They Thought They’d Found Hundreds of Millions in Civil War Gold — Then the FBI Dug In. What Really Happened at Dents Run?

On a humid afternoon in northwestern Pennsylvania, six members of Finders Keepers LLC — led by 69-year-old Dennis “Denny” Parada and his son Kem — hiked an overgrown logging road toward a narrow cave mouth on a slope known locally as Snooks Trail. The site at Dents Run had long been the center of a local legend: a lost Civil War cache of U.S. Mint gold, rumored to be buried in the remote Appalachian woods.

From Folklore to Obsession

Parada’s fascination with Dents Run began in the 1970s after reading a treasure‑hunting article and receiving a dramatic pointer from performer Michael Malley, who momentarily adopted the persona of a psychic. In 2004 Parada and a friend discovered a narrow horizontal cave entrance below a logging road. Inside they found stacked stone walls, scorch marks and Civil War‑era artifacts; safety concerns limited how far they could explore the subterranean passages.

Modern Detection and Growing Evidence

Above ground the Paradas used a mix of amateur and professional geophysical tools over the next decade: a GPL 200 ground‑penetrating locator, ground‑penetrating radar, and repeated surveys. In 2010 GeoSearches Inc. reported a metallic anomaly at depth. Over nearly a decade the father-and-son team logged hundreds of visits and more than 100 readings. In 2017 they were joined by Warren Getler, a former journalist and researcher of Civil War secret societies, who argued the site might be a stash hidden by Copperheads or Knights of the Golden Circle rather than a lost federal shipment.

Gravimeter Readings and the FBI Warrant

Getler pushed for high‑resolution geophysics. The FBI retained Enviroscan Inc., which performed a gravimeter survey in February 2018. The bureau says the survey registered anomalies with densities in the range of precious metals — reportedly consistent with gold — and estimated a large mass at depth (reported by some parties as several tons). On March 9, 2018, a federal magistrate judge signed a warrant authorizing excavation on the basis of probable cause documented in the FBI affidavit.

The Dig, The Denials, And The Aftermath

Agents and contractors opened a pit with heavy equipment starting March 13. The Paradas and Getler were repeatedly kept away from the active area for safety and security reasons; when they were finally allowed to view the site the excavation appeared empty. The FBI issued a brief statement: “Nothing was found, and the excavation ended on Wednesday, March 14.”

Parada and some local witnesses describe unusual nighttime activity, armored vehicles leaving the area and a sustained federal presence; the Paradas also say previously consistent instrument readings disappeared after the dig.

Records, Lawsuits and Conflicting Claims

The Paradas filed FOIA requests and learned the FBI held a large trove of documents and video but that processing would be slow; their attorneys later sued to speed disclosure. DCNR and federal prosecutors maintain the FBI acted on the best available science but ultimately found no recoverable cache. Enviroscan says it is restricted by an FBI nondisclosure. Locals remain divided: some accept the FBI’s account, others suspect material was removed.

Why the Mystery Persists

Experts note that geophysical surveys can be affected by soil composition, water, buried debris, or instrument limitations; false positives and ambiguous anomalies are not uncommon. The Dents Run case is complicated by decades of anecdote, local lore, incomplete archival records, and high stakes—both financial and reputational—for everyone involved.

What’s Next

The Paradas continue searching other nearby sites and commissioning surveys from private geophysics firms. Their theory has expanded to suggest a larger Civil War‑era network of caches and possibly an underground garrison in the region. State foresters and independent scientists urge caution: geophysical anomalies merit investigation but are not definitive proof of treasure.

Bottom line: Dents Run remains a knot of folklore, science, and competing narratives. Whether it ever contained a multimillion‑dollar cache — or whether any such cache was found and moved — remains unresolved pending fuller public disclosure of federal records and additional independent study.

An elk stands still near a trail in Dents Run, Pennsylvania, June 8, 2021.Justin Merriman

Jason Ammerman of Finders Keepers uses a two-box metal detector as he examines an area above the other team members near the Dents Run dig site.Justin Merriman

Denny Parada, co-owner of the Finders Keepers treasure-hunting business.Justin Merriman

Kem Parada, right, stands with Jason Ammerman near a cave where they believe they discovered a fabled Civil War gold cache in Dents Run.Justin Merriman

Warren Getler points to a map of a site he’s exploring with the Finders Keepers team.Justin Merriman

Ed Barrios, a geophysicist with American Geophysics Inc., uses an EM-31 to aid the Finders Keepers team to survey an area they believe holds historical artifacts in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, on June 9, 2021.Justin Merriman

FBI agents set up a base near the dig site in Dents Run, March 12, 2018.Associated Press

Cheryl Elder stands in the doorway of her garage at her home in Dents Run.Justin Merriman

A chain blocks the road that leads to the dig site in Dents Run.Justin Merriman

Denny Parada at his home in Clearfield, Pennsylvania.Justin Merriman

A heat map captured by American Geophysics at the Copperhead Central site.Justin Merriman