Peg Leg Pete’s statue repair reveals ashes inside, identified as pirate club member’s remains.
FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — As Peg Leg Pete was relocated across town, fans of the statue were left puzzled due to the unexpected discovery of ashes within it, sparking curiosity about whose remains are hidden inside.
The tale of a historian has helped form the key to the answer behind Pete’s treasure.
“As a kid, I watched them carve Peg Leg Pete,” said Billy “Six Gun” Taylor.
Watching the creation of Peg Leg Pete back in the late 70’s helped form Taylor’s pirate fandom, which led him to becoming a historian.
The statue’s history became more intriguing when he was asked to assist in its restoration in 2019 while serving as the curator at the now-closed Maritime Museum of Amelia Island.
After spending a week drying Pete out, he made an unusual discovery.
“I pulled the ashes out of there,” said Taylor. “It had his name on there. They’re in a film cannister in a baggie.”
Taylor says the name on the bag was Paul Maxwell Mathews Jr., known among Fernandina Beach Pirates as Mad Maxx.
Mad Maxx’s obituary says he died in 2007 at 46 years old after a battle with cancer.
He was so invested in the Fernandina Pirates Club, he requested his “ashes be fired from the cannon.”
A spokesperson for the Pirates Club speculated that the ashes might belong to Mad Maxx, praising him as “an incredible pirate, and an even better friend.”
When questioned about the transition of the ashes from a cannon firing request to being placed inside a pirate statue, the spokesperson remarked, “This is just a part of Fernandina’s unique charisma… certain local tales deserve to remain legendary folklore.”
Taylor likened the situation to buried treasure, noting that “people can pass over treasure for centuries, unaware it’s beneath them.” He mused on how many visitors snapped photos with Peg Leg Pete, not realizing human cremains were inside.
The topic of the ashes came back up again when city officials decided to move the statue due to it being deemed “unsafe.”
Taylor says he poured epoxy in with the ashes, so at this point, whatever voyages Pete goes on, so does Mad Maxx.
“Retrieving the ashes requires dismantling the statue,” Taylor stated. “That’s one reason we placed them there—to ensure no tampering. Peg Leg protected Paulie, and Paulie preserved Peg Leg.”
Peg Leg’s future is uncertain while city staff get estimates on refurbishment.
But Taylor figures Mad Maxx’s ashes will keep him from Davy Jones’s locker.
“I think he’d be thrilled,” said Taylor. “Now Paulie is becoming just as famous as Peg Leg.”
A city spokesperson says Peg Leg Pete’s statue will remain at the Amelia Island Museum for the foreseeable future and confirmed the ashes are staying with him.
Which means one thing is certain, Pete himself is the X that marks the spot for this mystery.
