Pirate treasure uncoveredJune 30, 2012 /
http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2012/6/30/pirate_treasure_unco.htmlST. AUGUSTINE -- This is one place where you don't want to lose your mind.
"What did Blackbeard do?” I ask grinning Stiistan Grimes who sits at attention.
"Fight the good guys,” Stiistan confidently declares while resting in a leather throne found in the captain’s quarters.
The faces of piracy come to life at the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum. The gallery is part museum and part treasure hunt. Here, more than 800 authentic pieces of pirate treasure, artifacts and lore await discovery.
"You're going to come in, you're going to learn about pirate history, but you're going to have fun doing it,” explains Kari Cobham from the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum.
The wide collection features interactive displays mixed with real treasure chests you can touch, gold bars you can lift (safely protected in a clear box) and digital cannons to light.
"You pick up this stick thing,” explains Jeffery Grimes visiting from Georgia. “There is a little light bead and you put it on there and it starts making colors and it explodes."
With that, he’s launched a pretend cannonball complete with a loud explosion.
"It doesn't really blow up the pirate place though,” Jeffery assures us.
The Grimes family explored the many rooms of exhibits, all of which are designed to connect with your senses. While most are visual, others invite you to take a sniff.
"One was tobacco. The other was butter something. I forget the name. But I know it was butter,” says Brigitte Grimes, admitting she forgot the name of the butterscotch rum stockpiled on the indoor pirate ship at the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum.
One thing Brigitte couldn't smell, the famed Jolly Roger flag, protected behind glass.
"It probably came from a guy with a peg leg who could not sew very well," Kari said with a laugh when asked if Betsy Ross sewed the symbol of piracy.
The diverse collection of pirate artifacts belongs to Pat Croce, former Philadelphia 76ers president, exercise fanatic, television personality and best-selling author who loves everything pirate related.
"I used to carve skull and crossbones into my shirt, then I carved it into my hand! And do you want to see something else? That no one has?,” Pat asked while opening his mouth wide and pulling back his cheek. “I have one on my tooth!"
Indeed, Pat sports a tooth tattoo. On a bottom molar rests a skull and crossbones.
We first met the charismatic Pat Croce “On A Tankful” in 2008 while visiting Key West. At the time, his pirate collection was on display in the Keys.
The former "Pirate Soul Museum" proved just as stunning as the current St. Augustine installation, but did not attract a crowd looking to be educated. After all, Key West is known for an atmosphere catering to want-be-pirates while in port.
After careful packing, the collection moved north to the St. George Street area of St. Augustine. Croce’s pirate collection was reassembled and expanded. There is new treasure on display in the nation’s oldest city. The State of Florida is loaning some of their collection direct from the state's own vaults.
“We were very fortunate that Pat was able to reach out to the state and get them to open up the vault,” Kari said. Gold coins, pieces of gold melted in the size of index cards and a large silver cross are all on display.
Also new, a sound chamber where visitors enter a darkened room and have a seat. After putting on a pair of headphones, the lights dim as museum guests listen to a realistic pirate battle.
The final room of the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum is a nod to the beginning of Pat Croce’s love for pirates. Warner Bros. 1935 film “Captain Blood” ignited Croce's lifelong passion for pirate lore.
On display here are artifacts and props from some of Hollywood’s best-known pirate tales. A hand-painted cell from Disney’s animated classic “Peter Pan” hangs in a corner. A "trick" sword, designed so its blade retracts upon being pushed into a-soon-to-be cadaver spins in a showcase and hook apparatus rests at eye-level.
To explore more of the treasures awaiting in St. Augustine, click here:
http://piratesoul.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=41&Itemid=229PHOTO: Greetings from St. Augustine! Ahoy, Mates. The St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum holds Pat Croce’s vast collection of authentic pirate artifacts and treasure.
