit of water, the same perspective as in the picture, there is an old cemetery. too much brush for clear line of sight, but end of road does not appear to be part of cemetery. From here, one could easily look north to the Wing.
    The treasure is buried in the spoons shape near the waterline, at the position indicated in the “spoon” in the picture.
    Ok, reengage disbelief. Perhaps the verse will not take one that far. Anyway, another theory to throw on the pile.

    Reply
    • burnstyle

      Thanks for your support, I can answer a couple of your questions.
      The end of Pear Pad rd is not part of the cemetery and never was. It has a roundabout at the end now but did not in the 80’s. Back then it terminated at a picnic area which had a fence running through the center of it. the area is curved south and you cannot see the wing from there.

      The cemetery used to have an open beach access area, but over time erosion has worn it down so that it is now a 12 foot cliff.
      You CAN see the wing from there… but it’s a cemetery so it is off limits.

      Reply
      • Doug Zimmerman

        thanks. do you know if there are ornate spikes on the top of any of the walls to the right and around the corner from the front entrance of EG with the flags, is there a gate on that side, with low walls and short columns continuing down that side? working on resolving what is behind the “spoon”. thanks and happy to support.

        Reply
        • burnstyle

          not that I am aware of.

          Reply
  3. Doug Zimmerman

    built april 1981,The octagonal structure of the gazebo is situated at a site overlooking the Roanoke and Currituck Sounds, very possibly the spot were Sir Richard Grenville, Walter Raleigh’s cousin, first set foot in 1585 upon his arrival with a fleet of seven ships and 108 men.has this been considered?

    Reply
  4. Canuck

    Below the key hanging off the right arm is the word “pox”. The Croatan people of the area were wiped out by disease such as small pox.

    On the pedestal that is front and center of the image are the words “Ice Box”. Likely a clever reference to Ice Plant Island near Manteo.

    Reply
  5. Jackie G.

    Image 3 Verse 11 begins in North Carolina but it ends in Oklahoma.

    Reply
    • Tom

      The reference to goal and the theory of this being a link to the English, could there be a link to soccer/football? The only reason I ask is san Francisco references are which would suggest tennis and boston had home referring to home plate and base ball.it’s not concrete as if need to tie Chicago and Cleveland to a sport!

      Reply
      • Jarrett

        NC to Oklahoma, trail of tears?

        Reply
  6. Jackie G

    Page 23
    “Robin and the Pixies of Britain gave lessons in archery to the Catawba braves” The Catawba, (“people of the river”), They live on the Catawba River at the border of North Carolina. The Catawba were decimated by smallpox and then measles.

    Reply
  7. Steve Norris

    Not sure how to post correctly here. I am very new to this hunt and since I am from North Carolina, I was interested in the Roanoke casque.
    In reviewing the Cleveland and Chicago solved hunts, I was impressed by several similarities but one glaring problem with the Roanoke proposed solution: if the casque was on Roanoke Island, not many visual clues for the site were in the image.

    I think everything up to the line “Look north at the wing” is correct.
    Many think Preiss means face the wing but what he is saying is go to the wing and then look north. This line makes sense only if Preiss wanted us to go to the wing (Wright Memorial). Which coincidently points you right down the path of the Wright Brothers four inaugural flights.

    Some clues being overlooked:

    1- The breastplate has lines that very closely match the paths around the Wright memorial.

    2- In the center of the breast plate is a shape similar to the base of the memorial.

    3- If you check the base of the actual monument, it is shaped very much like the helmet in the image

    4- Follow the line of the helmet to the breast plate and you see a long straight “path” that corresponds with the memorial’s layout and the flight path of the 4 flights the Wright Brothers made.

    So where to dig? Look at the shoulder plate on the left side in the image): it has 8 dimples; the neck piece 5 dimples; the right shoulder piece 2 dimples, That’s 852 which is the distance the 4th flight traveled and is clearly marked on the 4th flight marker You need to be digging at the 4th flight marker. And all this is illustrated on the image!

    caveat: Preiss often throws some kind of weird twist into his clues. I think there is a word in the L shaped area on the right side of the breast plate but I can not decipher it. It could lead in another direction if deciphered

    Reply
    • melissa gandy

      I think it is not at the Memorial but within 12 miles of it

      Reply
  8. Canuck

    There are a few other clues in the image that point to the Wright Brothers Memorial being the area the casque is located.

    The number 59 is on the belt, this is the number of seconds the 4th flight lasted.

    The number 98 is located on the red “plumage”, which happens to be the weight of the Wright Brothers glider in pounds and also supports a “flight” theme.

    The letters “O.L.” appear on the breast plate and there is what appears to be an Iron Cross inside the “O”. Why is this significant? The Wright Brothers learned a lot about flight from a German aviation pioneer named Otto Lilienthal. He was killed trying to fly a glider.

    Pre-internet these are the types of facts you would be able to find in a good encyclopedia. Its important for people to put themselves in a 1982 mindset, not spout off crazy notions or tear the image apart in Photoshop.

