Hidden Masonic Links to the Legendary Treasure of Oak Island history of and rationale for the Baconian-Rosicrucian involvement in this Oak Island mystery. Howlett, A. ( Public Domain ) The sinkhole hypothesis makes sense in light of the local geology of the island which is principally composed of limestone where caves are known to form as water seeps into and dissolves the limestone country rock, creating near surface caves which can suddenly collapse and form slumps. This suggests there was activity in Smith's Cove earlier than first thought. [80], Another theory holds that the Rosicrucians and their reported leader, Francis Bacon, organized a secret project to make Oak Island the home of its legendary vault with ingenious means to conceal ancient manuscripts and artifacts. The effect caused the next two platforms to drop as well, with any treasure now resting some 119 feet (36m) below ground along with an estimated 10,000 board feet (24m3) of lumber. The Money Pit The discovery that started it all. This seems even more likely when the Lagina Brothers retrieve a large metal hinge with drill holes in it from the same location. This means that both items were most likely made from the same pre-15th century lead deposit. His son then went down the shaft, and also lost consciousness. [17], In his 1872 novel, The Treasure of the Seas,[42] James DeMille describes being a summer resident of Chester Basin during the later 1860s. [4] According to the most widely held discovery story, Daniel McGinnis found a depression in the ground around 1799 while he was looking for a location for a farm. Inspired by a Reader's Digest article in the 1960s, Rick and Marty Lagina have relentlessly combed over Oak Island, which is located off of the Nova Scotia coast in Canada, for a mysterious bounty of loot supposedly hidden, left behind, and ultimately lost to time (via History). This artifact supports the theory that the Knights Templar may have been on the island. [24] The second accidental death occurred on March 26, 1897, when a worker named Maynard Kaiser fell to his death. A "curse" on the treasure is said to have originated more than a century ago and states that seven men will die in the search for the treasure before it is found.[2]. Recently the island has been showcased on both the discovery channel, and the history channel. Here are the top 25 discoveries on the island. [26] After Chappell's excavations, Hedden began digging in the summer of 1935, after he purchased the southeastern end of the island. The rest of the company is owned by Blankenship. Scientists Solve Mystery Of Oak Island Buried treasure was officially found on Oak Island which officially solves the 400 year old mystery. A shard of purple-stained wood was discovered in the same borehole as vegetable-tanned leather bookbinding and scraps of parchment. [25], Captain Henry L. Bowdoin arrived on Oak Island in August 1909 representing the Old Gold Salvage group, one of whose members was Franklin D. Roosevelt. According to an account written in 1862, after the Onslow Company had excavated to 8090 feet (2427 metres), the pit flooded with seawater up to the 33-foot (10m) level; attempts to remove the water were unsuccessful. The Real Story of Oak Island's Legendary Money Pit - Popular Mechanics In "The Eight-Pointed Star," the third episode of the second season of "The Curse of Oak Island," treasure hunter Gary Drayton made another double discovery while metal detecting along the shoreline of Oak Island. [1] The tenth season premiered on November 15, 2022. The Curse of Oak Island. Map What's Been Found on Oak Island Treasure hunters have been intrigued by the legend of Oak Island for more than 200 years. Amirault and Taylor uncover pottery pieces hand painted in bright red, blue, and green colors. Is it possible Ball found of the treasure? They were minted in the 1600s, which is more than 100 years before the first discovery of the Money Pit in 1795. [18] The first of six accidental deaths during excavations occurred during the fall of 1861 when a pump engine boiler burst. [4] This would be followed by a more complete account by a justice of the peace in Chester, Nova Scotia, in 1861, which was also published in The Transcript. One final attempt was made in 1864 to intersect the money pit, resulting in alleged flood tunnels again being breached. What further treasures awaited them on Oak Island? In fact, they find a couple. In a January 27 letter to Hunter-Duvar, Cooke claimed that Smith built the stone into his chimney in 1824 and said