I came across a very interesting article from an unknown newspaper in February 1940. The article bears evidence to the fact that as early as 1940 residents along the “Treasure Coast” of Florida were aware that Spanish shipwrecks lie off the east coast of Florida. It was obvious that these folks were unaware of the wrecks of the 1715 Fleet as the article does not mention the Fleet at all. (It would take almost 20 years before the connection was made between the loss of the 1715 Fleet and the wreck sites that produced many of the objects recovered from the beaches along the Florida coast.) The article does make vague reference to a group of Spanish ships lost in a hurricane, but the specifics are absent. Note that the article also references the “Driftwood” which Is right next door to the Costa d’Este Beach Resort where we recently hosted our 2024 conference.
