By 1932, with stocks down 89 percent from their precrash peak, even Florida swamp land might have seemed like a bargain, pirate treasure or not.

I even had some pirate treasure of my own: a replica piece of eight in my pocket, earned at the museum by completing a treasure map puzzle.

St. Augustine has a vibrant history rooted in piracy, and, as its name suggests, the St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum showcases stories from some of those very swashbucklers. The museum ...