that he was shown the stone by Smith in the chimney around 1850, when "there were some crudely cut letters, figures or characters upon it. but you gotta hand it to the Langinas, they have ramped up their attempts to tear up every square inch of ground on that island these past few years. One young boy called Daniel McGinnis found a circular depression. Back in the 17th century, coins like the maravedi used to be cut to provide change, leading to the phrase "Pieces of eight" popularized by the Robert Louis Stevenson pirate novel classic "Treasure Island." Since the 19th century, explorers have tried to locate the loot. Some unproven stories allege that Marie Antoinette's jewels, missing except for specimens in museum collections, may have been hidden on the island. However, these kinds of sentiments do little to slow down the Oak Island Fellowship, and they will do whatever they can in order to determine whether or not Oak Island acts as a host to errant treasure. Later in Season 9, Episode 4, "Spoils Alert," another metallic discovery is made just 13.5 feet northeast of the gold found only two episodes ago. Solving the mystery of Oak Island. Then logs of spruce and oak were unearthed at irregular intervals, and some of the wood was charred. This decorative keyhole plate was found during a metal detection excursion on a lot owned by Tom Nolan, the son of Fred Nolan. The Lost Treasure of the Knights Templar: Solving the Oak Island - eBay Important New Evidence Found at 170 Feet - Facebook With the discovery of this cartwheel, as well as the large amount of other 17th and 18th century coins the Oak Island team has dug up, it seems like finding a hoard of buried treasure seems like could be just on the horizon. The Curse of Oak Island: MYSTERIOUS WOODEN VAULT UNEARTHED (Season 4) | History HISTORY 11.3M subscribers Subscribe 4.2K 492K views 2 years ago Love The Curse Of Oak Island? Adjustable Standing Desk, Mobile Standing Desk, Laptop Cart on Vintage Oak A visitor to the site, Edward White, had himself lowered on a rope into the shaft but was able to bring out only DeMont. Sometime during the excavation of this new shaft, the bottom of the original shaft collapsed. After initially digging up a musket ball used in 17th century guns, they soon find what appears to be a maravedi, similar to what was found in the Season 1 finale "The Find." In 1970, a U-Shaped structure was discovered by treasure hunter Dan Blankenship after creating a cofferdam around Smith's Cove. Were these 18th century campers on the search for buried treasure or leaving behind treasure of their own? Further analysis of the coin also revealed that it had, in fact been lost, in the swamp for hundreds of years, and not something planted recently. The first confirmed gold found on Oak Island, this brooch dates back as early as the 14th century. This week's discoveries suggest that the Oak Island mystery could date earlier, and be more profound, than anyone could have suspected. If true, this would be the oldest treasure found on Oak Island by over a millennium. With trace amounts of gold confirmed to be on the island, further investigation might reveal a whole lot more. Curse Of Oak Island doesn't find tunnels underground On the new episode of The Curse of Oak Island, the team has found some gold. Michigan Man Finds 220 Year Old Hidden Treasure On Oak Island The design on the cap badge appears to be the kind that would be found on a 1700s French grenadier's hat. Putting his metal detector to good use, Drayton locks onto a signal. While searching Lot 2, Gary Drayton discovered a cartwheel penny with a depiction of King George III made in 1797. [7][39] Offering a secondhand description of its discovery during the early 1800s excavation, McCully wrote: "Some [layers] were charcoal, some putty, and one at 80 feet was a stone cut square, two feet long and about a foot thick, with several characters cut on it." Cookies help us deliver our Services. The discovery of these pair of coins indicate that either the English military or pirates were on Oak Island in the 1700s. If he had, perhaps nobody else would have walked the woods on the eastern end of Oak Island for the next ten years. The next mention of the stone is in an 1893 Oak Island Treasure Company prospectus. At 127 feet (39m), a number of artifacts, including an axe, a fluke anchor and a pick, were found. Get ready to read all the deets about this mystery. The parchment had two letters, "vi" or "wi", written in India ink. The 'Money Pit' on Oak Island in 1947. It was claimed that one of the samples brought a tiny piece of sheepskin parchment to the surface. Although the pumps were unable to keep water out of the flooded side shaft, boring samples were taken. Since the 18th century, attempts have been made to find treasure and artifacts. