Quest4Treasure Archives

strike13 wrote:: i think there are many maps in every image, and they just keep getting more and more intricate and narrowed down to where exactly the casque is at. Boy that would be nice, of course I haven't seen any evidence of that ever....

Agreed. I have lived here a long time and the map on the mask forehead is all I can see. I am not sure the tree branch can be called a map. It is just a road with a possible reference to our old bridges. Regards, Mac

MrSeabass wrote:: I've been to Charleston more times than I've been to the bathroom. I've been to so many parts of the city that I could claim it under adverse possession laws. Other than the potential pear branch/highway connection and the blatant Ft. Sumter pendant, there is NO map anywhere else on that image. Not a hint of one, not a subset of one, not a mirror/invert/fisheye/stretched version of one. Full stop. and, uh, this one

drunknerds wrote:: and, uh, this one well that and fort sumter...

maltedfalcon wrote:: well that and fort sumter... So like i said, totally, maps. I am definitely not claiming to know it all haha. Or how each image works. I'm Boston anyway. But starting to look more at the others as I go. Thanks for the input...i enjoy swapping the ideas. Def wasn't saying that my map ideas of Charleston were right either, just sharing what i saw. Now time for a good new england style IPA.

maltedfalcon wrote:: well that and fort sumter... Haha, I was about to make the exact same joke.

Mac, I have not read all the 1000 comments here, but I am wondering if anyone has been to the library there in Charleston to check articles about the switch of the capstan and the Moultrie statue. There should be some companies involved that might still have some records of the exchange. I have tried to look online, but you have to pay $40 to get an out of state library card.

Smokey Joe Would wrote:: Mac, I have not read all the 1000 comments here, but I am wondering if anyone has been to the library there in Charleston to check articles about the switch of the capstan and the Moultrie statue. There should be some companies involved that might still have some records of the exchange. I have tried to look online, but you have to pay $40 to get an out of state library card. May be useful, maybe they found something. Although burnside said he poked around there and it's packed clay no more than 2 feet down

10-4. I am also sure that area has been poked and prodded a lot, especially in the last few weeks. Plus that place is pretty open and Preiss would have to had been pretty ballsy to dig there. Just seems like a lot of evidence points there, if that is even the right verse. So fantastically frustrating!!

I dont recall any detailed info about how it was swapped. I would figure they filled the area with clay type substance and then laid the crushed oysters on top for the path. I dont have a library card but can still go to the library next time I get downtown. Regards, Mac

Is Part 2 of your video on youtube? I found part one, but it cuts off before you give a solution.

yea the last videos are shit though, it got dark out. where did i end at, corner of E Battery? from there, youd walk down E Battery; along Rainbow Row; till you get to 50 E Bay St. there you find the star (white star, tells you its a building and relates to white building in verse) and lion door knocker. on way (at end of E Battery Wall) you find monument to first black naval commander, some haitian dude. if i recall correctly, next clue is the edwin/edwina clue, which takes you to the Jasper monument. the connection here is that both have things named after them; mainly ships in the case of Jasper, in relation to this puzzle. on eighth a scene...takes you to the pirate monument at NE corner of WPG...which is a ruse. the fact that the eighth is a ref to this monument is reinforced by the earlier clue about Harken to the words of a patriot, 1840". its a ruse, bc if you didnt break the purely visual pendant clues, you will think the white house is the saussere house, the palms are the palms around it, and your focus is on the E Battery wall; instead of the S Battery wall. a similar ruse is employed in the NYC puzzle. where law defended relates back to the first (treasure island) clue; in that it reinforces the idea that pirates were killed and buried in the park...so this is reinforcing the idea that we do NOT dig in WPG...if we didnt already figure that out in the beginning. bw 2 arms extended...wed think this relates to 2 cannons if we fell for the ruse; but we know this is a reference to the arm of the sundial (shadow) at 4pm; and cannon across from the Fort Sumter Association Building. the sundial is a monument commemorating a naval disaster that occurred in april (in which the ships went down in 4 minutes). the monument was also dedicated in april, as well. the cannon and sundial are offset. so we stand bw them on an angle; facing the FSAB; looking West down S Battery. below the bar that binds...is a literary reference from "the history of kinyaro bitara" (#19 in the East African Studies Collection). the quote it takes us to tells us its the "bar that binds water". so we know that the treasure is UNDER the protection of one of the battery walls. wed think this refers to the E Battery wall if we fell for the ruse; but it refers to the S Battery wall. this is reinforced by a plaque discussing the creation of the battery walls, west down s battery from wpg. beside the long palm's shadow...tells us the location of the treasure will be marked by the shadow of a palm tree at 4pm. so, we can deduce that it is one of 4 palms; based on the framing of the cannon and sundial. embedded in sand...tells us the casque will be buried in sand. so, we can eliminate 3 of the palms...one has its shadow in WPG; one has its shadow in the street; one has its shadow fall in a garden outside the FSAB, but this garden is dirt, not sand. so, by now we know that the treasure is under the protection of the S Battery wall; bw the 2 arms (cannon/sundial) extended; beside the shadow of our designated palm tree at 4pm; near to the white house (the FSAB). thus, the treasure is located in the triangle sandbox on the S side of the FSAB; W outside of WPG, along S Battery; right behind the stairs. you can see the triangle sandbox in the painting under the faery's arms.

fyi when i refer to S Battery as a St...i meant Murray...my bad. heres where the treasure was... when i got there there was no little palm; coconut fibres were replaced with rocks. only half the garden bw shadow and building was sand. at 4pm shadow falls to back corner of stairs against building. leaving you about half of it. https://www.google.ca/maps/@32.7695555, ... 312!8i6656

but the traingles dont match, at all. The actual triangle box in the south wall points west and the one in the image points east.

Honestly I think that its not in Charelston but rather Sullivans Island or Mt PLeasant. Having the bridge from charelston and down coleman road as the branch is too specific to just have us go back to white point garden. It has to be telling us to go towards mount pleasant direction. Also most people see 'sunglasses' on the far right side but I possibly see a mountain, further points to mt pleasant, not to mention that this is where most of the slaves came in.

phinetic wrote:: Honestly I think that its not in Charelston but rather Sullivans Island or Mt PLeasant. Having the bridge from charelston and down coleman road as the branch is too specific to just have us go back to white point garden. It has to be telling us to go towards mount pleasant direction. Also most people see 'sunglasses' on the far right side but I possibly see a mountain, further points to mt pleasant, not to mention that this is where most of the slaves came in. I like your ideas, they echo a lot of the sentiment about, "hey let's just explore other avenues because the wpg has key stuff but mayyyy still just be coincidence, because other than the lion's nose there's literally no on-site image matches" Show me some image matches and I'll gladly subscribe to your newsletter.

Here you go: I 've been messing around with the photo on photoshop and found some interesting things. One is that I found 3 perfect circles in the image in different colors and decided to connect them, and they formed a perfect triangle within the image. https://imgur.com/a/hBOs9 . I thought to myself "is this helping me narrow down where to look for the casque if I overlay Image 2 with a map of coleman road, and I didnt find anything...EXCEPT!!! There is a cross in the lions mane above the beginning of colemans road and found a very, very interesting cemetary almost exactly where the cross lays. From wiki: "Remley Point Cemetery is cemetery located in the Scanlonville community in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. It contains 41 marked graves ranging from 1867 to 1989, but residents claim there may be over 1,000 people, largely African American, buried there.[2]" Additionally, check out an image from the cemetary, it is very, very unique indeed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remley_Point_Cemetery#/media/File:Remley_Point_Cemetery_2.jpg By the way, Scanlonville, which is the area that is in this triangle, https://imgur.com/a/kYCaR also has an interesting history: "Scanlonville is a hidden and quiet marsh-front community located on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Mathis Ferry Road just past Fire Department #3. Established after the Civil War, this African-American community enjoys a rich heritage spanning over 100 years. After the war, many former slaves began to establish their own farms and businesses. The development of Scanlonville is one such enterprise. In 1868, freedman-carpenter Robert Scanlon purchased the 614-acre Remley’s Plantation that was bordered by the Charleston Harbor and the Wando River. The property was previously owned by Paul Remley who died in 1863. Scanlon founded the Charleston Land Company and 100 African-American men paid $10 per share to purchase large tracts of land. The land was divided into two-acre farm lots and half-acre town lots. By 1870, former slaves who desired to own land could purchase town or farm lots. The Charleston Land Company and the development of Scanlonville is one of four known cooperative ventures between African-American freedmen." In summary I think the cross in the image represents this cemetary which is directly north of the beignning of colemand road and the cross and the actual cemetary are almost identical in their locations when you transpose both images on one another. I don't know if this helps us at all but I think that these weird circles in the image cannot be ignored. They are diffenetly purposful and I think we need to really look at this image in different ways, we should even rotate it, even look at it upsideodwn. Hell, the 79 is written upsidedown, why not analyze it from that angle too! There are too many clues pointing out towards Mt Pleasant (maybe there maybe beyond there), but it seems SO RIDICULOUS to have a literal map of Charleston in the image, have a reference going out towards Mount pleasant (the bridge/tree) to only have a reference go back towards Charelston towards white point gardens. What on earth would be the point of the bridge reference if it didn't lead you out there. You see the image of Charlelston, you get the reference of the bridge, it leads you out thay way, not back!!!!! This idea just brushes the surface of what I got right now and what I've been working on, but honestly a lot of you guys are being so snobish I dont think I'll be sharing anything else anymore on here. You guys sure do know how to push people down and shut down any idea that doesnt fit your own theory. Im out.

you sure those arent artifacts? try looking at the image in the expedition unknown episode and see if you can spot them. the one is particularly noticeable. but i see at least 4. other than the 2 you note there is one in the black space to the left of the lion's ear and another to the right of the cross in the lions mane. so im not sure which you used. what does a map of coleman road have to do with anything? what is coleman road? where is it? why coleman? what made you overlay the triangle on or around coleman as opposed to elsewhere? what is the connection to coleman?

phinetic wrote:: but the traingles dont match, at all. The actual triangle box in the south wall points west and the one in the image points east. what triangles do you speak of?

are you talking about the triangle sandbox? not only is it exactly the shape it is in the painting...nothing says it has to point the same way...how can a sandbox in a painting be pointing in a cardinal direction? its a painting. its there the colour of sand marked by the shadow of the palm tree (her arms are making).

Seriously fam? The bend in the pine branch near the pear could represent the bend in Route 703 (Coleman Blvd) as it passes through Mt. Pleasant just east of Charleston. To the southwest of this bend is Patriots Point, which is one of two departure points for ferries to Fort Sumter. Prior to its demolition in 2005, the Silas N. PEAR MAN BRIDGE , PEAR!!!! would have connected at the upper left corner of this map, where Route 703 splits in half to form the on-ramp and off-ramp for the bridge. The bridge passed over Drum Island and connected to the Charleston peninsula. https://imgur.com/a/9Io1L

wtf are you talking about? i never mention the branch...the branch takes from charleston to georgetown, with the section on the right kicking you down into the islands in the next inlet up. i always said the pear represented pearman bridge, so im not sure wtf it is youre disputing, exactly... yes the branch takes you over pearman, past patriots point and through down into dewee's island.

So why do you think its in some area to the south of Fort Sumpters House if all these clues lead out from Charelston towards Mt. Pleasant?

what does any of that have to do with the triangle sandbox? or any triangles whatsoever for that matter?

are you on crack? how do all the clues lead you out of charleston to mount pleasant? you are doing it backwards. you start in mount pleasant and make your way into charleston bro...you literally have to ignore 85% of clues to make that statement...

also, there is the greater puzzle and the treasure hunt...if you follow the treasure hunt clues, you get to the location i have posted. without question lol.

fyi the reason you start across the river is because you would need to start there in order to take the ferry over to Fort Sumter (from Patriot's Point); and you need to go to Fort Moultrie before that.

one more thing...even by your own logic...wouldnt the cross be on the charleston side? lol

lol bro theres a map of Charleston. Its in the picture. Anyone can get that reference. Theres no reason to have a reference to pearman bridge if it didnt go that way. You're telling me most people would see the pearman bridge reference and then notice the map of charelston? Answer me this, which one is it: 1) You notice the map of Charleston, and then notice the pearman bridge reference leading you to mount pleasant 2) You notice pearman bridge, and then notice the map of charelston and think its leading you to charelston What is the purpose?

anus905 wrote:: one more thing...even by your own logic...wouldnt the cross be on the charleston side? lol https://imgur.com/a/kYCaR Can you read a map? Where is the cross? Mt. Pleasant. Is there an age requirement for this website?

sorry i didnt realize you arbitrarily placed a triangle on a map...

could also be the start of the cooper river, which goes from lake moultrie to the ocean.

phinetic wrote:: lol bro theres a map of Charleston. Its in the picture. Anyone can get that reference. Theres no reason to have a reference to pearman bridge if it didnt go that way. You're telling me most people would see the pearman bridge reference and then notice the map of charelston? Answer me this, which one is it: 1) You notice the map of Charleston, and then notice the pearman bridge reference leading you to mount pleasant 2) You notice pearman bridge, and then notice the map of charelston and think its leading you to charelston What is the purpose? cause the casque is buried in charleston. the puzzle takes you all over, not all of it relates to the treasure hunt, specifically. the exact reason, he takes you over the pearman bridge to patriot's point, is because that is where you would need to go to catch the ferry to fort sumter in 1981...

you actually follow the path the cannons took for the most part.

davinci4 wrote:: . One question I had was regarding the tree that was out front in the 80s. Do we know what type it was? Would have been really amazing if it was a pear tree. Just a quick follow-up on this one, as I was never able to find a definitive answer. Besides NPS, I also reached out to the Seminole Nation's Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum with a research request, but the manager I spoke with had no information since Osceola's burial and subsequent gravesite maintenance was handled entirely by the US Government. Her best guess was that the "missing tree" beneath Osceola's grave might actually be a mahogany, and that it could have either grown naturally or been planted by Fort Moultrie personnel. So there's that.

A while back, Sullivan's Island Magazine asked me to write an article for them about the ongoing I2 search. Here's the link in case anyone's interested: http://sullivansislandmagazine.com/s/20 ... ns-island/

wheres sullivans island?

anus905 wrote:: wheres sullivans island? Don't ever change, Josh.

oh I see, that's where fort moutlrie is didn't realize that was a separate island. why do you think its there?! I think that's in or around where you start. might go back to Dewee's Island via the butterfly relating to the sea pansy, which is bio luminescent and buries itself in sand.

