The legend of the Padre Island treasure has captivated adventurers and historians for generations, centering on the intriguing figure of John Singer. This captivating tale begins not with a swashbuckling pirate, but with a shipwrecked businessman and the subsequent discovery and loss of a significant fortune on Texas’s enchanting Padre Island.
John Singer, though bearing a name renowned for innovation through his brother Isaac Merritt Singer of sewing machine fame, harbored no interest in mechanical gadgets. Instead, John was a man of adventure and exploration, drawn to the untamed coasts of Texas. While Isaac tinkered in New York City, John embarked on a journey that would forever intertwine his name with the mysteries of buried riches on Padre Island.
John Singer’s Arrival in Texas
Around 1847, John Singer arrived in Texas with his New Orleans-born wife, Johanna Shaw Singer, then 23, and their children. He quickly recognized the strategic importance of Point Isabel and Corpus Christi as vital supply stations. Seizing the opportunity, the family established a shipping business in Port Isabel, commencing operations with their three-masted schooner, the Alice Sadell.
Shipwreck and New Beginnings on Padre Island
The family’s initial year in business proved challenging. During John’s first voyage as captain of the Alice Sadell from Port Isabel harbor, the schooner encountered a ferocious storm. Unaccustomed to the perils of the sea, Singer initially believed the tempest would subside. However, as the winds intensified and waves crashed over the deck, he made the critical decision to head for land. The powerful winds, rather than providing safe passage, propelled the schooner violently onto the coast of Padre Island, smashing it to pieces. Miraculously, Singer, his wife, their four children, and a hired hand all survived the ordeal.
Stranded but resourceful, the family immediately set about salvaging materials and supplies from their wrecked vessel. They constructed a temporary tent from the canvas sails and, utilizing driftwood and other wreckage, built a small, crude house with furnishings. Despite their predicament, the Singers found themselves enamored with the remote beauty of the island. When a rescue vessel eventually arrived, their newfound affection for Padre Island led them to make an extraordinary decision: they refused to leave.
John soon constructed a small boat, allowing him to travel to and from the mainland where he acquired a small herd of cattle. The family supplemented their diet with fresh fish and vegetables grown in Mrs. Singer’s burgeoning garden, ensuring their self-sufficiency and burgeoning prosperity on the isolated island.
Prosperity and the Santa Cruz Ranch
Four years after their shipwreck, in 1851, the Singer family formally cemented their place on Padre Island by purchasing the historic Santa Cruz Ranch. This significant property had been part of a Mexican Land Grant awarded to Padre José Nicolás Ballí in 1829. The Singers built a new home upon the existing foundation of Ballí’s old house, renaming their expanding estate Las Cruces.
Under their stewardship, Las Cruces flourished as a thriving cattle ranch. The Singers also displayed a keen business acumen, investing in real estate by buying and selling land not only on Padre Island but also on Brazos Island. At some point, John Singer wisely invested $500 in his brother Isaac’s rapidly expanding Singer Sewing Machine Company, an investment from which he reportedly reaped substantial profits. Johanna Singer’s large garden became a vital enterprise, with her fresh produce regularly transported by boat to Port Isabel for sale. Further solidifying his status, John was appointed the island’s wreck master, a position that legally allowed him to profit from salvaged materials from other shipwrecks.
The Discovery of Treasure and ‘Money Hill’
It was during this prosperous period that the Singer family made discoveries that would fuel the legend of the Padre Island treasure. While combing the beaches, they frequently stumbled upon Spanish coins. One particularly captivating tale recounts their discovery of a wooden chest brimming with an estimated $80,000 in jewelry and coins. John Singer, it is said, chose to secure his growing collection of found treasures and substantial earnings in a prominent sand dune, affectionately dubbed “Money Hill.”
The Civil War and the Burial of Riches
By 1861, as the clouds of the American Civil War gathered, the Singer family had grown to include seven children and had amassed a considerable fortune. Their wealth comprised not only their ranching profits but also a significant collection of recovered treasures, including Spanish coins, silver bars, and precious jewelry. Their Las Cruces Ranch was strategically located near the crucial Brazos Santiago Pass. Coupled with the Singers’ known sympathies for the Union cause, their presence on the island became untenable. They were soon ordered to evacuate Padre Island.
Forced to abandon their valuable cattle and most of their personal belongings, the Singers made a desperate decision: they buried their accumulated treasure. Estimates placed the value of this concealed fortune between $60,000 and $80,000 at the time, a considerable sum that became the heart of the enduring Padre Island treasure mystery.
The Unsuccessful Return and Lasting Mystery
Following their forced departure, the Singers first resided at Flour Bluff, south of Corpus Christi, before relocating to Brazos Island. Meanwhile, their Las Cruces ranch was occupied by Federal troops who subsisted on the Singer cattle. When the Civil War finally concluded, the Singers were permitted to return to Padre Island, only to be met with devastation. Their home had been dismantled by Union sailors, its timbers repurposed as firewood. Compounding their misfortune, a hurricane had ravaged the island during their absence. John Singer’s desperate search for “Money Hill” proved futile; the relentless forces of wind, water, and shifting sands had obliterated familiar landmarks, irrevocably altering the island’s landscape.
After Mrs. Singer’s death in 1866, John briefly moved to Honduras before returning to gather his family and relocate to New Orleans. Driven by the lure of the lost fortune, Singer revisited Padre Island on at least two occasions with his eldest son, Alexander, tirelessly attempting to locate “Money Hill” and the buried treasure. Each attempt, however, ended in failure. John Singer ultimately passed away an impoverished man in Mississippi in 1877, his fabled treasure never recovered.
Though various visitors to the island in the mid-1900s claimed to have stumbled upon the lost Singer and Ballí homesteads, referring to them as the “Lost City,” verifiable confirmation of these discoveries remained elusive. Today, the legend persists, with many believing the primary cache of the Padre Island treasure still lies hidden at the southernmost tip of the island. Other tales suggest Singer buried a secondary cache between two small oak trees, adding another layer to the captivating enigma of Padre Island’s lost riches.
Conclusion: The Enduring Allure of Padre Island’s Lost Fortune
The tale of the Padre Island treasure, intertwined with the adventurous spirit and unfortunate fate of John Singer, remains one of Texas’s most compelling legends. From the initial shipwreck and the family’s unlikely prosperity on the island to the dramatic burial of their fortune during the Civil War and the subsequent loss of all landmarks, Singer’s story is a poignant testament to the transient nature of wealth and the unforgiving power of nature. While the physical treasure may still lie hidden beneath shifting sands, the story itself is a priceless piece of Texan lore, continuing to inspire treasure hunters and historians alike to dream of uncovering the lost fortune of Padre Island.