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. But there are plenty of people living who have seen the stone. The team from The Curse of Oak Island believes they have finally found their gold. [36], Although one expedition claimed to have found a flood tunnel lined with flat stones at 90 feet (27m),[6] geologist Robert Dunfield wrote that he carefully examined the walls of the re-excavated pit and was unable to locate any evidence of a tunnel. 23 During this nine season run, the Lagina Brothershave been on a constant search for hidden treasure, perhaps buried on the island by Spanish pirates, the British military, or even the Knights Templar. [6] The three men reportedly abandoned the excavation at 30 feet (9.1m) due to "superstitious dread". [84], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}4431N 6417W / 44.51N 64.29W / 44.51; -64.29. Michigan native Kevin Dykstra is obsessed with a deathbed confession made by a lighthouse keeper in the 1890s about a national treasure dating back to the Civil War. [18] The Oak Island Association also did some work at Smith's Cove by drilling a few shafts in an attempt to shut off and seal the alleged flood tunnels. According to Daniel Ronnstam, the stone found at 90 feet (27m) contains a dual cipher created by Bacon. Drayton and his team found a 17th century button from a military officer's outfit, though which military it might belong to is unknown. A reminder of the Spanish maravedi coin found in the Season 1 finale "The Find," the Lagina Brothers and their team wonder if they will soon find even more Spanish treasure hidden somewhere on Oak Island. Franklin D. Roosevelt, a former US President, whose company Old Gold Salvage group searched in 1909. This Theory May Explain the 'Curse of Oak Island' Money Pit - Men's Health [7][14] The accounts based on the Liverpool Transcript articles also ran in the Novascotian, the British Colonist, and is mentioned in an 1895 book called A History Of Lunenburg County. As far as theories about Oak Island go, this one is still one of the most plausible and would definitely explain all the European artifacts found on the island. [7] Another twist on the story has all four people involved as teenagers. It continues to be a mystery if this brooch is a piece of buried treasure or was once the property of a resident. In July 2010, Blankenship and the other stakeholders in Oak Island Tours announced on their website that the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage had granted them a treasure-trove license which allowed them to resume activities until December 31, 2010. The crew of "The Curse of Oak Island" have managed to find some relics and archaeological items, but have yet to come across anything of true historical significance that would upend what we know of pre-Columbus America. Certain that they were on the right path, they continued their efforts and uncovered a coin that could be hundreds of years old. In 2005, a portion of the island was for sale for US$7 million. During the 1990s, further exploration stalled because of legal battles between the Triton partners and a lack of financing. That is quickly followed up by a more incredible find: A piece of ammunition called grapeshot. At one point, one of the platforms placed in the original shaft at 98 feet (30m) collapsed and dropped to a lower level. There were the three teenagers who first discovered the site. In Season 4, Episode 8 "The Mystery of Samuel Ball" metal detection expert Gary Drayton and Oak Island historian Charles Barkhouse continue to dig around on Samuel Ball's property and unearth a multitude of interesting finds. Bowdoin also examined Smith's Cove, where drain tunnels and a ring bolt in a rock had reportedly been seen. Lewton-Brain is even able to date the silver ring to originating prior to 1730, based on various repairing techniques used to make the ring both smaller and larger at different points in time. Gary Drayton discovered a wrought iron hinge that is similar to the decorative hinges discovered on Fred Nolan's property. Not much was found. Both of these shafts were filled with water when an alleged flood tunnel was again breached. Scientists Solve Mystery Of Oak Island | Southwest Legends The tree-covered island is one of several islands