JamesV wrote:: A while back, Sullivan's Island Magazine asked me to write an article for them about the ongoing I2 search. Here's the link in case anyone's interested: http://sullivansislandmagazine.com/s/20 ... ns-island/ Great article James! ...did the archeologists ever give you a sense of their process? Do they require some physical evidence (GPR, ground probing) of the casque before they will actually dig? You have such a great solution mapped out in a very specific area. Wondering what ‘steps’ are required on their end to move forward.

James, nicely done. Good to hear someone has the opportunity to make such close connections in the area around their solve.

davinci4 wrote:: Wondering what ‘steps’ are required on their end to move forward. To be honest, I don't really know myself, so I don't want to speculate too far outside my lane. Could be months, could be years before we see any kind of movement? I'd love to have some kind of definite way forward lined up before this summer though, since I'm slated to head back overseas for a couple more years. Although I told NPS, if a dig were to get approved then I'd definitely be on the first flight home!

JamesV wrote:: To be honest, I don't really know myself, so I don't want to speculate too far outside my lane. Could be months, could be years before we see any kind of movement? I'd love to have some kind of definite way forward lined up before this summer though, since I'm slated to head back overseas for a couple more years. Although I told NPS, if a dig were to get approved then I'd definitely be on the first flight home! I think it really comes down to how much ‘historical significance’ they place on the cask. As exciting as a discovery it would be, I would be curious to know how they would view the recovery from an archeological perspective. It seems in other areas there has been some good cooperation from the local archeologist. Even archeologists though have to go through their approval process, which given the proposed location here, may take more time.

davinci4 wrote:: I think it really comes down to how much ‘historical significance’ they place on the cask. As exciting as a discovery it would be, I would be curious to know how they would view the recovery from an archeological perspective. It seems in other areas there has been some good cooperation from the local archeologist. Even archeologists though have to go through their approval process, which given the proposed location here, may take more time. I suppose if someone found some lost writings from Edgar Allan Poe that said The Gold Bug was real and there was an actual treasure, archaeologists would be all over that. The Secret, maybe not so much...

Just wanted to pass along "Where is Osceola?", a cool 1968 article from Sandlapper, the now-defunct magazine of South Carolina. Interesting to read about the alleged "grave robbing" which led to Osceola's re-interment the next year. Article starts on page 43...and just FYI, as best as I could tell from NPS photos, that cypress tree alongside Osceola's grave was gone by 1976: https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/bitstrea ... sAllowed=y

JamesV wrote:: Just wanted to pass along "Where is Osceola?", a cool 1968 article from Sandlapper, the now-defunct magazine of South Carolina. Interesting to read about the alleged "grave robbing" which led to Osceola's re-interment the next year. Article starts on page 43...and just FYI, as best as I could tell from NPS photos, that cypress tree alongside Osceola's grave was gone by 1976: https://dc.statelibrary.sc.gov/bitstrea ... sAllowed=y Hey James, this is pretty cool. I'm going to see if there are other issues. Do you have a quick link, or should I hunt around?

gManTexas wrote:: Hey James, this is pretty cool. I'm going to see if there are other issues. Do you have a quick link, or should I hunt around? Never hunt when you don't have to! Here's the link to the SC Digital Library Archives...it's an awesome resource for exploring any of the proposed dig sites for Image 2: http://scmemory.org .

Full disclosure: Admittedly, I was not even aware of The Secret until the airing of one of my favorite shows earlier this year. Yes, I am one of those people on here. Unlike the real diehard fans of the book who have been collaborating and searching for years, I just dvr’d an episode of ExU, and here we are. However, I will try to do my best. (If short on time, Scroll to last paragraph for the good part. But where is the fun in that?) A couple things about me before I get started… First, I do not proclaim to be an expert at anything. If what I have to say sounds uninformed, it might actually be. Second, even I will agree that some of my ramblings may get a little repetitive and off track at times, and I will try to stay as coherent and on-point as I can. No guarantees. Third, I have been reading hundreds of posts and looking at thousands of photos, traveling up and down the streets of Charleston (with Google Maps, of course), perusing magazine and newspaper articles, as well as reading up on the overall history of Charleston and its many museums, forts, historic homes and the people who lived there. If I post something that seems like old news, my apologies. I have so much bouncing around in my head on this that I can’t keep it all straight. I like Charleston and the surrounding area as a vacation spot. I had been there a few years ago with no knowledge of The Secret. To think I may have been standing on top of it and not even known. After doing some reading, I drove down there earlier this month to poke around a little. Clearly, I didn’t find anything, or my one and only post on here would just read, “Found it!” I formed a plan and made two carefully thought-out lists: One was buildings, parks, streets and forts to inspect, photograph and crawl around. The other was restaurants. I like to eat, and I needed my strength for all that searching. Now, let’s get to it… Unfortunately for you all, I kind of have to start at the beginning. For me, that is Image 2. Obviously. Although it appears not everyone is in agreement that it is depicting Charleston, I think I am in the majority who say it is clearly Charleston. The Charleston area has a clear historic link to Africa. By no means am I saying it is a good link, but it is what it is, and we can all learn from history. Breaking down the parts of Image 2 from top to bottom: The Lion: I was not able to get a real lion at the zoo to sit still long enough to inspect its face, so I went online for photos to make some comparisons. Overall, the image looks pretty spot-on when compared to photos of actual lions. Some similarities are the general shape and coloring of the head, the eyes and the light patches underneath, and the contemplative look on the face. Some slight differences between the online photos and the Image 2 lion are the shape of the nose, ears and mane. However, I know not all lions are the same, so it seems like the differences are maybe coincidental or artistic preference and not necessarily intended to be clues other than the clear connection to Africa. There is a shadowy image on the forehead. To me, it looks like the designs in the slate rocks used to make sidewalks all over Charleston. Or maybe a rough sketch of a city’s boundary lines. So why a male lion? There are female lions in Africa. Female lions have foreheads. Maybe a male is a more powerful image. Maybe we need the connection of “King” later. Maybe it has to be a male lion, so he can give it a strange hairline and hide markings in the mane that appear to be letters, numbers, and/or shapes. Some think they see “Navy Yard” in the top of the mane. Maybe it is “Heyward”. As for the numbers, we all seem to think we know what they are, so I will move to the Mask. The Mask: It appears to be a reference to African culture as well. Some tribes or groups would carve masks for specific purposes – rituals, ceremonies, special occasions, war, etc. I found so many examples online. Some are big. Some are small. Some are short. Some are long. Some have huge holes for eyes. Some have tiny slits for eyes. Some have an outline over the eyebrow area. Some are painted. Some have hair, fur, feathers, teeth and such. Some are very crude carvings. Some are beautifully crafted, ornate pieces of art. But not one of the examples I saw online had a map of Charleston on the forehead. Pretty sure it’s Charleston. Moving on… The “glasses” are not glasses. It looks more like a line (rope) draped over the crossbar or boom of a ship’s mast. Or something very similar. Any sailors, please chime in on the correct terminology. As an example, check out the mast/flagpole at the Carolina Yacht Club located 50 E. Bay Street. Or, really, any sailboat anywhere. The Yacht Club’s flag is a red and blue pennant with a white star in the center. That may come up later. Now, The Fairy: We are apparently not all in agreement here. Cannons? Peacock feathers? Birds? Eskimo? Cobblestones? Beaches? I think I see a reverse of Sullivan’s Island on her lower right wing. Maybe. While I do see what other people are referring to as cannon(s) and stones and birds, the book talks about fairies, maybe it is just a fairy. But then why not go with a cute little smiling Tinkerbell-looking fairy? I think the image of the woman is more important than her fairy-ness. So, to me, she is not a fairy. She is a woman in a bikini standing in front of some butterfly wings. And for the wings, I would like to think that if JJP wanted to make mirror images of the wings, he would have the talent to do so. There must be some reason that the wings and the images on them are not symmetrical. Back to the woman. Her arms are folded with her hands just under her chin. Some think the shadows formed by her hands resemble a palm tree. Maybe. But I don’t think that correlates with the Verse 6 “Long Palm’s Shadow” unless it is just meant to connect the verse to the image. She has bracelets on which could symbolize slavery. Another post pointed out her resemblance to Wonder Woman. Maybe we are looking for an amazonium mine. Her eyes appear closed. Is she asleep? Just waking up? And why is she wearing what she is wearing? It must be to emphasize her body form. I believe there are only two other painted fairies in the other images – 5 and 11. The Image 5 fairy is a reference to a fountain in which there are several loosely-clothed figures, and fairy 5 is clothed similarly. The Image 11 fairy appears to reference a painting in which the figure is fully clothed, and fairy 11 is again clothed similarly. So, we need to find something similar-looking in the area. A statue or painting maybe. Also, I don’t think there is any writing or numbers in her hair. I think it is again meant to look like something in the area. Her “bikini bottoms” appear to be folded and loose, except for the middle portion. It appears brighter and sharp. An arrow? A sail? Not sure, but it is clearly different from the rest of her outfit. The Tree: The branch looks like any tree branch on just about any tree. It kind of resembles the shape of the live oak tree branches in the parks. I don’t know that the exact type is as important as the overall reason for it being there. One school of thought is that it is a map of the highway connecting Charleston to Mount Pleasant, and then on to Sullivan’s Island and Fort Moultrie. I understand that Sullivan’s Island was said to be the “Ellis Island of slavery” which further connects the image to Africa. However, while I enjoyed searching all over Fort Moultrie and the surrounding beaches and connecting everything to Poe, Osceola (or Oceola), and so on, I still think the location is Charleston. We might need to know about Sullivan’s Island, Fort Moultrie, Poe, etc. But having everything else point to Charleston just to have the location be on Sullivan’s Island is like having all the clues pointing to San Francisco and saying, “Ok, now let’s go look in Oakland.” Our tree branch may resemble the roads, which have changed since the 80’s, but I think it is more likely that it just represents a tree. It may also be a decorative addition to have something from which the pear and pedant hang. The Pear: Some think it points us to the Pearman Bridge, which came down after the new Ravenel Bridge opened in 2005. I think it is just a pear. Actually, I think it is a loquat. But rather than paint a loquat and have readers wonder what that funny looking pear is doing there, JJP pained a pear – something most people would recognize. There are loquat trees all over the area, and if I need to make a loose connection here: Loquat… in the Lowcountry? Heh? Maybe not. It is also possible that the faint image below the pear is a base, and the pear resembles a ball shape. This can be seen atop the brick gateposts at some of the historic homes and plantations. Or maybe it’s just a pear. The Flower: It appears to be a daisy. But the center is not a raised fluffy yellow button like you see on daisies. It is a flat oval shape. Given that the round table in the SF image is thought to be the trolley turnaround, maybe this is also pointing us to something flat and round (or oval) we should be seeing. Like a penny, or a table top. The daisy also has a shadow, which I think is just a possible connection to the verse. Daisy looks like a palm tree, has a shadow… “Beside the Long Palm’s Shadow”. That may be the only connection. It does look pretty busted up for a normally pretty flower. If it is only supposed to resemble a palm or palmetto tree, then ok, it does. Sort of. But if it is intended to reference something else, I don’t yet know what. The Pendant (Fort Sumter): I don’t get it. We have this beautiful painting of a lion, a mask, a pear and a fairy, and then… a cartoon-looking pendant. Where is all the intricate detail found in the rest of the image? This is just a clock with big goofy eyes and a jacked-up grill. I have looked all over for anything that resembles the mouth. Could be stairs. Maybe a boat of some sort. Maybe it looks like teeth, because it is supposed to resemble the pointy teeth found on some African masks. At first, the eyes looked to me like manhole covers. Look at the sidewalk outside the First Presbyterian Church at Market and Tradd. Maybe they are FDC caps from a specific building we are looking for. Maybe they are really screws. I think they look like Do Not Enter street signs – like those at King and S. Battery… or Church and Water St. Water is a theme in the images and verses, and there is a cross in the lion’s mane. Again, not sure. This next part is a little tricky. Mostly because I just really want it to be right. After looking at the Ft. Sumter pendant and then a map of Charleston, and then back and forth, back and forth, it finally hit me. The Sumter clock is set to 4:00, but it is off-center just slightly. Maybe this is True vs. Magnetic North, maybe something else… like what it refers to is also not quite North and South… like the streets of Charleston. *Follow me here: If we overlay the Sumter clock hands on the map, they are a near-perfect match for Church and Water St. or Meeting and Water St. including the star on the face matching the star of the yacht club. If we use Church St., we have Do Not Enter signs for eyes. If we use Meeting, we have the manhole covers that we would pass as we move north. Either way, it puts the tip of the hour hand near the stairs on the battery. If we use Meeting St., the tip of the minute hand is near Four Corners of the Law, but more specifically, Washington Park. With Church and Water St. the tip of the minute hand is at the Heyward-Washington House and either way, “White house close at hand”. The HW house is not white, but Washington was a president... White House... Hand of a clock... We are close! I think the Sumter clock is a map to our location. That is why it looks a little off when compared to the rest of the painting. To help it stand out as a “Hey, look at me. Use me.” Then the mouth with 12 white pointy teeth falls right about where White Point Garden is. It is not that the cask location is in WPG, it is just confirming the alignment of our map. If I can tie in the colored bars on the other cheek, we are good to go! Thanks All!

did you read my solution/watch my walkthrough vid of the treasure hunt? you follow the path of the cannons from Moultrie to sumter to eventually WPG. the faery relates to an African butterfly which you then use to connect to a sea creature found on dewees island that is bioluminescent and buries itself in sand. youre right about the mast, that introduces the naval theme of the puzzle (hunley, capstand, pirates, jasper being named after ships, first black naval captain, black dude who stole confed ship to warn union, sundial, and monument you pass on way to sundial...might have missed a couple) end spot is/was the triangle shaped sandbox at the side of the Fort Sumter Association Building, which is designated by standing in the park and looking at the building- offset- between the sundial and cannon. there are four palms framed by this, and you deduce correct one by process of elimination. the bar that binds clue tells you that its under the protection of the breaker wall...as the bar binds water, which you discern from the book on binyara kitaro (#19 in E. African Studies Collection). this relates to the battery wall which acts to protect both the treasures location and nice houses that line that road (Murray), along the S battery wall. if you didn't get visual clues, youd think it was prob at East Battery Wall by the Saussere House, instead of by the FSAB. final location is in painting under arms of faery, both the palm's shadow and triangle shaped sandbox.

also, did you eat at the Gnome Café?

you missed the connections when you were at 50 E Bay...lol...that's where you were supposed to go to solve the ornament clue. if you are just doing treasure hunt and start at bandstand, then you use the ornament to send you down toward 50 E Bay, past Rainbow Row, and where the pirates were buried off the point in the marshes along the E battery wall (which was then used as fill to build the houses on). when you get to 50 E Bay you see the lion (door knocker), and stars on the building (telling you that the star on the FS ornament is a building). so we now know that because the star is white, and it relates to a building, that relates to FS...that it is the FSAB. when you get there after going to NE corner for pirate clue...you see sundial about naval disaster that went down in 4 minutes in april. you use the arm extended at 4pm alongside the cannon to designate your orientation to finish off and deduce which palms are possible markers. and going from there...

this is the very succinct map of only the primary readings of the verse (and visual) clues directly relating to the treasure hunt, starting at the bandstand and ending at FSAB. https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/32.76985 ... m0!1m0!3e1

really youd start at least at Moultrie and maybe even further back, like Dewees Island...I haven't mapped this one all out yet. then youd go to patriots point and take the ferry to sumter, where youd learn naval history, about the cannons, and fall of the union at those spots. then youd cross over the Pearman Bridge (since rebuilt and renamed) as you head into Charleston, at which point youd go down E Bay towards WPG...although it might take you elsewhere before that...youd at least pass slave mart and all that stuff up past 50 E Bay.

