Josh Gates travels to Pennsylvania to investigate the Doan Gang, a family of Revolutionary War-era outlaws whose loyalist crimes against the American cause have become the stuff of legend. The Doan brothers—Moses, Levi, Malan, Aaron, and Joseph—turned against their neighbors after patriots seized their father's farm in Plumstead, Pennsylvania, for refusing to swear allegiance to the newly formed American government. Gates pursues two investigations: helping excavate a cache of plundered coins and exploring caves to locate the gang's hidden hideout. According to tradition, Moses Doan nearly changed history when he spotted George Washington crossing the Delaware River on Christmas night 1776 and attempted to warn British forces in Trenton—a message that went unread while officers played cards. The gang's most audacious crime was robbing one of the early U.S. treasuries at gunpoint, then the largest theft of American public funds, leaving behind rumors of millions in buried gold and silver.
Historians confirm the Doan Gang operated as Loyalist outlaws during the Revolution, when an estimated 20 to 30 percent of colonists opposed independence, making the conflict as much a civil war as a fight against Britain. The brothers ran a spy network for the British, stole hundreds of horses, and terrorized colonial tax collectors with such effectiveness that George Washington reportedly called them "the greatest threat to the American cause." Benjamin Franklin is said to have signed their execution papers. What makes this episode compelling is Gates's hands-on fieldwork—actually digging for stolen coins and searching caves—while illuminating a lesser-known chapter of American history where neighbor fought neighbor and patriotism had competing definitions.
Delaware River
United States · historical
Gates reenacts Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, establishing the Revolutionary War context in which Moses Doan allegedly spotted Washington's troops and attempted to warn the British.
Doan Brothers Burial Ground, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
United States · historical
Gates visits the burial site of Levi and Abraham Doan, who were hanged in Philadelphia in 1788, and whose sister Mary buried them outside the Quaker meeting house wall after the Quakers refused to inter militants, with headstones inscribed 'outlaws.'
Doan Gang Cave, Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
United States · archaeological
Gates and historian Clint Flack descend into a limestone cave in the former Centerville area of Buckingham Township, excavating artifacts including a Civil War-era shield nickel and an oil lamp fragment, and discovering a previously blocked hidden chamber covered in carved initials including what appears to be an 'M' consistent with the 'M. Doan' inscription described in an 1859 newspaper article.
Mercer Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania
United States · historical
Gates meets Doan Gang curator and historian Clint Flack at the Mercer Museum, examining original artifacts including a flintlock pistol dropped by a Doan in a shootout, the actual desk robbed during the 1781 Newtown Treasury heist, and an 1859 newspaper article describing a cave with a Doan inscription.
Newtown Treasury Site, Newtown, Pennsylvania
United States · historical
Gates examines the historical record of the 1781 Doan Gang robbery of the Bucks County Treasury in Newtown, including the actual desk that was pried open with a knife, from which 1,200 Spanish dollars and 400 French crowns were stolen.
Pennsylvania
United States · historical
Josh investigated the Doan Gang's treasure cache, helping to dig up plundered coins and searching caves for the Revolutionary War loyalists' hideout.
Philadelphia
United States · mystery
Josh took a detour to Philadelphia to uncover missing pieces of the Thomas Beale treasure puzzle and help decrypt the codes hiding the treasure's location.
Tomlinson Farm, Newtown, Pennsylvania
United States · archaeological
Gates and a team from Pennsylvania Historical Recovery Services conduct a metal detector survey of Tomlinson Farm, a known Doan Gang hideout, uncovering colonial-era coins including a King George II coin dated 1736, musket balls, and other artifacts.
Trenton, New Jersey
United States · historical
Gates references Trenton as the site of the British-led military outpost that Washington attacked, and where Moses Doan allegedly raced to deliver a warning note that went unread.