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Hey, you guys!
The Uncharted Lancaster Treasure Hunt is back with Buzzard’s Booty: Quest for the Lost JBT Treasure! As the fifth and final annual hunt, this year’s adventure promises to be the most thrilling yet with new game mechanics and puzzle types. This time we’re diving into the daring exploits of the infamous Buzzard Gang, outlaws who once terrorized the region. With $5,000 in cash prizes—generously provided by JBT—on the line, the stakes have never been higher!
This five-week adventure, inspired by The Goonies, will send participants on a thrilling quest across Lancaster County and beyond. In this high-stakes race, teams will hunt for the lost JBT treasure—including the mysterious globus cruciger—once tied to the notorious Buzzard Gang.
Do you have what it takes to claim the prize? Order your Buzzard’s Booty: Quest for the Lost JBT Treasure kit today, and get ready for the biggest Uncharted Lancaster adventure yet! Don’t miss your shot at the rich stuff—the hunt begins at 10 am on Saturday, April 12, 2025!
Register your team.
Order your treasure diary.
New this year, we’re introducing Pro and Amateur divisions, ensuring treasure hunters of all skill levels can join the chase.
Professional Tier
for previous winners or experienced players
- 🥇 First place: The first team to complete the adventure claims the treasure chest with $1,500 in one-dollar coins. Plus, the winning team will receive a complimentary visit to Lickity Split’s Buzzard Gang-themed escape room in New Holland—a $225 value!
- 🥈 Second place: The runner-up receives a fantastic $1,000 cash prize.
- 🥉 Third place: The adventure isn’t over for the bronze medalists, who pocket a cool $500.
- 🎖 Honorable Mention: The fourth-place team with the highest score on the leaderboard (and not among the first three treasure finders) will walk away with $250.
Amateur Tier
For new or casual players
- 🥇 First place: The first amateur team to claim the treasure will win $750 in one-dollar coins. Plus, the winning amateur team will receive a complimentary visit to Lickity Split’s Buzzard Gang-themed escape room in New Holland—a $225 value!
- 🥈 Second place: The runner-up receives a $500 cash prize.
- 🥉 Third place: The bronze medalists will take home $250.
- 🎖 Honorable Mention: The fourth-place team with the highest score (but not in the top three) will receive a $100.
All eight winning teams will also receive a special commemorative globus cruciger to remember this epic quest.
Are you ready to accept the challenge, gather your crew, and make history? Join the adventure of a lifetime and secure your chance at the rich stuff when you order your 2025 Buzzard’s Booty: Quest for the Lost JBT Treasure kit today!
Register your team.
Order your treasure diary.
How to Play
Getting started is easy—just follow these steps:
- Register your team. If you are looking for teammates, check out the Uncharted Lancaster Treasure Hunt Facebook group.
- Get your Treasure Diary. This essential guide will help you navigate the hunt.
- Check Uncharted Lancaster’s website every Saturday at 10:00 am, starting April 12, 2025, for that week’s set of challenges.
- Crack the riddles. Solve the puzzles, decipher the clues, and uncover the hiding places of the lost JBT treasure—including the mysterious globus cruciger!
Think you have what it takes? The adventure begins soon!
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Buzzard’s Booty: Quest for the Lost JBT Treasure PosterPrice range: $21.99 through $27.99
What to Expect
Buzzard’s Booty: Quest for the Lost JBT Treasure follows a familiar format from the past three years. Participants will decipher weekly riddles to uncover locations scattered across Lancaster County and beyond. Completing this adventure will require a blend of local history knowledge, puzzle-solving skills, and the ability to navigate uneven terrain. A little familiarity with The Goonies wouldn’t hurt, either. 😉
Adding to the intrigue, teams will rely on a “treasure diary” to guide their quest for the rich stuff. This manuscript once belonged to Abe Buzzard, with instructions for it to be delivered to his son upon his death. But for reasons unknown, it never reached him. At first glance, the journal seems plain and unremarkable, yet within its pages lies a curious mix of memoir and cryptic codex—one that just might reveal the long-lost location of Buzzard’s Booty. Click here to read more about Abe Buzzard and his mysterious journal.
Read more about what to expect in Quest for the Lost JBT Treasure Hunt FAQs here.
Find a Treasure. Preserve a Treasure.
Proceeds from the treasure hunt support local non-profits, with $20 from every Treasure Diary sold going directly to a non-profit organization. Purchases made through Uncharted Lancaster specifically benefit the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, while purchases made elsewhere support the non-profit affiliated with that location.
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Thank You To Our Sponsors
JBT | Brookfield Renewable U.S. | White Chimneys | Lickity Split | Hammel Associates Architects | Keperling Preservation Services | LancasterHistory | Lancaster Troll Market | Pocket Books Shop | Catering With Care
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Not sure why you would make the SideQuest 1 so difficult to find. I’m already getting frustrated and it technically hasn’t even started yet.
It is doable. 21 percent of the registered teams have found it. I would read through the treasure hunt announcement pages again and explore the links listed there.
Any other hints? I feel like maybe I have an answer, but I can’t find the way to get in.
Do you need the book for SQ 2A? I found SQ 1A fairly easily, but am stumped on 2A.
You’ll need the diary for Side Quest 2
I’m lost. Is this real treasure that someone will reward me a few bucks if I find? Life is full of important decisions.
If you are the first person to find the location of the fictitious treasure, you win $1,500.