UnprovenFact wrote:: Full disclosure: Admittedly, I was not even aware of The Secret until the airing of one of my favorite shows earlier this year. Yes, I am one of those people on here. Unlike the real diehard fans of the book who have been collaborating and searching for years, I just dvr’d an episode of ExU, and here we are. However, I will try to do my best. That's all we ask. Welcome to the forum. I hope you are used to how the internet attracts all sorts of personalities, as you will get to know a variety of people here. You might not have the time nor the stomach to read all of the threads and all of the posts and all of our history, but at least you have acknowledged that it exists. Do not be discouraged by the loudest voices, for you will soon be able to identify which "solutions" and "advice" are of the most use to you.

UnprovenFact wrote:: Full disclosure: Admittedly, I was not even aware of The Secret until the airing of one of my favorite shows earlier this year. Yes, I am one of those people on here. Unlike the real diehard fans of the book who have been collaborating and searching for years, I just dvr’d an episode of ExU, and here we are. However, I will try to do my best. (If short on time, Scroll to last paragraph for the good part. But where is the fun in that?) A couple things about me before I get started… First, I do not proclaim to be an expert at anything. If what I have to say sounds uninformed, it might actually be. Second, even I will agree that some of my ramblings may get a little repetitive and off track at times, and I will try to stay as coherent and on-point as I can. No guarantees. Third, I have been reading hundreds of posts and looking at thousands of photos, traveling up and down the streets of Charleston (with Google Maps, of course), perusing magazine and newspaper articles, as well as reading up on the overall history of Charleston and its many museums, forts, historic homes and the people who lived there. If I post something that seems like old news, my apologies. I have so much bouncing around in my head on this that I can’t keep it all straight. I like Charleston and the surrounding area as a vacation spot. I had been there a few years ago with no knowledge of The Secret. To think I may have been standing on top of it and not even known. After doing some reading, I drove down there earlier this month to poke around a little. Clearly, I didn’t find anything, or my one and only post on here would just read, “Found it!” I formed a plan and made two carefully thought-out lists: One was buildings, parks, streets and forts to inspect, photograph and crawl around. The other was restaurants. I like to eat, and I needed my strength for all that searching. Now, let’s get to it… Unfortunately for you all, I kind of have to start at the beginning. For me, that is Image 2. Obviously. Although it appears not everyone is in agreement that it is depicting Charleston, I think I am in the majority who say it is clearly Charleston. The Charleston area has a clear historic link to Africa. By no means am I saying it is a good link, but it is what it is, and we can all learn from history. Breaking down the parts of Image 2 from top to bottom: The Lion: I was not able to get a real lion at the zoo to sit still long enough to inspect its face, so I went online for photos to make some comparisons. Overall, the image looks pretty spot-on when compared to photos of actual lions. Some similarities are the general shape and coloring of the head, the eyes and the light patches underneath, and the contemplative look on the face. Some slight differences between the online photos and the Image 2 lion are the shape of the nose, ears and mane. However, I know not all lions are the same, so it seems like the differences are maybe coincidental or artistic preference and not necessarily intended to be clues other than the clear connection to Africa. There is a shadowy image on the forehead. To me, it looks like the designs in the slate rocks used to make sidewalks all over Charleston. Or maybe a rough sketch of a city’s boundary lines. So why a male lion? There are female lions in Africa. Female lions have foreheads. Maybe a male is a more powerful image. Maybe we need the connection of “King” later. Maybe it has to be a male lion, so he can give it a strange hairline and hide markings in the mane that appear to be letters, numbers, and/or shapes. Some think they see “Navy Yard” in the top of the mane. Maybe it is “Heyward”. As for the numbers, we all seem to think we know what they are, so I will move to the Mask. The Mask: It appears to be a reference to African culture as well. Some tribes or groups would carve masks for specific purposes – rituals, ceremonies, special occasions, war, etc. I found so many examples online. Some are big. Some are small. Some are short. Some are long. Some have huge holes for eyes. Some have tiny slits for eyes. Some have an outline over the eyebrow area. Some are painted. Some have hair, fur, feathers, teeth and such. Some are very crude carvings. Some are beautifully crafted, ornate pieces of art. But not one of the examples I saw online had a map of Charleston on the forehead. Pretty sure it’s Charleston. Moving on… The “glasses” are not glasses. It looks more like a line (rope) draped over the crossbar or boom of a ship’s mast. Or something very similar. Any sailors, please chime in on the correct terminology. As an example, check out the mast/flagpole at the Carolina Yacht Club located 50 E. Bay Street. Or, really, any sailboat anywhere. The Yacht Club’s flag is a red and blue pennant with a white star in the center. That may come up later. Now, The Fairy: We are apparently not all in agreement here. Cannons? Peacock feathers? Birds? Eskimo? Cobblestones? Beaches? I think I see a reverse of Sullivan’s Island on her lower right wing. Maybe. While I do see what other people are referring to as cannon(s) and stones and birds, the book talks about fairies, maybe it is just a fairy. But then why not go with a cute little smiling Tinkerbell-looking fairy? I think the image of the woman is more important than her fairy-ness. So, to me, she is not a fairy. She is a woman in a bikini standing in front of some butterfly wings. And for the wings, I would like to think that if JJP wanted to make mirror images of the wings, he would have the talent to do so. There must be some reason that the wings and the images on them are not symmetrical. Back to the woman. Her arms are folded with her hands just under her chin. Some think the shadows formed by her hands resemble a palm tree. Maybe. But I don’t think that correlates with the Verse 6 “Long Palm’s Shadow” unless it is just meant to connect the verse to the image. She has bracelets on which could symbolize slavery. Another post pointed out her resemblance to Wonder Woman. Maybe we are looking for an amazonium mine. Her eyes appear closed. Is she asleep? Just waking up? And why is she wearing what she is wearing? It must be to emphasize her body form. I believe there are only two other painted fairies in the other images – 5 and 11. The Image 5 fairy is a reference to a fountain in which there are several loosely-clothed figures, and fairy 5 is clothed similarly. The Image 11 fairy appears to reference a painting in which the figure is fully clothed, and fairy 11 is again clothed similarly. So, we need to find something similar-looking in the area. A statue or painting maybe. Also, I don’t think there is any writing or numbers in her hair. I think it is again meant to look like something in the area. Her “bikini bottoms” appear to be folded and loose, except for the middle portion. It appears brighter and sharp. An arrow? A sail? Not sure, but it is clearly different from the rest of her outfit. The Tree: The branch looks like any tree branch on just about any tree. It kind of resembles the shape of the live oak tree branches in the parks. I don’t know that the exact type is as important as the overall reason for it being there. One school of thought is that it is a map of the highway connecting Charleston to Mount Pleasant, and then on to Sullivan’s Island and Fort Moultrie. I understand that Sullivan’s Island was said to be the “Ellis Island of slavery” which further connects the image to Africa. However, while I enjoyed searching all over Fort Moultrie and the surrounding beaches and connecting everything to Poe, Osceola (or Oceola), and so on, I still think the location is Charleston. We might need to know about Sullivan’s Island, Fort Moultrie, Poe, etc. But having everything else point to Charleston just to have the location be on Sullivan’s Island is like having all the clues pointing to San Francisco and saying, “Ok, now let’s go look in Oakland.” Our tree branch may resemble the roads, which have changed since the 80’s, but I think it is more likely that it just represents a tree. It may also be a decorative addition to have something from which the pear and pedant hang. The Pear: Some think it points us to the Pearman Bridge, which came down after the new Ravenel Bridge opened in 2005. I think it is just a pear. Actually, I think it is a loquat. But rather than paint a loquat and have readers wonder what that funny looking pear is doing there, JJP pained a pear – something most people would recognize. There are loquat trees all over the area, and if I need to make a loose connection here: Loquat… in the Lowcountry? Heh? Maybe not. It is also possible that the faint image below the pear is a base, and the pear resembles a ball shape. This can be seen atop the brick gateposts at some of the historic homes and plantations. Or maybe it’s just a pear. The Flower: It appears to be a daisy. But the center is not a raised fluffy yellow button like you see on daisies. It is a flat oval shape. Given that the round table in the SF image is thought to be the trolley turnaround, maybe this is also pointing us to something flat and round (or oval) we should be seeing. Like a penny, or a table top. The daisy also has a shadow, which I think is just a possible connection to the verse. Daisy looks like a palm tree, has a shadow… “Beside the Long Palm’s Shadow”. That may be the only connection. It does look pretty busted up for a normally pretty flower. If it is only supposed to resemble a palm or palmetto tree, then ok, it does. Sort of. But if it is intended to reference something else, I don’t yet know what. The Pendant (Fort Sumter): I don’t get it. We have this beautiful painting of a lion, a mask, a pear and a fairy, and then… a cartoon-looking pendant. Where is all the intricate detail found in the rest of the image? This is just a clock with big goofy eyes and a jacked-up grill. I have looked all over for anything that resembles the mouth. Could be stairs. Maybe a boat of some sort. Maybe it looks like teeth, because it is supposed to resemble the pointy teeth found on some African masks. At first, the eyes looked to me like manhole covers. Look at the sidewalk outside the First Presbyterian Church at Market and Tradd. Maybe they are FDC caps from a specific building we are looking for. Maybe they are really screws. I think they look like Do Not Enter street signs – like those at King and S. Battery… or Church and Water St. Water is a theme in the images and verses, and there is a cross in the lion’s mane. Again, not sure. This next part is a little tricky. Mostly because I just really want it to be right. After looking at the Ft. Sumter pendant and then a map of Charleston, and then back and forth, back and forth, it finally hit me. The Sumter clock is set to 4:00, but it is off-center just slightly. Maybe this is True vs. Magnetic North, maybe something else… like what it refers to is also not quite North and South… like the streets of Charleston. *Follow me here: If we overlay the Sumter clock hands on the map, they are a near-perfect match for Church and Water St. or Meeting and Water St. including the star on the face matching the star of the yacht club. If we use Church St., we have Do Not Enter signs for eyes. If we use Meeting, we have the manhole covers that we would pass as we move north. Either way, it puts the tip of the hour hand near the stairs on the battery. If we use Meeting St., the tip of the minute hand is near Four Corners of the Law, but more specifically, Washington Park. With Church and Water St. the tip of the minute hand is at the Heyward-Washington House and either way, “White house close at hand”. The HW house is not white, but Washington was a president... White House... Hand of a clock... We are close! I think the Sumter clock is a map to our location. That is why it looks a little off when compared to the rest of the painting. To help it stand out as a “Hey, look at me. Use me.” Then the mouth with 12 white pointy teeth falls right about where White Point Garden is. It is not that the cask location is in WPG, it is just confirming the alignment of our map. If I can tie in the colored bars on the other cheek, we are good to go! Thanks All! Man, I'm upset that I missed this because it got buried by Josh Cornell's maniacal ravings. I want to read what you've written three times because it in inspiring. I'll be back with some thoughts, but thanks for sharing!

catherwood wrote:: That's all we ask. Welcome to the forum. I hope you are used to how the internet attracts all sorts of personalities, as you will get to know a variety of people here. You might not have the time nor the stomach to read all of the threads and all of the posts and all of our history, but at least you have acknowledged that it exists. Do not be discouraged by the loudest voices, for you will soon be able to identify which "solutions" and "advice" are of the most use to you. Catherwood- thank you so much for posting this.

