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Our Stormy Treasure Coast History

Ellen Rice's internationally collected "Treasure Beaches of the Mid-Atlantic" map and "Treasure Legends of the Mid-Atlantic" newspaper style illustrated facts behind the map document the stormy treasure history of the Mid-Atlantic and Delaware's famed "Coin Beach."

More than 15 years of research and over 2000 hours of ink work and watercolor painting, using authentic British watercolor formulas used on maps of the time period, went into ​the creation of these beautifully detailed, historically accurate ​works of art and history. 
You can find out more about the map and legends and purchase fine art prints of them by clicking on their images.
"The Storm" depicts Delaware's famed "Coin Beach" during a storm not unlike that which caused the wreck of the Philadelphia-bound ship of the line, "The Faithful Steward," in 1785 and gave the beach one its names.
This is the same Delaware beach, also popularly known as "The Cove"  to local surfers and fisherman, on a more peaceful day. The inlet just to the south of this scene has one of the strongest ocean inlet currents in the world. Within sight to the north, mostly hidden behind protective dunes, is the decommissioned 1800s US Life-Saving Station at Indian River Inlet, built too late to save those aboard the The Faithful Steward. The station has been restored and is now a museum and visitors center.
Picture
Picture
"The Quiet After The Storm," above, is a pastel painting of the view from the old Indian River Inlet bridge on the north side of the inlet. The Faithful Steward hit a sandbar offshore during a nor'easter in September 1785 and came to rest there as it began to fall apart. Many passengers lost their lives trying to swim to shore. Their worldly possessions have been washing ashore during storms for more than two centuries.

The US Life-Saving Station, portrayed at left, was created after the wreck and is now a museum. The men stationed at what later became a US Coast Guard station used to fill potholes with the copper coins that washed ashore abundantly from what's left of The Faithful Steward. Over 300 barrels of British and Irish half-pennies were aboard the ship when it sank.