    I’m in agreement with Steve Norris that the Wright Brothers Memorial is the area to search for the casque in and that Roanoke Island is incorrect. Sure the verse takes you there, but I believe Byron wanted people to enjoy the journey. He lured people to the “Sea Gate” in the Elizabethan Gardens, but then the trail goes cold. That’s because from there you have to “take flight” and end up back at the Wright Brothers Memorial…sheer genius!

    George, what are your thoughts on this? Love the podcast, you guys keep it real in the sea of Secret craziness!

    Reply
  9. Canuck

    Some of the images contain public art pieces in various cities, but I haven’t heard of a good match for the figure holding the white carnation.
    I think the figure is the “Stylus Devil” from page 91. Interestingly enough most of the drawings in the book were done by Pierard or Loyd with few exceptions, this being one of them.

    JJP actually drew the Stylus Devil so it would be easy for him to mask and incorporate this figure into one of the paintings as well. If you look at the drawing it’s similar to the painting except for the wings and tail. If you look at these features in the drawing they appear to form the letters “W.O.W.” aka “Wilbur and Orville Wright”!

    The record player on pages 90-91 has a few shapes that resemble the memorial and flight markers. The negative space near the broken needle on page 91 in particular is reminiscent of the top of the memorial.

    The Wright Brothers also DO fit the immigration theme as their (paternal) lineage traces back to England, much like the Lost Colony of Roanoke.

    Lets quickly touch on the whole lat/long thing as well. The image has 36 as the latitude identifier. Fort Raleigh/Elizabethan Gardens are at 35.5 degrees North, while the Wright Brothers Memorial is at 36 degrees North and therefore matches!

    Part of the reason the casques haven’t been found is that most people are under the impression that the specific area they are buried in is known, when in fact most have only been narrowed down to a specific city or geographic area. For this casque there has been too much attention placed on Fort Raleigh/Elizabethan Gardens and not near enough on the Wright Brothers Memorial based on the clues in the image, verse and book.

    I wouldn’t waste my time digging around the glider replica south of the Memorial, but there are some fairly compelling areas elsewhere on the property. Getting permission to dig here though will be the biggest obstacle in retrieving this casque.

    Reply
    • David A

      The replica flyer south of the monument wasn’t present in 1980

      Reply
  10. Canuck

    I’ve looked at this some more and if you take into consideration the background wing on the Stylus Devil it actually spells “W.W.O.W.” aka Wilbur Wright and Orville Wright, which is an exact match to what is carved into the Wright Brothers Memorial.

    Look at the cartridge on the record player in the Stylus Devil image and you will notice it matches the shadow cast by the Wright Brothers Memorial.

    Also the Stylus Devil name would have been something JJP and Byron came up with based on a combination of the shadow cast by the Memorial looking like the cartridge and stylus part of a record player AND it being at Kill DEVIL Hill…genius!

    Steve Norris you are correct that the 4th flight marker is important(nice job on the 852, blew this thing wide open!). If you stand at the Memorial and look north towards that marker you will notice it is at the 1:00 position…same as the image! The end of the key hanging off the left arm also looks like the number 4 to further confirm it.

    George, any insight on how we go about getting NPS permission to dig at Wright Brothers Memorial? It’s kind of good news, bad news for them…should put an end to the digging at Fort Raleigh/Elizabethan Gardens but may bring more to the Wright Brothers Memorial where the casque is buried.
    Willing to share more, but need this issue resolved first. We don’t want to see someone committing a felony in order to retrieve the casque.
    At this point I want to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the casque is at the Wright Brothers Memorial and demonstrate the value of the ENTIRE book in solving these puzzles.
    I feel these goals have been accomplished.

    Reply
    • burnstyle

      It’s gonna be hard.
      NPS is super upset with diggers. You would need proof beyond a shadow of a doubt, and would need to present the proof to NPS, the archaeologist, and the board of directors.

      Reply
      • Steve Norris

        Let’s get Josh Gates involved. NPS says they need an archeologist and Josh is one. We just need to probe around a bit. The thing is, NPS should be interested in getting this solved… and other places NPS has been flexible.

        Reply
        • Complicated Business

          Have you been out to the Wright Memorial to probe?

          Reply
      • Robert

        You don’t need to dig. Hire (or get) a GPR (ground penetrating radar). It won’t disturb the site at all, but will show if there’s an “anomaly” in the ground.

        Reply
      • Fung Chi

        If you pull up a satellite map for lat/lon 35.938082. -75.703699 I think you find the spot to dig. In July and August refers to month numbers – 7 and 8. The roads on either side of the path leading to my location are laid out like 7 and 8. It also passes the circle and square. The coastline resembles a bird. Looking north from my spot a tip sticks out, there is a rock which appears to have 75 written on it. This would be the spot to dig.

        Reply
        • Ken

          These lat/lon seems to be in the water. Can you better describe the site – what are street names?

