THEWIRE

By Brian Eastburn

 

The Stephen J. Betze library building at the Owens Campus of Delaware Technical Community College has been the home of the Treasure of the Sea exhibit for 25 years and houses relics that are around 400 years old.           

 

“It’s very interesting. A lot of people have no idea and they get in here and find out that there’s actually a lot of interesting stuff in here,” said Exhibit Coordinator Susan Doering.             

 

The story of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha is not a story many may know, but it is an interesting one. The history, treasures, and story of that unfortunate ship is right on campus, waiting to be explored.

 

In 1622, the Atocha sunk off the coast of Key West, Florida during a hurricane, taking 260 of the 265 members of the ship, along with millions of dollars’ worth of copper, silver, gold, tobacco, gems, and jewels. Also, bronze cannons, muskets, swords, and other utensils.

 

Three hundred sixty three years later, Mel Fisher discovered the wreckage off Key West as it rested in its watery grave. The journey to find the treasures wasn't without loss though. In 1975, while on a hunt, Fisher lost his oldest son Dirk, his wife Angel, and diver Rick Gage when their boat capsized during their quest for treasure. 

 

Melvin Joseph, a friend of Fisher and the financial backer of the Atocha salvage, was also a resident of Georgetown. Joseph helped start a non- profit foundation, the Delaware Technical Educational Foundation, bringing the exhibit to Delaware Tech.

 

“We are run by a non-profit foundation named the Delaware Technical Educational Foundation; all of the admissions brought in here go towards scholarships back at the school,” Doering said. “It’s really a good thing to have it here at the school; it pays back for itself here.”

 

The rewards of Fisher’s long and fateful journey now sit in the Stephen J. Betze library building, waiting for discovery once again. 

 

The exhibit hours are: Monday and Tuesday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Friday Noon - 4 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. -1 p.m. Admission is $3 for adults, $2.50 for seniors (65 and older), $1 for students, and children 4 and younger are free. 

 

For more information, contact Susan Doering at treasures@dtcc.edu.