UnprovenFact wrote:: Full disclosure: Admittedly, I was not even aware of The Secret until the airing of one of my favorite shows earlier this year. Yes, I am one of those people on here. Unlike the real diehard fans of the book who have been collaborating and searching for years, I just dvr’d an episode of ExU, and here we are. However, I will try to do my best. (If short on time, Scroll to last paragraph for the good part. But where is the fun in that?) A couple things about me before I get started… First, I do not proclaim to be an expert at anything. If what I have to say sounds uninformed, it might actually be. Second, even I will agree that some of my ramblings may get a little repetitive and off track at times, and I will try to stay as coherent and on-point as I can. No guarantees. Third, I have been reading hundreds of posts and looking at thousands of photos, traveling up and down the streets of Charleston (with Google Maps, of course), perusing magazine and newspaper articles, as well as reading up on the overall history of Charleston and its many museums, forts, historic homes and the people who lived there. If I post something that seems like old news, my apologies. I have so much bouncing around in my head on this that I can’t keep it all straight. I like Charleston and the surrounding area as a vacation spot. I had been there a few years ago with no knowledge of The Secret. To think I may have been standing on top of it and not even known. After doing some reading, I drove down there earlier this month to poke around a little. Clearly, I didn’t find anything, or my one and only post on here would just read, “Found it!” I formed a plan and made two carefully thought-out lists: One was buildings, parks, streets and forts to inspect, photograph and crawl around. The other was restaurants. I like to eat, and I needed my strength for all that searching. Now, let’s get to it… Unfortunately for you all, I kind of have to start at the beginning. For me, that is Image 2. Obviously. Although it appears not everyone is in agreement that it is depicting Charleston, I think I am in the majority who say it is clearly Charleston. The Charleston area has a clear historic link to Africa. By no means am I saying it is a good link, but it is what it is, and we can all learn from history. Breaking down the parts of Image 2 from top to bottom: The Lion: I was not able to get a real lion at the zoo to sit still long enough to inspect its face, so I went online for photos to make some comparisons. Overall, the image looks pretty spot-on when compared to photos of actual lions. Some similarities are the general shape and coloring of the head, the eyes and the light patches underneath, and the contemplative look on the face. Some slight differences between the online photos and the Image 2 lion are the shape of the nose, ears and mane. However, I know not all lions are the same, so it seems like the differences are maybe coincidental or artistic preference and not necessarily intended to be clues other than the clear connection to Africa. There is a shadowy image on the forehead. To me, it looks like the designs in the slate rocks used to make sidewalks all over Charleston. Or maybe a rough sketch of a city’s boundary lines. So why a male lion? There are female lions in Africa. Female lions have foreheads. Maybe a male is a more powerful image. Maybe we need the connection of “King” later. Maybe it has to be a male lion, so he can give it a strange hairline and hide markings in the mane that appear to be letters, numbers, and/or shapes. Some think they see “Navy Yard” in the top of the mane. Maybe it is “Heyward”. As for the numbers, we all seem to think we know what they are, so I will move to the Mask. The Mask: It appears to be a reference to African culture as well. Some tribes or groups would carve masks for specific purposes – rituals, ceremonies, special occasions, war, etc. I found so many examples online. Some are big. Some are small. Some are short. Some are long. Some have huge holes for eyes. Some have tiny slits for eyes. Some have an outline over the eyebrow area. Some are painted. Some have hair, fur, feathers, teeth and such. Some are very crude carvings. Some are beautifully crafted, ornate pieces of art. But not one of the examples I saw online had a map of Charleston on the forehead. Pretty sure it’s Charleston. Moving on… The “glasses” are not glasses. It looks more like a line (rope) draped over the crossbar or boom of a ship’s mast. Or something very similar. Any sailors, please chime in on the correct terminology. As an example, check out the mast/flagpole at the Carolina Yacht Club located 50 E. Bay Street. Or, really, any sailboat anywhere. The Yacht Club’s flag is a red and blue pennant with a white star in the center. That may come up later. Now, The Fairy: We are apparently not all in agreement here. Cannons? Peacock feathers? Birds? Eskimo? Cobblestones? Beaches? I think I see a reverse of Sullivan’s Island on her lower right wing. Maybe. While I do see what other people are referring to as cannon(s) and stones and birds, the book talks about fairies, maybe it is just a fairy. But then why not go with a cute little smiling Tinkerbell-looking fairy? I think the image of the woman is more important than her fairy-ness. So, to me, she is not a fairy. She is a woman in a bikini standing in front of some butterfly wings. And for the wings, I would like to think that if JJP wanted to make mirror images of the wings, he would have the talent to do so. There must be some reason that the wings and the images on them are not symmetrical. Back to the woman. Her arms are folded with her hands just under her chin. Some think the shadows formed by her hands resemble a palm tree. Maybe. But I don’t think that correlates with the Verse 6 “Long Palm’s Shadow” unless it is just meant to connect the verse to the image. She has bracelets on which could symbolize slavery. Another post pointed out her resemblance to Wonder Woman. Maybe we are looking for an amazonium mine. Her eyes appear closed. Is she asleep? Just waking up? And why is she wearing what she is wearing? It must be to emphasize her body form. I believe there are only two other painted fairies in the other images – 5 and 11. The Image 5 fairy is a reference to a fountain in which there are several loosely-clothed figures, and fairy 5 is clothed similarly. The Image 11 fairy appears to reference a painting in which the figure is fully clothed, and fairy 11 is again clothed similarly. So, we need to find something similar-looking in the area. A statue or painting maybe. Also, I don’t think there is any writing or numbers in her hair. I think it is again meant to look like something in the area. Her “bikini bottoms” appear to be folded and loose, except for the middle portion. It appears brighter and sharp. An arrow? A sail? Not sure, but it is clearly different from the rest of her outfit. The Tree: The branch looks like any tree branch on just about any tree. It kind of resembles the shape of the live oak tree branches in the parks. I don’t know that the exact type is as important as the overall reason for it being there. One school of thought is that it is a map of the highway connecting Charleston to Mount Pleasant, and then on to Sullivan’s Island and Fort Moultrie. I understand that Sullivan’s Island was said to be the “Ellis Island of slavery” which further connects the image to Africa. However, while I enjoyed searching all over Fort Moultrie and the surrounding beaches and connecting everything to Poe, Osceola (or Oceola), and so on, I still think the location is Charleston. We might need to know about Sullivan’s Island, Fort Moultrie, Poe, etc. But having everything else point to Charleston just to have the location be on Sullivan’s Island is like having all the clues pointing to San Francisco and saying, “Ok, now let’s go look in Oakland.” Our tree branch may resemble the roads, which have changed since the 80’s, but I think it is more likely that it just represents a tree. It may also be a decorative addition to have something from which the pear and pedant hang. The Pear: Some think it points us to the Pearman Bridge, which came down after the new Ravenel Bridge opened in 2005. I think it is just a pear. Actually, I think it is a loquat. But rather than paint a loquat and have readers wonder what that funny looking pear is doing there, JJP pained a pear – something most people would recognize. There are loquat trees all over the area, and if I need to make a loose connection here: Loquat… in the Lowcountry? Heh? Maybe not. It is also possible that the faint image below the pear is a base, and the pear resembles a ball shape. This can be seen atop the brick gateposts at some of the historic homes and plantations. Or maybe it’s just a pear. The Flower: It appears to be a daisy. But the center is not a raised fluffy yellow button like you see on daisies. It is a flat oval shape. Given that the round table in the SF image is thought to be the trolley turnaround, maybe this is also pointing us to something flat and round (or oval) we should be seeing. Like a penny, or a table top. The daisy also has a shadow, which I think is just a possible connection to the verse. Daisy looks like a palm tree, has a shadow… “Beside the Long Palm’s Shadow”. That may be the only connection. It does look pretty busted up for a normally pretty flower. If it is only supposed to resemble a palm or palmetto tree, then ok, it does. Sort of. But if it is intended to reference something else, I don’t yet know what. The Pendant (Fort Sumter): I don’t get it. We have this beautiful painting of a lion, a mask, a pear and a fairy, and then… a cartoon-looking pendant. Where is all the intricate detail found in the rest of the image? This is just a clock with big goofy eyes and a jacked-up grill. I have looked all over for anything that resembles the mouth. Could be stairs. Maybe a boat of some sort. Maybe it looks like teeth, because it is supposed to resemble the pointy teeth found on some African masks. At first, the eyes looked to me like manhole covers. Look at the sidewalk outside the First Presbyterian Church at Market and Tradd. Maybe they are FDC caps from a specific building we are looking for. Maybe they are really screws. I think they look like Do Not Enter street signs – like those at King and S. Battery… or Church and Water St. Water is a theme in the images and verses, and there is a cross in the lion’s mane. Again, not sure. This next part is a little tricky. Mostly because I just really want it to be right. After looking at the Ft. Sumter pendant and then a map of Charleston, and then back and forth, back and forth, it finally hit me. The Sumter clock is set to 4:00, but it is off-center just slightly. Maybe this is True vs. Magnetic North, maybe something else… like what it refers to is also not quite North and South… like the streets of Charleston. *Follow me here: If we overlay the Sumter clock hands on the map, they are a near-perfect match for Church and Water St. or Meeting and Water St. including the star on the face matching the star of the yacht club. If we use Church St., we have Do Not Enter signs for eyes. If we use Meeting, we have the manhole covers that we would pass as we move north. Either way, it puts the tip of the hour hand near the stairs on the battery. If we use Meeting St., the tip of the minute hand is near Four Corners of the Law, but more specifically, Washington Park. With Church and Water St. the tip of the minute hand is at the Heyward-Washington House and either way, “White house close at hand”. The HW house is not white, but Washington was a president... White House... Hand of a clock... We are close! I think the Sumter clock is a map to our location. That is why it looks a little off when compared to the rest of the painting. To help it stand out as a “Hey, look at me. Use me.” Then the mouth with 12 white pointy teeth falls right about where White Point Garden is. It is not that the cask location is in WPG, it is just confirming the alignment of our map. If I can tie in the colored bars on the other cheek, we are good to go! Thanks All! Thank you for posting a well-thought solve. I am not working on this location but I'm sure there are others that will be happy to help.

Unprovenfact, you put a tremendous amount of work into this....well done. You may find people here who agree with all or some of your ideas, or you may have people that think you are out of your mind. I've been in both boats myself. But keep this in mind, we are all correct until someone proves your solve right or wrong. Good Luck

lol

UnprovenFact wrote:: Full disclosure: Admittedly, I was not even aware of The Secret until the airing of one of my favorite shows earlier this year. Yes, I am one of those people on here. Unlike the real diehard fans of the book who have been collaborating and searching for years, I just dvr’d an episode of ExU, and here we are. However, I will try to do my best. (If short on time, Scroll to last paragraph for the good part. But where is the fun in that?) A couple things about me before I get started… First, I do not proclaim to be an expert at anything. If what I have to say sounds uninformed, it might actually be. Second, even I will agree that some of my ramblings may get a little repetitive and off track at times, and I will try to stay as coherent and on-point as I can. No guarantees. Third, I have been reading hundreds of posts and looking at thousands of photos, traveling up and down the streets of Charleston (with Google Maps, of course), perusing magazine and newspaper articles, as well as reading up on the overall history of Charleston and its many museums, forts, historic homes and the people who lived there. If I post something that seems like old news, my apologies. I have so much bouncing around in my head on this that I can’t keep it all straight. I like Charleston and the surrounding area as a vacation spot. I had been there a few years ago with no knowledge of The Secret. To think I may have been standing on top of it and not even known. After doing some reading, I drove down there earlier this month to poke around a little. Clearly, I didn’t find anything, or my one and only post on here would just read, “Found it!” I formed a plan and made two carefully thought-out lists: One was buildings, parks, streets and forts to inspect, photograph and crawl around. The other was restaurants. I like to eat, and I needed my strength for all that searching. Now, let’s get to it… Unfortunately for you all, I kind of have to start at the beginning. For me, that is Image 2. Obviously. Although it appears not everyone is in agreement that it is depicting Charleston, I think I am in the majority who say it is clearly Charleston. The Charleston area has a clear historic link to Africa. By no means am I saying it is a good link, but it is what it is, and we can all learn from history. Breaking down the parts of Image 2 from top to bottom: The Lion: I was not able to get a real lion at the zoo to sit still long enough to inspect its face, so I went online for photos to make some comparisons. Overall, the image looks pretty spot-on when compared to photos of actual lions. Some similarities are the general shape and coloring of the head, the eyes and the light patches underneath, and the contemplative look on the face. Some slight differences between the online photos and the Image 2 lion are the shape of the nose, ears and mane. However, I know not all lions are the same, so it seems like the differences are maybe coincidental or artistic preference and not necessarily intended to be clues other than the clear connection to Africa. There is a shadowy image on the forehead. To me, it looks like the designs in the slate rocks used to make sidewalks all over Charleston. Or maybe a rough sketch of a city’s boundary lines. So why a male lion? There are female lions in Africa. Female lions have foreheads. Maybe a male is a more powerful image. Maybe we need the connection of “King” later. Maybe it has to be a male lion, so he can give it a strange hairline and hide markings in the mane that appear to be letters, numbers, and/or shapes. Some think they see “Navy Yard” in the top of the mane. Maybe it is “Heyward”. As for the numbers, we all seem to think we know what they are, so I will move to the Mask. The Mask: It appears to be a reference to African culture as well. Some tribes or groups would carve masks for specific purposes – rituals, ceremonies, special occasions, war, etc. I found so many examples online. Some are big. Some are small. Some are short. Some are long. Some have huge holes for eyes. Some have tiny slits for eyes. Some have an outline over the eyebrow area. Some are painted. Some have hair, fur, feathers, teeth and such. Some are very crude carvings. Some are beautifully crafted, ornate pieces of art. But not one of the examples I saw online had a map of Charleston on the forehead. Pretty sure it’s Charleston. Moving on… The “glasses” are not glasses. It looks more like a line (rope) draped over the crossbar or boom of a ship’s mast. Or something very similar. Any sailors, please chime in on the correct terminology. As an example, check out the mast/flagpole at the Carolina Yacht Club located 50 E. Bay Street. Or, really, any sailboat anywhere. The Yacht Club’s flag is a red and blue pennant with a white star in the center. That may come up later. Now, The Fairy: We are apparently not all in agreement here. Cannons? Peacock feathers? Birds? Eskimo? Cobblestones? Beaches? I think I see a reverse of Sullivan’s Island on her lower right wing. Maybe. While I do see what other people are referring to as cannon(s) and stones and birds, the book talks about fairies, maybe it is just a fairy. But then why not go with a cute little smiling Tinkerbell-looking fairy? I think the image of the woman is more important than her fairy-ness. So, to me, she is not a fairy. She is a woman in a bikini standing in front of some butterfly wings. And for the wings, I would like to think that if JJP wanted to make mirror images of the wings, he would have the talent to do so. There must be some reason that the wings and the images on them are not symmetrical. Back to the woman. Her arms are folded with her hands just under her chin. Some think the shadows formed by her hands resemble a palm tree. Maybe. But I don’t think that correlates with the Verse 6 “Long Palm’s Shadow” unless it is just meant to connect the verse to the image. She has bracelets on which could symbolize slavery. Another post pointed out her resemblance to Wonder Woman. Maybe we are looking for an amazonium mine. Her eyes appear closed. Is she asleep? Just waking up? And why is she wearing what she is wearing? It must be to emphasize her body form. I believe there are only two other painted fairies in the other images – 5 and 11. The Image 5 fairy is a reference to a fountain in which there are several loosely-clothed figures, and fairy 5 is clothed similarly. The Image 11 fairy appears to reference a painting in which the figure is fully clothed, and fairy 11 is again clothed similarly. So, we need to find something similar-looking in the area. A statue or painting maybe. Also, I don’t think there is any writing or numbers in her hair. I think it is again meant to look like something in the area. Her “bikini bottoms” appear to be folded and loose, except for the middle portion. It appears brighter and sharp. An arrow? A sail? Not sure, but it is clearly different from the rest of her outfit. The Tree: The branch looks like any tree branch on just about any tree. It kind of resembles the shape of the live oak tree branches in the parks. I don’t know that the exact type is as important as the overall reason for it being there. One school of thought is that it is a map of the highway connecting Charleston to Mount Pleasant, and then on to Sullivan’s Island and Fort Moultrie. I understand that Sullivan’s Island was said to be the “Ellis Island of slavery” which further connects the image to Africa. However, while I enjoyed searching all over Fort Moultrie and the surrounding beaches and connecting everything to Poe, Osceola (or Oceola), and so on, I still think the location is Charleston. We might need to know about Sullivan’s Island, Fort Moultrie, Poe, etc. But having everything else point to Charleston just to have the location be on Sullivan’s Island is like having all the clues pointing to San Francisco and saying, “Ok, now let’s go look in Oakland.” Our tree branch may resemble the roads, which have changed since the 80’s, but I think it is more likely that it just represents a tree. It may also be a decorative addition to have something from which the pear and pedant hang. The Pear: Some think it points us to the Pearman Bridge, which came down after the new Ravenel Bridge opened in 2005. I think it is just a pear. Actually, I think it is a loquat. But rather than paint a loquat and have readers wonder what that funny looking pear is doing there, JJP pained a pear – something most people would recognize. There are loquat trees all over the area, and if I need to make a loose connection here: Loquat… in the Lowcountry? Heh? Maybe not. It is also possible that the faint image below the pear is a base, and the pear resembles a ball shape. This can be seen atop the brick gateposts at some of the historic homes and plantations. Or maybe it’s just a pear. The Flower: It appears to be a daisy. But the center is not a raised fluffy yellow button like you see on daisies. It is a flat oval shape. Given that the round table in the SF image is thought to be the trolley turnaround, maybe this is also pointing us to something flat and round (or oval) we should be seeing. Like a penny, or a table top. The daisy also has a shadow, which I think is just a possible connection to the verse. Daisy looks like a palm tree, has a shadow… “Beside the Long Palm’s Shadow”. That may be the only connection. It does look pretty busted up for a normally pretty flower. If it is only supposed to resemble a palm or palmetto tree, then ok, it does. Sort of. But if it is intended to reference something else, I don’t yet know what. The Pendant (Fort Sumter): I don’t get it. We have this beautiful painting of a lion, a mask, a pear and a fairy, and then… a cartoon-looking pendant. Where is all the intricate detail found in the rest of the image? This is just a clock with big goofy eyes and a jacked-up grill. I have looked all over for anything that resembles the mouth. Could be stairs. Maybe a boat of some sort. Maybe it looks like teeth, because it is supposed to resemble the pointy teeth found on some African masks. At first, the eyes looked to me like manhole covers. Look at the sidewalk outside the First Presbyterian Church at Market and Tradd. Maybe they are FDC caps from a specific building we are looking for. Maybe they are really screws. I think they look like Do Not Enter street signs – like those at King and S. Battery… or Church and Water St. Water is a theme in the images and verses, and there is a cross in the lion’s mane. Again, not sure. This next part is a little tricky. Mostly because I just really want it to be right. After looking at the Ft. Sumter pendant and then a map of Charleston, and then back and forth, back and forth, it finally hit me. The Sumter clock is set to 4:00, but it is off-center just slightly. Maybe this is True vs. Magnetic North, maybe something else… like what it refers to is also not quite North and South… like the streets of Charleston. *Follow me here: If we overlay the Sumter clock hands on the map, they are a near-perfect match for Church and Water St. or Meeting and Water St. including the star on the face matching the star of the yacht club. If we use Church St., we have Do Not Enter signs for eyes. If we use Meeting, we have the manhole covers that we would pass as we move north. Either way, it puts the tip of the hour hand near the stairs on the battery. If we use Meeting St., the tip of the minute hand is near Four Corners of the Law, but more specifically, Washington Park. With Church and Water St. the tip of the minute hand is at the Heyward-Washington House and either way, “White house close at hand”. The HW house is not white, but Washington was a president... White House... Hand of a clock... We are close! I think the Sumter clock is a map to our location. That is why it looks a little off when compared to the rest of the painting. To help it stand out as a “Hey, look at me. Use me.” Then the mouth with 12 white pointy teeth falls right about where White Point Garden is. It is not that the cask location is in WPG, it is just confirming the alignment of our map. If I can tie in the colored bars on the other cheek, we are good to go! Thanks All! I like this, most of it at least. The pear is a deliberately strange object to put in this image. It has significance. It is hard to picture the mask in the shape of Fort Sumter as not being a reference to Sumter. Now, it could have a dual purpose and be a map overlay as you've suggested. I also do not agree that the branch is insignificant. If I am correct, there are no pines in WPG, but there are in Hampton Park. What is interesting to me is that you've analyzed the location without applying a Verse. That's pretty cool, but the way this game works is to pair them and use both to determine the final location.