          Reply
  11. jd

    just to help out the picture says gardens right on it, the queen in the garden is on the right arm,

    Reply
  12. Michael

    I think you are all looking too far north. If you study the image, you find a lot more information. I have no way to travel there, especially now, but what if I’m on to something. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Tom

    I read the line
    Look north at the wing
    Could this not be a reference to the “Lost Colony”? THere is a stage and the bits to the left and right of the stage are known as the wings (Waiting in the wings)

    Mica and Driftwood would reference the theatre itself (assuming it’s facade hasn’t changed since 1981). My guess would be to dig round the northern parts of the theatre facing the water focusing where the 2 wings of the stage are. Given the time on the clock is 1 o’clock I would see it as a compass and perhaps dig at the north easterly part of the stage. I believe most of the casques are planted near walls to stop land movement (I know Boston doesn’t fit this theory) but I believe this would prevent mechanical interference with the ground.

    But then again I have only been following this for about 48 hours and I have convinced myself I have solved San Francisco too!

    Reply
  14. Tom

    Also I think the picture theme is a reference to the “Wizard of Oz”, Tin Man, Scarecrow, The Lion (Face of the mask and golden colour of the armour) Which fits in with Baum

    Reply
  15. Erin Phelan

    I’m considering the Waterside Theater as well. The triangular part of the breastplate looks like the seating of the theater. Notice there is a dent on the right side, which would be very north-easterly. “Which may be last touched or first seen standing” could be a final curtain call or a standing ovation. Plus the theater is in profile in the painting in the lower left part. I know that the theater has been majorly renovated since the 80s, as I went to the play as a child in the 80s and sat on those hard wooden benches, and again two years ago in the new green seats. Wing refers to the wing of the stage. The metal bars underneath the statue in the painting look like the towers that support the lights and there is a bell, referring to Albert Quentin Bell, AKA Skipper Bell, who has a plaque there at the theater commemerating him.

    Reply
  16. Kimberly Shaffer

    Hi – I think this is under the soccer goal in Meekins park behind the water tower and the fire department.

    Reply
  17. Lisa

    I live here! You have to travel the ‘Baum Bridge’ to get to Roanoke Island from the obvious references to the Wright Brothers in the earlier verses (Oz Man). The shape of Roanoke Island is clearly marked in stone just to the right of the window. There are several other shapes of roads in the painting that are visible from aerial maps of Fort Raleigh. To me, the shape of the face looks JUST LIKE the mounds in the dig area where the original fort stood. I also thought about the ‘wings of the theatre’. And it seems that the trees would have been the first thing seen (standing), and the last thing touched (Croatoan). I think it’s in the Fort Raleigh area. There is a fob pointing to the left of a shape just like in “The Lost Colony”, to the left of the stage fort. I believe that is where they have a ‘CRO tree’ at the end of each play. I think it is there.

    Reply
  18. Katie

    Is there a way to get permission to dig? I 100% know where it is. It s not at the Wright Bros Memorial. You are way there.

    Reply
  19. Donna McCartney

    Katie I’ve gotten permission to dig at the site of my solution for Image #3 in September. I wrote the park and had to convince them of my solution. I also offered a commemorative plaque regardless of the results. I’ve written Josh Gates with Expedition Unknown to see if he would cover it but no confirmation on that yet.

    I’ve deciphered the following references to baseball in the armor: baseball helmet on the right arm, stick and ball under the right arm with bells ringing … ding,ding,ding (I could actually hear them ring!), a baseball on the right shoulder, and home plate under the left arm. I’ll report back on the results of my dig in September.

    Reply
    • Jazz

      Curious to hear the follow-up on this…

      Reply
    • Kevin Sherman

      I assume no dice?

      Reply
    • Richard

      Where’d you look?

      Reply
  20. Ashley King

    Hey guys I came here to offer a possible and hopeful Ace in the hole?
    First time here and I am the very last person my friends call when they need the last few words of a cross puzzle done etc. I suck at puzzles as a whole but who knows right?

    Ace being this: I have a friend who is an old gentleman and is a wood expert. He has written 3 books about wood and trees etc. He also is part of a wood club which features I belive 10 members from around the world and they are also wood experts.

    I’ll run this poem by him and see if I can dig up anything.

    Reply
  21. Ashley King

    Baseball diamond ? sorry… I’ll start reading the comments.

    Reply
  22. Crash

    They are remodeling the Waterside Theatre. All of the seats have currently been removed. If you wanted to probe the sand beneath the seating rows, now would be an opportune time.

    Reply
  23. Amy DeLoria

    In a letter dated May 13, 1900, addressed to Octave Chanute, an experienced engineer and a worldwide authority on flight at the time, Wilbur Wright wrote:

    Reply
  24. Amy DeLoria

    I believe Octave is not a note 🎶 but Octave Chanute, an experienced engineer and a worldwide authority on flight at the time, Wilbur Wright wrote: …

    Reply

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