A Day With Captain Kidd’s Treasure, 1699
Time Surfing: Graphic History
Time Surfing: Experience History Firsthand.
Historical Backdrop
In late June 1699, Gardiner’s Island received a legendary visitor, Captain William Kidd, privateer and pirate, who sailed his ship into one of the harbors on the Island on his way to Boston where he would attempt to clear his name.
Our subject is John Gardiner, third Lord of the Manor of Gardiners Island — the plain colonial farmer who spent a single unforgettable day with Kidd.
Dawn — approx. 4:45 AM, Gardiners Island Manor House loft
You wake before first light in the loft above the manor kitchen. Through the shutter gap you see a strange sloop riding at anchor in the harbor, her sails furled, gun ports dark along her hull. Your wife stirs beside you, uneasy. Downstairs, farmhands are already murmuring about the ship nobody recognizes.
Morning — approx. 6:30 AM, Manor House kitchen table
You eat cornmeal mush and salt pork at the rough kitchen table, deciding to row out to the sloop. Your wife watches you without a word, fear behind her eyes. You call two farmhands from the yard to man the oars with you. Outside, gulls cry over the harbor where the ship still sits.
Morning — approx. 7:15 AM, Rowboat crossing Gardiners Bay
You climb into a flat-bottomed rowboat with two farmhands, oars creaking against the tholes. Morning mist hangs low over the bay. The sloop grows larger as you near her, six gun ports visible along her hull, sailors leaning on the rail watching your approach.
Mid-morning — approx. 8:00 AM, Deck of Kidd’s sloop
You climb a rope ladder onto the sloop’s deck. A stout man in a salt-stained blue coat greets you, introducing himself as Captain Kidd. Armed crewmen loiter near the rigging, cutlasses at their hips, watching in silence as you shake his hand.
Late morning — approx. 9:00 AM, Below deck in the ship’s hold