UnprovenFact wrote:: At first, the eyes looked to me like manhole covers. ) Find the Earthquake bolt(s), find The cask. That is the "fence and fixture" of this image. I think. I will admit you lost me at the end, but I respect your overall analysis and the perspective you are using to pick apart the clues.

Merlot Brougham wrote:: ) Find the Earthquake bolt(s), find The cask. That is the "fence and fixture" of this image. I think. I will admit you lost me at the end, but I respect your overall analysis and the perspective you are using to pick apart the clues. wouldn't that be the triangle shaped sand garden marked by the palm under the faery's arms?

I appreciate all of the input, and I will try to keep this and future posts shorter: My first post was a mash up of every thought and every detail that came to mind while looking at this image (and others) over the past few months. It was all of my mental notes that I was having difficulty keeping straight. I initially typed it all out just to keep a record of my thoughts and ideas and to maybe someday post it piece-by-piece, but I got excited, and we all saw what happened. Believe it or not, that was an edited and condensed version. Can you imagine? So, I read some responses to my first post, went back over some of my notes which didn’t make the cut, and I wanted to clarify a couple points which I see ruffled some well-established feathers: Real Quick, my comments of the tree being a “decorative addition to have something from which the pear and pedant hang” and “…Or maybe it’s just a pear” were tongue-in-cheek and meant to be more of a transition to my next thought. I don’t know what the tree and pear mean yet, so it was kind of my way of saying, “Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar” and then move on to the next topic. No big deal. For the tree branch: I don’t really know trees. I know maples, pines, and palms… and only because there are helicopters, pine cones, and coconuts on the ground underneath them. I can occasionally recognize some fruit trees, but only if they still have their fruit on them. I only recently learned about live oaks from my trips to the Charleston area. So, when I am saying the branch looks like any branch on any tree, it does – to me, anyway. I know there is a significance to the branch, because he likely would not have taken the time to paint it otherwise. I just think the significance is not necessarily in the species of tree, but rather the shape of the branch. If it really is the species, I don’t stand a chance. I really hope it is the shape. I believe it is Image 4 which has Ohio and a tower outlined in the trees. Maybe that is what we are looking for. I just don’t know yet. And I could swear I found that exact shape in one of the trees in Washington Park. But I don’t know. The Pear: Also significant to the image, as it too would likely not have been painted otherwise. Or at least not so big. This pear is huge when compared to the woman’s head but about the right size if the lion wanted to eat it. No, I’m not saying lions eat pears. Maybe it is another example of painting in perspective, which could mean it is somehow closer to us in relation to the woman if we are standing in a particular spot. Or maybe it is of higher importance in the overall message of the image. I will say, if it had a little man painted inside it, I would absolutely agree Pear + Man = Pearman… Bridge. I suppose I see where that connection could be made with just the pear alone. I sometimes forget that major landmarks may no longer exist, so it is harder for me to relate them to the image. But this bridge thing got me thinking and looking around the internet. I may have an additional theory. More on that at a later time. Fort Sumter: You can’t know about U.S. History without knowing about The Civil War… The South… Charleston… Fort Sumter. That is where the first shots took place. That is where it all started (sort of). So, the Sumter Fort-face-clock-pendant may be the most historically significant of all the images. Yes, Fort Pulaski along the Savannah River looks just like Fort Sumter, and the surrounding area around Pulaski and Hilton Head looks very similar to the islands, inlets, marshes, beaches and… Nope. I’m still going with Fort Sumter and Charleston. I’ve come too far to change cities. The star on the Sumter face is approximately where the original flagpole was when it was a fort, and the colored bars on the other check are about where the flagpoles are now (sort of). Maybe this is significant. Or, it could be that the colored bars are Ft. Johnson, the star is Ft. Moultrie, and the mouth is Morris Island or more specifically Ft. Wagner. That would utilize all of the face images, including the clock hands which I think reference streets, and the eyes which may resemble earthquake bolts or street signs. I have street-viewed all up and down Charleston but still have not found earthquake bolt caps that resemble those screw eyes. However, if not manhole covers, bolt caps or street signs, another possible match could be the Carolopolis award plaques on the historic buildings. Maybe our path takes us between two buildings with those plaques on them. If they are referring to earthquake bolts, does anyone know of any earthquake bolts that go between two structures? From an engineering perspective, that doesn’t really make sense to do that, but what if three structures were at one time connected, and the middle structure was removed or destroyed? That might leave an area where the bolts are exposed. Or if there is a small alley or path between to structures, they may have connected them for added stability. Either scenario would thereby make visible a “Bar that binds.” I will try to come up with a correlation to a verse at some point. That's all for now.

MrSeabass wrote:: The pear attached to the branch cannot and will not be anything but a representation of the Pearman bridge connected to the Coleman highway, full stop. Yeah...but... Is the bridge about the right size if the lion wanted to eat it....

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wway9azlb2iipmm/raquel.pdf?dl=0 The lady in the doe skin bikini looks like Raquel Welch from the movie One Million Years BC. In the movie she is a blonde, however, she is a brunette bombshell. She wore fur cuffs around her ankles in the movie, in the painting she has cuffs on her wrists. In the movie there were cavemen and dinosaurs. You could find them at the Charleston Museum of Natural History.

any one care to educate me on what Verse the April image should wed to?

James V and White Rabbit’s solutions are best I have seen to date (Fort Moultrie).

are you kidding me? mine is way better....

Mine are better.

Been out for a while... but reading the post above leading to Washington Square is intriguing. I have been interested in this location for a while... Another item rarely discussed is the second set of numbers in the lions mane. 32/79 are coordinates for Charleston, but what about the 33 and 80? Washington Square Park has two entrances. One is at 33 Chalmers Street (which is cobblestone) - The other entrance is 80 Broad Street, at the Four Corners of the Law. Just my 2 pennies... Regards, Mac

davinci4 wrote:: James V and White Rabbit’s solutions are best I have seen to date (Fort Moultrie). No real updates from my end on Image 2/Verse 5 since I haven't been able to make it back to Charleston, although Burnstyle looked into the spot a little more back in April. He was able to link up with an NPS employee at Fort Moultrie to go over the spot we'd described, and although there was no GPR available that day the two of them did make contact with a ground probe. So there's something there... although given the area outside of the fort, it could very well be just a brick, or something similar, and I don't think there's any way to tell for sure without digging it out. As always, the casque isn't found if it's still in the ground.

Wow! That’s actually pretty significant. Could be a brick or rock, but hitting something is better than nothing. Very interesting. Please keep us in the loop.

Just putting this out there , but has anyone ever put something like a tiny coring device at the end of there probe just to see if you can cut into what ever you hit. That way you can see if any plexiglass gets inside the core after you pull your probe out to check. I’m sure plexiglass would be easy to cut through just put a T handle on the probe so you can turn it

I have. No, plexi doesn't respond that well. Ideal conditions might give that result you're talking about. The trial and error process of not knowing if you've hit a rock or root or some other subsurface garbage puts a lot of wear and tear on the drill tool. My 20v Dewalt hammer drill was crying after punishing it in a clay rich area. Working it on my test box replica in my back yard, I was unable to penetrate the box when I used extra force. The ground temp beer cans hiding inside were safe and sound after rigorous testings.

Macfos wrote:: Another item rarely discussed is the second set of numbers in the lions mane. 32/79 are coordinates for Charleston, but what about the 33 and 80? Rarely discussed in the past many years, because early on it was assumed to be drawing a box, not pinpointing a GPS location. Back in the 1980s, the best access to latitude-longitude numbers to the average person was the grid lines in an atlas. Charleston is approximately somewhere between 32 and 33 degrees north latitude and between 79 and 80 degrees west longitude. No further accuracy was expected back then.

catherwood wrote:: Rarely discussed in the past many years, because early on it was assumed to be drawing a box, not pinpointing a GPS location. Back in the 1980s, the best access to latitude-longitude numbers to the average person was the grid lines in an atlas. Charleston is approximately somewhere between 32 and 33 degrees north latitude and between 79 and 80 degrees west longitude. No further accuracy was expected back then. Got it. Why dont we see that in other images? Seems like the second set of numbers may be more significant than just generalize coordinates. Just my thoughts though. Regards, Mac

Macfos wrote:: Got it. Why dont we see that in other images? Seems like the second set of numbers may be more significant than just generalize coordinates. I know we've found pairs of numbers in other images, and they are always just one degree in difference, which reinforces the box concept. I don't have the list at hand, but i'm sure someone can point you to pre-existing lists of data.

erexere wrote:: I have. No, plexi doesn't respond that well. Ideal conditions might give that result you're talking about. The trial and error process of not knowing if you've hit a rock or root or some other subsurface garbage puts a lot of wear and tear on the drill tool. My 20v Dewalt hammer drill was crying after punishing it in a clay rich area. Working it on my test box replica in my back yard, I was unable to penetrate the box when I used extra force. The ground temp beer cans hiding inside were safe and sound after rigorous testings. Wait a minute, you put poor, helpless beer cans in a box underground? I wish I could have helped you dig them up....that's a true treasure right there.

MrBackstop wrote:: Wait a minute, you put poor, helpless beer cans in a box underground? I know! He is an animal!

Has there been any discussion of the woman's feet in the image? They look alittle weird and are silhouetted...maybe their silhouette matches a landmark or part of a statue?

hardatlurk wrote:: Has there been any discussion of the woman's feet in the image? They look alittle weird and are silhouetted...maybe their silhouette matches a landmark or part of a statue? I looked back I didn't see any discussion of them other than the thought they were submerged in water.... Good catch!

I remember reading that the feet were thought to look like the peninsula or possibly local rivers. Another interesting thing is that the girl in general besides the hair resembles the "logo" of the Stella Maris church on Sullivans Island across the street from the Fort. I threw that out a while back but did not get any feedback except for drunknerds... which was a hoot. He is a funny dude. Regards, Mac

Macfos wrote:: I remember reading that the feet were thought to look like the peninsula or possibly local rivers. Another interesting thing is that the girl in general besides the hair resembles the "logo" of the Stella Maris church on Sullivans Island across the street from the Fort. I threw that out a while back but did not get any feedback except for drunknerds... which was a hoot. He is a funny dude. Regards, Mac I could see them being the peninsula or the river, except we have have a depiction of all those on the mask. Msybe I just like feet, or maybe they look oddly squared off and pointy where tee toes would be. Flip them up side down and the silhouete could be the the outline of a building? If they are left right side up they kind look like horse hooves...?

