These are Treasure Ships that sunk off our beautiful coastline. From Riviera Beach to north of Sebastian, the Treasure Coast is aptly named.
Do you remember when Mel Fischer found the Atocha near the Keys? The Atocha was actually built in Havana, Cuba bound for Spain laden with precious cargo. Columbian emeralds, gold, silver and coins. Of 28 ships, eight were lost. The Atocha was one of them.
Spain sent convoys to search the area. Can you imagine in 1622 trying to find sunken ships? No GPS and the maps, well, I'm not good at using a sextant! Fisher spent 16 years looking for the vessel before discovering it's burial place just 86 miles from Cuba in 1985. Mel passed away in 1998. His Treasure Museum is located at 1322 U.S. Highway 1, Sebastian, Florida.
It houses exhibits on archaeology and the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet. Taffi Fisher, Mel Fisher’s daughter, opened the museum in December 1992 in an old abandoned fire station after renovating the building. The artifacts are amazing. Feeling like a time capsule guest, it propels the mind back to a different time in history. That's why our area is called the Treasure Coast. The Treasure Coast is a massive graveyard of sunken treasure ships from centuries ago.
Mona Leonard - Treasure Coast Insider Blogger 772-530-6131