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Pirate Legend
I don't cover pirate festivals around the US very often, mainly because there are so many of them and I just don't have the time. That is really unfortunate, because there really is some good stuff that we are just missing out on. One of the bigger ones on the East Coast of the US is held in Tampa Florida ever year, it is called the Gasparilla Pirate Fest and it is held in late January or early February every year. The festival honors Jose Gaspar, a pirate that supposedly plied his trade in the late 18'th and early 19'th centuries. I use the term supposedly because there has never been any solid proof that he ever actually existed, and some people consider him fictitious and made up simply as a reason for the festival. I have never written any stories about him for that reason.
That may be about to change however, as there has very recently come to light some evidence that suggests he may have been a real pirate after all! A pair of siblings from Tampa were looking through some old stuff in the attic that belonged to their grandfather recently and came across an old wooden that contained an old map estimated to be from the 1930's, some 18'th century Spanish and Portuguese coins, an old picture, and a mummified human hand!
The site that I found the original news story on speculates this may be Jose Gaspar's hand, though I find this highly unlikely, as there is still no proof he actually ever existed. It appears more likely to be the hand of the man in the photograph, but there is no mention of who that man is, it may be their grandfather. Either way, it is still a pretty cool find! Always check all those old boxes and papers, you never know what your going to find! You can find the original story, some pictures, and a local TV news video report HERE!
That may be about to change however, as there has very recently come to light some evidence that suggests he may have been a real pirate after all! A pair of siblings from Tampa were looking through some old stuff in the attic that belonged to their grandfather recently and came across an old wooden that contained an old map estimated to be from the 1930's, some 18'th century Spanish and Portuguese coins, an old picture, and a mummified human hand!
The site that I found the original news story on speculates this may be Jose Gaspar's hand, though I find this highly unlikely, as there is still no proof he actually ever existed. It appears more likely to be the hand of the man in the photograph, but there is no mention of who that man is, it may be their grandfather. Either way, it is still a pretty cool find! Always check all those old boxes and papers, you never know what your going to find! You can find the original story, some pictures, and a local TV news video report HERE!