Macfos wrote:: I remember reading that the feet were thought to look like the peninsula or possibly local rivers. Another interesting thing is that the girl in general besides the hair resembles the "logo" of the Stella Maris church on Sullivans Island across the street from the Fort. I threw that out a while back but did not get any feedback except for drunknerds... which was a hoot. He is a funny dude. Regards, Mac I tried to find what you're talking about just now as far as the "logo" is concerned. Unfortunately, the link you posted earlier int thread now gives a 404 error.

Here is the artwork I was referring to: Fineartamerica.com/shop/greeting+cards/stella+maris Also note it is on Middle street. The passage of the boats with slaves from Africa was The Middle Passage. Regards, Mac

Also note the waves resemble the fairy wings and she is holding an old boat which could resemble the boat mast and rope next to the mask in the image. In addition there is a very rare African cypress tree planted out front of the church which was brought a long time ago. There is an obelisk across the way at the fort and white stones at the ww2 memorial across the street. In addition, it is all sand. Just sayin' Regards, Mac

that image doesnt look like the woman to me...

JoshCornell wrote:: that image doesnt look like the woman to me... YES! it's a catfish upside down

what are you referring to spirit?

JoshCornell wrote:: what are you referring to spirit? you should know what I'm referring. Since you've been there and you're right next to it. Check again, look carefully.

Macfos wrote:: I remember reading that the feet were thought to look like the peninsula or possibly local rivers. Another interesting thing is that the girl in general besides the hair resembles the "logo" of the Stella Maris church on Sullivans Island across the street from the Fort. I threw that out a while back but did not get any feedback except for drunknerds... which was a hoot. He is a funny dude. Regards, Mac Thanks! I don't even remember this, but I hope I was more jovial than sarcastic. Can you throw the images up again?

The original one is gone, but I found a copy on another site. It was just the pose and the blueish of the water and the mast next to the skull that caught my attention. This was back when I was first looking at JamesV's solution. The cross in the lion's mane and some other older posts had me snooping around the church and the WWI memorial. http://Fineartamerica.com/shop/greeting+cards/stella+maris Regards, Mac

Here are a bunch of pictures of Washington Square. I posted Marion Square a bit back in the thread. Trying to hit a different park here and there and get pics. https://imgur.com/a/abep8ZM Regards, Mac

Spiritr wrote:: you should know what I'm referring. Since you've been there and you're right next to it. Check again, look carefully. i mean other than the catfish at the hunley monument...are you referring to the painting...or one of the pics macfos posted?

Macfos wrote:: In addition there is a very rare African cypress tree planted out front of the church which was brought a long time ago. This one? The book didn't have any information about these trees out front, what type, when they were planted, etc.

Was it decided that it’s a pear in image two or a gourd? The gourd has a better connection to Africa. http://www.amishgourds.com/product/kett ... argain-box

jayheedan1 wrote:: Was it decided that it’s a pear in image two or a gourd? The gourd has a better connection to Africa. http://www.amishgourds.com/product/kett ... argain-box pearman bridge

JoshCornell wrote:: pearman bridge >:( Yes I know about the Pearman bridge and that it’s no longer standing being demolished in 2005; that it extended over Drum island. I wanted to know, if collectively, the q4t at large believes that to be the correct clue. It had never been mentioned that it could be a gourd, and if there are any other possible connections then pearman. After having a map and a road route why also emphasize this bridge? Why is there a representation of fort sumpter and not the other forts in the bay? (Yes I read you feel it’s buried with in the fort, some claimed by Osceolas grave). I don’t think Priess would have buried in a fort, but maybe that a bias of my generation. Preiss was born in ‘53, Does anyone that grew up in the 50’s or 60’s feel the same way? Or is the fort up for grabs?

Unknown: I wanted to know, if collectively, the q4t at large believes that to be the correct clue. There is very little that the Q4T at large (whatever that is) believes collectively. And ultimately, it only matters what you believe. IMO, too many people are spending way too much time (or so it seems) trying to convince others of what they believe to be true, instead of just putting the information out there and letting everyone decide for themselves whether that information is useful. In that spirit, "fairy secrets come in twos". Pear=Pearman/Pear=pair. FWIW.

Erpobdelliforme wrote:: I wanted to know, if collectively, the q4t at large believes that to be the correct clue. There is very little that the Q4T at large (whatever that is) believes collectively. At Large: 2. as a whole; in general. "there has been a loss of community values in society at large" synonyms: as a whole, generally, in general "society at large"

every clue has twofold meaning, the gold colour of the pear takes us very clearly to poe.

the other forts are implied in non visual ways. this puzzle has you following the path the cannons took from moultrie to wpg.

Unknown: At Large: Thank you, but I know what "at large" means. I'm just not sure how to apply it to this forum. Is it the people who are active now? Is it the people who were active recently, but no longer post. Is it everyone who has ever participated? Does it include lurkers? The point is the bigger the group, the less likely you are to get consensus. Which makes any question (not just yours) about what "people" believe somewhat pointless IMO.

JamesV wrote:: This one? The book didn't have any information about these trees out front, what type, when they were planted, etc. James - Yes that is the one. On your image it is the big tree on the right side of the cover, not the little skinny ones. Apparently it is a red or Jordanian cypress. I can't remember. I will have to try to find the link again and post it. If you are standing in front of the church, it is planted in the middle of the grassy area to the right of the entrance. Regards, Mac

I live in Mt Pleasant, SC and have been working on Image 2 and Verse 6 for a few months on and off since I saw the EU episode in January. Yes, I am one of those people who feel like they arrived at the party 30 years too late. I seem to have hit a roadblock in my research. I have read all the posts on Image 2 and Verse 6. I have read all the theories posted here and on The Secret wiki. I have physically visited many likely spots in Charleston and Sulllivan's Island. Like most of us I have found multiple spots that match some of the clues, but have failed to have the "a-ha" moment or find any convincing visual clues. Looking to collaborate with someone who is not already convinced they know the location of the casque, and is open minded and willing to consider all possible locations and solutions. Please don't reply by telling me to read your solve. Most likely I have already seen and read it. Since I am still hunting that should tell you your "solution" was not convincing enough for me. Since you are still reading the posts on this board, that tells me you are not totally convinced of your solve either. I'm not saying the casque isn't in WPG under the Moultrie statue, or buried in the garden next to the Ft Sumter House, near Osceola's grave at Ft Moultrie, or destroyed and no longer recoverable. I just have not seen enough links to the verse or image to convince me of any of the published locations or "solves". So, if you goal is to convince me of your solve, don't waste you time, I'm not interested. If you are interested in sharing ideas and thoughts, and collaborating to find a solution without guessing or assumptions, contact me. If you are in the Charleston area, that would be great. If not, I am willing to work with and help anyone trying to solve from afar. Thanks, Chris

Unknown: So, if you goal is to convince me of your solve, don't waste you time, Yeah, you're still going to get an earful from Josh. But there are at least a few people in your area who are working on this puzzle and maybe some of them will reach out to you. Collaboration is good. Happy hunting.

graceandhayes wrote:: I live in Mt Pleasant, SC and have been working on Image 2 and Verse 6 for a few months on and off since I saw the EU episode in January. Yes, I am one of those people who feel like they arrived at the party 30 years too late. I seem to have hit a roadblock in my research. I have read all the posts on Image 2 and Verse 6. I have read all the theories posted here and on The Secret wiki. I have physically visited many likely spots in Charleston and Sulllivan's Island. Like most of us I have found multiple spots that match some of the clues, but have failed to have the "a-ha" moment or find any convincing visual clues. Looking to collaborate with someone who is not already convinced they know the location of the casque, and is open minded and willing to consider all possible locations and solutions. Please don't reply by telling me to read your solve. Most likely I have already seen and read it. Since I am still hunting that should tell you your "solution" was not convincing enough for me. Since you are still reading the posts on this board, that tells me you are not totally convinced of your solve either. I'm not saying the casque isn't in WPG under the Moultrie statue, or buried in the garden next to the Ft Sumter House, near Osceola's grave at Ft Moultrie, or destroyed and no longer recoverable. I just have not seen enough links to the verse or image to convince me of any of the published locations or "solves". So, if you goal is to convince me of your solve, don't waste you time, I'm not interested. If you are interested in sharing ideas and thoughts, and collaborating to find a solution without guessing or assumptions, contact me. If you are in the Charleston area, that would be great. If not, I am willing to work with and help anyone trying to solve from afar. Thanks, Chris Welcome! I love that you did your research. Have you tried the Facebook group devoted to Charleston? This forum here is intended for open sharing of ideas. If you have any, we’d love to hear them.

you should watch my video on youtube if you are unconvined its at fsab/fsah seems bizarre he would include a random little garden in the painting, if it didnt have significance. lol but go wild the puzzle is large so theres lots of extraneous stuff to discover in charleston still.

Oh I have been following the exploits and postings of Josh and others for a few months. No offense, but my comment in my original post was meant primarily for you Josh. I also knew you couldn't resist a response, Josh. Everything going as expected at this point. LOL! I am not trying to offend Josh, or anyone else. My only comment to Josh and others - Stop trying to convince everyone you have solved it. If you are so sure, it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks or says. You have stated you case for the location, now leave the rest of us alone. For those of us still searching. I have some ideas, but I am not great at organizing or presenting my thoughts in writing, and I am terrible at editing or highlighting things I think I see in the image. I guess I need some good photo editing software and a lesson on how to use it. I'll see what I can do on posting ideas or things I don't think have been mentioned yet.

graceandhayes wrote:: Yes, I am one of those people who feel like they arrived at the party 30 years too late. I seem to have hit a roadblock in my research. I have read all the posts on Image 2 and Verse 6. I have read all the theories posted here and on The Secret wiki. I'm Sorry I totally missed your original post Welcome! you aren't late you are right on time! I am so jealous, Charleston is such a beautiful area.

Unknown: Also, for what it's worth, the Charleston Facebook page for The Secret is a Josh-free zone. It also seems to be a content-free zone with only 5 posts in the last 30 says. Maybe some new blood will perk things up.

I am also on the Facebook page for The Secret - Charleston, but as mentioned, not much activity there. Not much activity on the wiki either for Charleston. I think most on the wiki are convinced it is, or was, in WPG and no one is actively searching. Let me throw out a couple of things that bother me on the image, but I have not seen much discussion on. Maybe this will start some polite conversations, or an argument. LOL. - The birthmark on the lion's forehead must be important, and like most, driving me crazy. WTF is that! - The lion's left cheek, on the right in the image. Is it me or does anyone else see the head and neck of a horse maybe. The eye of the horse is the dark spot to the left of the lion's eye. The nose/snout extends toward the lion's nose under his eye. The hairs on the lions mane even appear to come out of the back of the horse's head like the mane on a horse. Its not exact, but there is something there. I say this because the two cheeks on the lion do not match. - What is that to the right of the mask? Part of ships mast? Must be important, but what it it? - What is the face behind this ships mast/ropes to the right of the mask? - Willing to listen to any ideas on the fairy or her wings. This must have clues, but I have not seen anything solid on this. - I think the branch is less significant than the needles on the branch. They seem to form shapes where they overlap. Triangles, X's or Roman Numeral 10's, there are clues in the needles I think. I should mention, the shape of the branches to the right of the pear reminds me of the Eye of Horus. - The African mask. Any links to the shapes of the eyes? What are the broken bits in the eye sockets? The "h" or outline over the eyes that extends onto the map? - The Ft Sumter mask/charm. Why is it not oriented correctly? On a map the long flat side of the fort faces SW, not N like shown in the image. What are the eyes, star, stripes, and mouth? - The diamond. Why do the two triangles on either side face up and not towards the center of the stone? What do these represent? What is written at the bottom - 75, 73, 7S? What does it mean? The center of the diamond is an hourglass shape which reminds me of a miniature of the fairy's body. It even has triangles at the top facing each other similar to the fairy bikini top or the shapes formed by her crossed arms. Ok, so that's a start. Looking forward to hearing what others think. Peace, Chris

Just a question. Is it appropriate to post thoughts and questions about Verse 6 here, or is there a Verse 6 thread I should post on?

graceandhayes wrote:: I am also on the Facebook page for The Secret - Charleston, but as mentioned, not much activity there. Not much activity on the wiki either for Charleston. I think most on the wiki are convinced it is, or was, in WPG and no one is actively searching. Let me throw out a couple of things that bother me on the image, but I have not seen much discussion on. Maybe this will start some polite conversations, or an argument. LOL. - The birthmark on the lion's forehead must be important, and like most, driving me crazy. WTF is that! - The lion's left cheek, on the right in the image. Is it me or does anyone else see the head and neck of a horse maybe. The eye of the horse is the dark spot to the left of the lion's eye. The nose/snout extends toward the lion's nose under his eye. The hairs on the lions mane even appear to come out of the back of the horse's head like the mane on a horse. Its not exact, but there is something there. I say this because the two cheeks on the lion do not match. - What is that to the right of the mask? Part of ships mast? Must be important, but what it it? - What is the face behind this ships mast/ropes to the right of the mask? - Willing to listen to any ideas on the fairy or her wings. This must have clues, but I have not seen anything solid on this. - I think the branch is less significant than the needles on the branch. They seem to form shapes where they overlap. Triangles, X's or Roman Numeral 10's, there are clues in the needles I think. I should mention, the shape of the branches to the right of the pear reminds me of the Eye of Horus. - The African mask. Any links to the shapes of the eyes? What are the broken bits in the eye sockets? The "h" or outline over the eyes that extends onto the map? - The Ft Sumter mask/charm. Why is it not oriented correctly? On a map the long flat side of the fort faces SW, not N like shown in the image. What are the eyes, star, stripes, and mouth? - The diamond. Why do the two triangles on either side face up and not towards the center of the stone? What do these represent? What is written at the bottom - 75, 73, 7S? What does it mean? The center of the diamond is an hourglass shape which reminds me of a miniature of the fairy's body. It even has triangles at the top facing each other similar to the fairy bikini top or the shapes formed by her crossed arms. Ok, so that's a start. Looking forward to hearing what others think. Peace, Chris Hi Chris! From your username I thought you might be two people. I am not active in the Charleston Search, but I am pretty sure there are quite a few people actively hunting there. I'm not sure they are even on q4t or FB I will mention your questions if I chat with any of them. Best of luck!

graceandhayes wrote:: Just a question. Is it appropriate to post thoughts and questions about Verse 6 here, or is there a Verse 6 thread I should post on? yes there is a verse 6 thread.

graceandhayes wrote:: Please don't reply by telling me to read your solve. Most likely I have already seen and read it. Since I am still hunting that should tell you your "solution" was not convincing enough for me. But Chris, as I clearly stated in my "solution"... I'm not as open minded on I2 as I was last year, but good on you for keeping at it-- these casques aren't found if they're still in the ground. Not currently "home" in Charleston at the moment, but would be happy to offer thoughts/opinions on any new theories.

Wanted to add a couple things I think I see in image 2 that I have not seen posted anywhere else. If it has I have missed it. I have shared this in a PM, but wanted to post here as well to get thoughts from others. Does anyone else see a ship on the bottom left of the lion's mane? It appears to me to be the front of a wooden sailing ship with the bow pointed left and it seems to be sailing out from the shadow on the left of the lion's face. It is just below the sideways '33". In fact what most feel is a sideways number '33' I think is actually the sails of the ship, or it may be both, or it may be neither one. LOL. What most believe is a cross in the bottom left of the mane I think is actually the anchor for the ship. It appears to be hanging from the bow of the ship. I tried to attach an image, but I get a message "the board attachment quota has been reached". Let me know if there is a spot I can post if others can't see what I am seeing. Also, the eyes of the African mask. I have searched everywhere for a similar shape, and hexagons are basically non-existent at every location I have been to. Lots of octagons, but no hexagons. I was doing some research on Post Office Park and the Old Post Office and I found a picture on Wikipedia that caught my eye. Go here, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_St ... h_Carolina ) and click on the top picture on the right side of the page to enlarge it. Then zoom in on the steeple of St Michael's Church on the left side of the picture. I think the arches at the top of the steeple match the arches on the African mask. The sky showing through the bottom of the arches with the railing balusters looks similar to the eyes on the mask with the lines below the eyes. The line in Verse 6 is, "Seen here by eyes of old". St Michael's Church is one of the oldest churches in Charleston, built in the 1750s. Are these the "eyes of old"? You can see the steeple from many places in lower downtown Charleston, but worth noting the angle is correct so you can see these "eyes" on the steeple from both Washington Park and Post Office Park.

In order to reconcile the Edwin debate, here's a crackpot theory that includes both. This is a diamond puzzle; it's going to be a tricky one. Now, "...the Fairy Spirits of Africa...fluttered down, like a windfall of butterflies, far from the tribal warfare and slave traders, upon...the New World's eastern shore". So, should we look for their treasure somewhere like Charleston's Hampton Park, named after one of the biggest slaveholders for miles...? Or White Point Gardens, with its memorials to warfare...? No, but further south, somewhere much more fitting to these fair folk; Savannah, Georgia. (The change of coordinates can be done easily enough by digging out an 81 from somewhere.) Here in the Savannah we find lions in abundance - four of them guard the base of Oglethorpe's statue in Chippewa Square, with "arms extended" (coat of arms, that is). Oglethorpe is a philanthropist, anti-slavery and general all round good egg. Edwin Booth played at the neighbouring Savannah Theatre several times, and as an added bonus it's also next to the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of Lake Park fame. Because...fairy secrets come in twos... ...yes, I appreciate that there are numerous clues that lead directly to Charleston. But it's all misdirection, you see, and the lion's mask is slipping...

You need to come back to the conclusion that it’s possible that the lions main (no pun intended) symbolism could be the lions MANE and that the lions nose represents the MAINE capstan that was removed from white point garden.

...probably, although in seriousness I did wonder whether BP would base clues for the casque sites around military figures and hardware, as has often come up in the past, based on the central themes of the book. I've also been hoping for a proper human translation of the arms extended / bar that binds Japanese hint, because I think it might rule out solutions based on sand bars and cannons... To find the keys is your reward For Fairy, peace the real accord.

Additionally I think in both of the actual found casques, none of them have been in different states than what was initially outlined in the paintings. I can appreciate the work and thought, but you’re way too far down the rabbit hole

...yeah, wasn't being entirely serious there...

there are lions literally everywhere....everywhere. the guy at the end of my old street has two big ass lions lol.

WhiteRabbit wrote:: ...probably, although in seriousness I did wonder whether BP would base clues for the casque sites around military figures and hardware, as has often come up in the past, based on the central themes of the book. I've also been hoping for a proper human translation of the arms extended / bar that binds Japanese hint, because I think it might rule out solutions based on sand bars and cannons... To find the keys is your reward For Fairy, peace the real accord. i already told everyone this...the first one leads to #19 in the e african studies collection...its the bar that binds WATER. the two arms extended are the shadow of the obelisk sundial and the cannon, the treasure is gone. i went there and dug. it was in the triangle shaped sand garden beside fort sumter association building. a billion times over...thats the spot clearly.

Song I see 2 turtle doves (in the butterfly wings) and a partridge perhaps in a PEAR tree. 12 days of Christmas Song. (Cross in the Lion's hair could be Christmas.) I need opinions.

hardatlurk wrote:: Has there been any discussion of the woman's feet in the image? They look alittle weird and are silhouetted...maybe their silhouette matches a landmark or part of a statue? The feet are crossed like Jesus on the cross along with the bottom cloth. The arms form a t cross.

The woman's feet are highlighted in blue. They say that the highlighted areas are map outlines.

funsun wrote:: The woman's feet are highlighted in blue. They say that the highlighted areas are map outlines. Hello funsun The blue highlights can mean a number of things from image to image. Many searchers think they are important while others think they are just a creative part of JJP's artwork style. I personally see the blue highlights as indicating certain keys to the puzzle or verse. Some highlighted parts of an image might be a confirmation of a waymarker that leads us to the treasure spot. In Image 4 the cup is highlighted (fountain in the Italian Garden next to the Greek Cultural Garden) which is a waymarker letting us know we are in the right area. In Chicago, see how the lady with the fairy wings from the Fountain of Great Lakes is highlighted in blue while the Chicago Water tower is not? This is telling us that the Fountain of Great Lakes is in the neighborhood or near the casque in this case while the Chicago Water Tower is just informing us of the City we are to search. Then there is Image 9 with no blue highlights. As for Image 2, I believe the blue highlights below her feet appear to be a path to take to go in the direction of the casque. So while these blue highlights may not be maps they can certainly help us along the route.

Mr. Backstop. Thank you for your worthy input.

funsun wrote:: Mr. Backstop. Thank you for your worthy input. Again(!), I believe that to mostly be nonsense. Palencar uses the same technique throughout his art, and the blue highlights that appear in both solved images did nothing to assist in the solves.

i still think it possibly denotes a water reading of the clue...its def not map, cause there are loads of map clues that are not highlighted in blue. see mtl, roanoake, etc.

Merlot Brougham wrote:: Again(!), I believe that to mostly be nonsense. No problem funsun Merlot, I know you do. That's what makes these puzzles so entertaining. You think the highlights are simply artistic style and ignore them, that's why I wrote what I wrote. I see them as quite helpful like in the two that have been found.

MrBackstop wrote:: No problem funsun Merlot, I know you do. That's what makes these puzzles so entertaining. You think the highlights are simply artistic style and ignore them, that's why I wrote what I wrote. I see them as quite helpful like in the two that have been found. I definitely did/do not ignore them. I find that comment to be pretty patronizing. I formed an opinion about them after taking time and considering the available information. I could easily say "That's what makes these puzzles so entertaining. You think the evidence is simply subjective and choose to ignore it" In Image 5, the entire head and shoulders of the subject are surrounded by the halo. In image 4, the entire centaur has a halo. I do not accept the tail to be any kind of shoehorned map. But what if it is? The centaurs legs/back/arms, all with blue halo are insignificant as far as I can tell. I also cannot find any of the blue aura to be associated with any important hint in Image 5 (Chicago), unless where it stylistically has to extend up to include the fairy, but that's being generous. What I do find is Palencar using this technique throughout his art to the point that it cannot possibly be used as a hint to zero in on anything. Surely something in some image with a halo may be important, but that's a matter of statistical probability since there are auras everywhere. In either case "The blue halo around X, led us to Y and this was very important to our solve" was never uttered by anyone involved in finding either of the two retrieved casks.

Sorry Merlot That was not my intent.

JoshCornell wrote:: i still think it possibly denotes a water reading of the clue...its def not map, cause there are loads of map clues that are not highlighted in blue. see mtl, roanoake, etc. @josh Cornell Hey I was just reading that this was from thee Josh Cornell. I watched some of your videos on you tube. I think they are good for a beginner like myself to watch to help disect what to look for in a puzzle. Thanks for your comments on my posts.

ha. no worries. got big news in store.

I want to know what the yellow fruit mean

it takes us to the myths of prometheus bound/judgement of paris...as prometheus threw the golden pear from olympus to earth, at the feet of the three goddesses...and if you doubt me, consider how paris was selected to make the choice...and you'll have your confirmation

is this the only image that contains a fruit then?

no. sf has a strawberry.

ok, so a golden pear and a blue strawberry, you think there's a connection?

well, the only kind of strawberry that has a blue variant is the "woodland aka alpine strawberry" which is part of the rose family...and strawberries ripen for harvest in june (the first berry of the year...im a huge forager)...so there's that.

theres both a golden apple and golden pear in the charleston image, the apple is on the african mask, you can see the stem coming up from the brow area above where the nose would be located pretty easily.

Come on guys....don't you see it - alice in wonderland - magic mushrooms - purple haze.....he's literally putting the cask in your hands.

Here is Revision 4 of my proposed Charleston Theory. Let's talk about methodology, shall we? https://www.dropbox.com/s/pqkh6j2cs89ph ... 4.pdf?dl=0

This image always struck me as less developed than the other 11. It's not in a particular room, there's no link between the items in the image. Think that could be intentional? If so... how?

drunknerds wrote:: This image always struck me as less developed than the other 11. It's not in a particular room, there's no link between the items in the image. Think that could be intentional? If so... how? Possibly because most of the stuff is historical references and no longer exist. The park is mostly devoid of physical markers.

I actually also looked into Hampton Park when I joined the hunt last year-- that area's gone through a lot of changes in recent decades, but back in the 1980s it would've been a dark, secluded place, perfect for BP to have buried a casque at night. I didn't personally find any clues which might indicate that a casque is buried there, though. Fun fact: the late, great Pat Conroy, a Lowcountry author, included a few scenes in his novel "The Lords of Discipline" (1980) which mentioned how Hampton Park used to be home to a small zoo... including a lion. Oddly enough, the book also had a scene which discussed how Chief Osceola's body was stolen from Fort Moultrie in the dead of night...

JamesV wrote:: I actually also looked into Hampton Park when I joined the hunt last year-- that area's gone through a lot of changes in recent decades, but back in the 1980s it would've been a dark, secluded place, perfect for BP to have buried a casque at night. I didn't personally find any clues which might indicate that a casque is buried there, though. Fun fact: the late, great Pat Conroy, a Lowcountry author, included a few scenes in his novel "The Lords of Discipline" (1980) which mentioned how Hampton Park used to be home to a small zoo... including a lion. Oddly enough, the book also had a scene which discussed how Chief Osceola's body was stolen from Fort Moultrie in the dead of night... There are no tangible clues in Hampton Park, unless you count the Wayside Inn and the Fountain, maybe the bandstand.

Hey premiernc, Not sure if anyone active here lives there, but I've been all over that area, so I am pretty familiar with it. Post your theory and we'll see where it takes you. Thanks!

I am in Charleston and active in the search. PM me if you don't want to post to the thread yet. Regards, Mac

My apologies. We went almost two months without a Charleston post, so I had been playing around with New York and San Francisco. (And then there was the JC debacle.) I guess I just forgot about our Charlestonians. Sorry about that. I went back a few months, and I recalled actually having a conversation with graceandhayes who is also nearby down there. Hopefully, we can get this going again! Thanks!

premiernc wrote:: Anyone live in Charleston? I have an alternative solve that works with the verse and the image. It is not in whitepoint park and I can point to a very small area for the probing. Let me know. Thx a million. Wow, Charleston AND NYC!!

Tried sharing the attached via Facebook and email with burnstyle and James Vachowski yesterday. Not good with technology and loathe social media. Facebook account got disabled and no response from email. Thought I'd try to post a link instead. Link is to a *.docx file which I believe lists around 5 'new' insights into the Charleston casque location 《Snip》 Link removed on request. If the link from my google drive is not functional, I would appreciate some guidance on how to post

Hi EvelynMDog, welcome to Q4T! Sorry, I'm a little behind on emails at the moment-- I'm still on the other side of the world, my day job is a little busy right now, plus I'm putting the finishing touches on my latest book, due out in February. And oh yeah, Christmas! I'll be sure to keep everyone posted if there's any kind of movement from NPS on my I2/V5 "solution" -- the contact I worked with seemed very open-minded, so I'm convinced that some sort of proper dig will happen... someday. Please be safe with your own explorations in the meantime-- Sullivan's Island PD doesn't mess around! Hope everyone is enjoying their holidays!

EvelynMDog, check your PMs. Regards, Mac

Just an odd coincidence, picked up period encyclopedias and when looking through "D" pamphlet fell out for animal park in Charleston. The books were 1978 edition, links should be public , cheers Exterior https://www.instagram.com/p/Bud6hcSgry3/ Interior https://www.instagram.com/p/Bud6jgHgRaq/

Eastcoast wrote:: Just an odd coincidence, picked up period encyclopedias and when looking through "D" pamphlet fell out for animal park in Charleston. The books were 1978 edition, links should be public , cheers Exterior https://www.instagram.com/p/Bud6hcSgry3/ Interior https://www.instagram.com/p/Bud6jgHgRaq/ Nice find, thanks for sharing.

Ooh, nice. Please share more from these encyclopedias in as much as they might apply to each of the puzzles.

I noticed something on the image and I could not find any reference on the board so I thought I'd share. If you look under the pear there is what appears to be a stand of some kind reminds me of a water tank but I can't find one like this in Charleston.

erexere wrote:: Ooh, nice. Please share more from these encyclopedias in as much as they might apply to each of the puzzles. sure, looking for "May 1913" just something that from translation i think is discoverable, World Book Encyclopedia 1978 Still looking for a period dictionary

dizalot wrote:: Hey dizalot, So the Pear… Some have speculated that it is a representation of the gold ball one might find at the top of a flagpole like the one found in WPG or at one of the forts. I also read a post comparing it to a weather vane like the one atop St. Michael’s Church across from Washington Square Park. Once upon a time, I thought it was a golf ball on a tee. If you head over to Mount Pleasant, there is a golf course at Patriot’s Point. Using the branch as a map, the pear would be about where the golf course is. That was back when I thought “Or on the eighth a scene…” might refer to something you can see from the 8th hole. I left that theory there and played through. Others are dead set on the pear referencing the old Pearman bridge. So, to answer your question, no one really knows for sure. -I think one creative mind even joked that the pear was food for the lion. That didn’t go over too well.-

I've noticed a lot of Salvador Dali influence in JJP's works. Here's another one, most likely Civil War reference: Salvador Dali “Face of War”

More activity to report from the Charleston search, although it looks like the news reporters were unclear on the Image/Verse pairing: https://www.postandcourier.com/news/dis ... sbPmKSSk5E I'm still not budging from my own I2/V5 "solution" for Fort Moultrie, but there's a small part of my soul that's pulling for Josh Cornell to find one in White Point Gardens...

This is great news! Maybe the treasure will finally be unearthed, and a lot of questions could finally be answered! Although, it sounds more like they just want everyone to stop contacting them for permission to dig, and this is going to be the one and only last chance. My guess is, there will be some GPR, a little probing, and finally a hole or two dug in areas that wouldn’t necessarily disturb the historic site but would suffice as being “allowed to dig”. Treasure or no treasure, they are going to put it to bed… for good. Best of Luck to the team!

UnprovenFact wrote:: So the Pear… Some have speculated that it is a representation of the gold ball one might find at the top of a flagpole like the one found in WPG or at one of the forts. Most people seem to think it represents the old pearman bridge near WPG.

Since both pear and flagpole's ball (minute hand of the clock) are hanging off the branch then maybe they are one of the same. The flagpole's shadow (hour hand) is at 4 O'clock. The clock is hanging off the branch by the minute hand's tip (flagpole's ball) and pointing to 12 O'clock position. The pear ball is hanging upside down off the pole meaning it's pointing to 6 O'clock direction. This means turn the clock 180 degrees. Then the pole's shadow (hour hand) would be pointing to 10 O'clock position, pointing in direction of white point garden.

burnstyle wrote:: Most people seem to think it represents the old pearman bridge near WPG. Yes, this is kind of going against the grain here, much like using a verse that is not Verse 6… but until we really know what the pear represents, it could be anything. I think if it was only intended to reference the bridge, it would only need to look like a pear - not a shiny gold ball with a base, perhaps a pole, which extends down into the flower. Also, if it was a reference to the old Pearman Bridge, I would have thought it to be more of an obvious reference. If it had a little man painted inside it, I would absolutely agree Pear + Man = Pearman… Bridge. Much like the Mill(stone) + Walk(ing cane) + Key = Milwaukee. Maybe they didn’t want to use that method twice. I am not the artist or the author, so I really can’t say for certain what it is. I am just throwing out another possibility. While we are here, what if it really is the gold ball atop the flagpole in WPG? And somehow, the Ft. Sumter face-clock is the key? The eyes are the two cannon on either side of the path, the flagpole is the flagpole, the star and stripes are the flag, the ‘mouth’ is the sewer grate, etc. Maybe the flagpole casts a shadow on the dig spot? Possible?... yes. Likely?... ok, I’ll keep working on it. I also wondered if the Hobson monument was the “White stone closest..” But that is another issue.

Has anyone found out when the filming/dig date is? Live around the corner & would Love to be preset when/if any thing is uncovered. Personally I'm torn on whether I want it found or not. I love the rabbit hole of wondering & linking Charleston landmarks to this puzzle. On the other hand; closure would be good. I think there's great possibility it is in a few lesser visited parks in this city. Huge fan of the Chalmers, Marion Sq, and Hampton theories. Also, very very well done to JamesV- one of the best solves I've ever came across

The pear is in reference to Richmond Pear son Hobson, who had the USS Hobson named after him. A memorial to the USS Hobson is in Charleston, SC in White Point Garden. Here's my Image 2 solution that leads to the top of the shadow of the Charleston, SC Hobson Memorial on April 26 at 4pm (sundial time). What do you think? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lxkCnE ... sp=sharing

jamesrogers2 wrote:: The pear is in reference to Richmond Pear son Hobson, who had the USS Hobson named after him. A memorial to the USS Hobson is in Charleston, SC in White Point Garden. Here's my Image 2 solution that leads to the top of the shadow of the Charleston, SC Hobson Memorial on April 26 at 4pm (sundial time). What do you think? https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lxkCnE ... sp=sharing Yessir always believed it had to do with the sundial if at all in WPG. 4pm shadow at the palm. Sent on- hoping to meet up.

I don't know... I've read a few other "sun-shadow" theories before, but they've never really made sense to me. Yes, that might have been the way the "Masquerade" treasure was supposedly found, but I'm having trouble seeing it with "The Secret." If BP really designed the clues so that a casque's exact spot could only be found at a certain time of day, on one particular day of the year, then why in the world would he ever have been afraid that all of the treasures would be found within a matter of months?

Unknown: then why in the world would he ever have been afraid that all of the treasures would be found within a matter of months? Quite simply, he wasn't. What he said was that if the puzzles proved to be too easy, and they were solved in a couple of months, his publisher would be mad at him or words to that effect. I suspect that he knew he had created a puzzle that would take some time to solve completely, and as we continue to find out, he was correct.

If you use the Hobson Monument, you may not need a specific day at a specific hour to create a shadow marking the spot. (And what if it is too cloudy on that particular day and time?) One could just use the arrow in the base of the monument as the direction marker - regardless of the weather. If the clue really is 12 paces from the monument, just follow the arrow's direction.

UnprovenFact wrote:: If you use the Hobson Monument, you may not need a specific day at a specific hour to create a shadow marking the spot. (And what if it is too cloudy on that particular day and time?) One could just use the arrow in the base of the monument as the direction marker - regardless of the weather. If the clue really is 12 paces from the monument, just follow the arrow's direction. Great point! And that would explain why you are to start on the west side of the monument (where the line for the arrow starts). I appreciate the feedback!

Seeing as Charleston is about to be dug up soon I will post my analysis. Fair warning: I am using these videos to help get a job also, I do put out for potential sponsorship. Please don't repoint that out it is free information I am tending out. It is safe for work, I intend to keep them clean. I also overlayed some 'fanart' over images not to show the original art in the video. It does cover up a bit of my line drawings but I was in a rush plus I have family members who are severely ill to attend to. Also the production quality is not slick, but I want to keep it somewhat home garage in feel. 25 minute vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIriklgLBMg Criticism is welcome. Be kind.

TreasureBloke wrote:: 25 minute vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIriklgLBMg Criticism is welcome. Be kind. Looks like you've put some work into it... Have you looked into the history of the park and elements? Most parks we're dealing with have had major changes throughout the last 30+ years. Much caution needs to be made to looking at a park as it is today, but not thinking about how the park(s) were in the early 1980's. More importantly, muddy patches come and go, and trees grow and are removed. 35 years will allow a fair amount of tree growth, so the landscape will be vastly different than it was a while ago. Even considering a tree's shadow or a muddy patch is shaky at best. As for the rest, it's all very vague, with lots of possibilities (i.e. the eyes of the Fort Sumter could have been lamp posts, man hole covers, etc.), the "shadow" of the flagpole was assumed to be at 6pm (downwards). If we assume that Preiss wanted us to find the treasure, we can assume that there are possibilities, but as we work through the puzzle, some "paths" along the solve will be negated due to that possibility being wrong. If there weren't red herring possibilities, they'd have been found by now. Essentially, when you're on the right path, everything else will not make sense or be less likely to be correct, and the vagueness will disappear. I liken it to someone telling you that a treasure is in a large field. Vague. Difficult to dig up. Fine if you don't want people to dig it up, but not if you do. If you are then told that it's in a corner, then the bulk of the field is taken out. No matter what else is said, we know we need to be in a corner. Still too vague though... which corner, how far from the corner, etc. And the refinement goes on, and we eventually come to a point that is accurate. Accurate being the key word. The casque is less than 1 foot square, so the end point needs to be pretty small to ensure that we get to 2-4 foot square as an end point. Or else... buy a backhoe and start levelling city parks to 3 foot deep to cover all bases... It might be a good exercise for you to pick Hampton Park, do some reearch and redo your same theory on that park. If you come up with a point that you think is correct, you're still too vague because you can't rule out all other places in Charleston... That's what I have been doing... It shows how vague and loose your theories are... Keep hunting!

XeroDM wrote:: Looks like you've put some work into it... Have you looked into the history of the park and elements? Most parks we're dealing with have had major changes throughout the last 30+ years. Much caution needs to be made to looking at a park as it is today, but not thinking about how the park(s) were in the early 1980's. More importantly, muddy patches come and go, and trees grow and are removed. 35 years will allow a fair amount of tree growth, so the landscape will be vastly different than it was a while ago. Even considering a tree's shadow or a muddy patch is shaky at best. As for the rest, it's all very vague, with lots of possibilities (i.e. the eyes of the Fort Sumter could have been lamp posts, man hole covers, etc.), the "shadow" of the flagpole was assumed to be at 6pm (downwards). If we assume that Preiss wanted us to find the treasure, we can assume that there are possibilities, but as we work through the puzzle, some "paths" along the solve will be negated due to that possibility being wrong. If there weren't red herring possibilities, they'd have been found by now. Essentially, when you're on the right path, everything else will not make sense or be less likely to be correct, and the vagueness will disappear. I liken it to someone telling you that a treasure is in a large field. Vague. Difficult to dig up. Fine if you don't want people to dig it up, but not if you do. If you are then told that it's in a corner, then the bulk of the field is taken out. No matter what else is said, we know we need to be in a corner. Still too vague though... which corner, how far from the corner, etc. And the refinement goes on, and we eventually come to a point that is accurate. Accurate being the key word. The casque is less than 1 foot square, so the end point needs to be pretty small to ensure that we get to 2-4 foot square as an end point. Or else... buy a backhoe and start levelling city parks to 3 foot deep to cover all bases... It might be a good exercise for you to pick Hampton Park, do some reearch and redo your same theory on that park. If you come up with a point that you think is correct, you're still too vague because you can't rule out all other places in Charleston... That's what I have been doing... It shows how vague and loose your theories are... Keep hunting! Well in the video I mention the replacement of the capstan so yes I did look at the history of the park. I have had to rush this video out. And there are some spaces that I indicate. And I do give precise measurements in terms of meterage however. Also some of the lines are accurate and some are general. The general ones relate to the ' beside '. Remember without being there with some equipment it can be hard to place at exact locations. Also Remember that that park is a big space narrowing it down to a few reasonable patches not too bad. Remember you can multiple probe an area and search down and borescope. Multiple meanings are possible in the verses. Sometimes they are meant I feel. Sometimes they are a subjective coincidence. I present them all for people to consider. I have to do a short follow up video as I've had another epiphany. I am on the right track though in thid vid.

Missed it by THAT much... It appears White Point Garden has been dug...for the first, and last, time. Where the sandy path was once hard-packed, it is loose and appears freshly tilled. Where once there weren't holes, there appears to now be. The remaining depression leaves one wondering if an object has been removed. I guess we will have to wait and see.

UnprovenFact wrote:: Missed it by THAT much... It appears White Point Garden has been dug...for the first, and last, time. Where the sandy path was once hard-packed, it is loose and appears freshly tilled. Where once there weren't holes, there appears to now be. The remaining depression leaves one wondering if an object has been removed. I guess we will have to wait and see. Soooooo many diggers went down there last weekend to watch the show. If something had been found you would know.

UnprovenFact wrote:: Missed it by THAT much... It appears White Point Garden has been dug...for the first, and last, time. Where the sandy path was once hard-packed, it is loose and appears freshly tilled. Where once there weren't holes, there appears to now be. The remaining depression leaves one wondering if an object has been removed. I guess we will have to wait and see. Sandy path? With the epiphany that I have had over the last couple of days I'm thinking under the gnarly branch tip center screen also the nexus of lines: https://www.google.com/maps/@32.7698338 ... 312!8i6656 Or possibly: https://www.google.com/maps/@32.7698339 ... 312!8i6656 The sort of vertical area strip where it is a bit sandy as that was the nexus of lines again. Was another tempter for me under the branch due to the first part of my latest epiphany: https://www.google.com/maps/@32.7698113 ... 312!8i6656 I sort of moused over those first two areas in this post toward the end of the video but the first link I have tied to more meaning recently. Is sandy path on the opposite side of the tree in the last link near Jasper? Post google map views of the areas disturbed like I did. Also come to think of it Josh Gates went to the artist exhibition in Ohio and probably showed him the cask if they found it for dramatic effect .

TreasureBloke wrote:: With the epiphany that I have had over the last couple of days I'm thinking under the gnarly branch tip . while rates are different for every tree, a live oak branch can gain 24 inches or more in a single growing season, You do realize that the casque was buried 38 years ago... 24" x 38 years... 76 feet of growth.... 2 category 4 hurricanes and at least 5 tropical storms.... That you are considering "Under the gnarly branch tip"" The trees you are looking at really look nothing like they did in 1981 they have undoubtedly been pruned cultivated,trimmed and sometimes even replaced.

maltedfalcon wrote:: while rates are different for every tree, a live oak branch can gain 24 inches or more in a single growing season, You do realize that the casque was buried 38 years ago... 24" x 38 years... 76 feet of growth.... 2 category 4 hurricanes and at least 5 tropical storms.... That you are considering "Under the gnarly branch tip"" The trees you are looking at really look nothing like they did in 1981 they have undoubtedly been pruned cultivated,trimmed and sometimes even replaced. Sort of, it was merely a convenient way to say where it was.

Erpobdelliforme wrote:: Quite simply, he wasn't. What he said was that if the puzzles proved to be too easy, and they were solved in a couple of months, his publisher would be mad at him or words to that effect. I suspect that he knew he had created a puzzle that would take some time to solve completely, and as we continue to find out, he was correct. Hate to jump back in time like this but I missed something the first time around "his publisher" Who would that be? He was the publisher. Bantam was just the contracted printer.... Do you know how exactly he worded it ? I can't find it.

Unknown: Do you know how exactly he worded it ? I can't find it. I couldn't find it either, which is why I said "words to that effect". The implication, as I recall, was that there were others who would be adversely affected by weak sales if the puzzles were solved too quickly and that he was afraid of letting them down. However, as I said, I do not think for one moment that he shared that concern, and he never said that the puzzle was easy. Just that some are easy and some are hard. And that he expected at least one treasure to be found within 30 days.

Thanks, but that's not the article that I was thinking about. Still, this one mentions the "front money from his publishers" so perhaps those were the people that he was referring to in the other article. The people who would be mad at him. Then there is this: "Preiss says some of the puzzles are easy, and some are hard. He expects at least one treasure to be unearthed within 30 days.", which fits the narrative. And then this: "Others, of course, may never be found.", which does not. Interestingly, neither is a direct quote from Preiss and while I'm sure he said the first , I really doubt that he said the second. I mean, if you are trying to sell a book, telling potential readers that some of the puzzles can not be solved isn't the smartest marketing strategy.

macfos asked to post this...

two

Thanks Tater! Regards, Mac