in Mahone Bay, and is connected to the mainland by a causeway. The UnMuseum - Oak Island Mystery It was first reported in a July 2, 1862, Halifax Sun and Advisor article, which mentioned a June 2, 1862, letter by J. Quoted in Furneaux 1972, 110. This property is the only untouched land left on Oak Island. In Season 7, Episode 4, "The Lucky Thirteen," Gary Drayton and Charles Barkhouse return to Lot 21 where many prior discoveries have been made to see if they can't find more. The imitation Chinese porcelain on these hand-painted pearlware pottery fragments suggest that they originate from Staffordshire, England from 1700-1800. Dendrochronology dated the wood structure to 1769. It is known that the company operated sometime roughly in the early 1800s. The Oak Island mystery is a series of stories of buried treasure and unexplained objects found on or near Oak Island in Nova Scotia.Since the 18th century, attempts have been made to find treasure and artifacts.Theories about artifacts present on the island range from pirate treasure to Shakespearean manuscripts to the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant, with the Grail and the Ark having . Rick and Marty Lagina have spent countless hours digging over the years and have discovered some "top pocket finds." The stone he saw had no symbols on it. Could their be more piratical discoveries to be made? [12] The Truro Company then ran out of funds and was dissolved sometime in 1851. All The Treasure Ever Found On The Curse Of Oak Island As the team uncovered more and more of this stone feature in Season 8, they realized it was leading them away from the swampinto the uplands and straight towards the Money Pit. According to the prospectus, the stone was taken out of the chimney and moved to Halifax; there, James Liechti[47] was said to have deciphered the stone as reading: "Ten feet below are two million pounds buried".[48]. In "Blood is Thicker," Season 4, Episode 15 of "The Curse of Oak Island," Gary Drayton runs his metal detector over the unearthed contents of Rick and Marty Lagina's GAL-1 dig site. In 1931 the Chappell shaft was dug where the drill rig had been set up in 1897. In "The Curse of Oak Island" Season 6, Episode 18 "Heavy Metal," while searching for more buried treasure, metal detection expert Gary Drayton discovers an item strikingly similar to the lead cross found in Season 5, Episode 10 "The Signs of a Cross.". In "Circles in Wood," the sixth episode of the fourth season of "The Curse of Oak Island," Gary Drayton along with associate producers and fellow treasure hunters Jack Begley and Alex Lagina do some metal detecting on property once owned by former slave-turned-cabbage farmer Samuel Ball. Upon landing, he came across an oak tree with unnatural markings. According to Charles B. Driscoll's 1929 book, The Oak Island Treasure (based on secondhand accounts), The stone was shown to everyone who visited the Island in those days. In the Season 5 finale "Amazing Discoveries," Drayton has the jewelry examined by a gemologist and discovers that it's actually a hand-cut rhodolite garnet set in silver, dated to be from around the 1500 or 1600s. Hedden made six trips to Oak Island and collected books and articles about the island. Since the 19th century, many attempts have been made by explorers from different parts of the globe to locate cryptic artifacts and treasures. Later treasure hunters claimed that coconut fibres were discovered beneath the surface of a beach, Smith's Cove, in 1851. He was doubtful that symbols could have worn off the rock, given its hardness. The Curse of Oak Island: Gary Drayton hinted on Season 9 The auger passed through a spruce platform at 98 feet (30m), then hit layers of oak, something described as "metal in pieces", another spruce layer, and clay for 7 feet (2.1m). According to online research archive Oak Island Compendium, legend has it that the treasure will be found when seven men have died looking for it. Two years later, Nolan's ownership of the lots was confirmed, but he was ordered to pay damages for interfering with Triton's tourist business. Rick and Marty Lagina have led the charge for nine seasons now on their. The Curse of Oak Island is a reality television series that premiered on January 5, 2014. Doyle, Lynn C. "Nova Scotia's Treasure Island". However, Skowronek provides an even bigger revelation when he tells the team that the lead isotopes are identical to the ones found in the lead cross. on one corner, but apart from this there was no evidence of any inscription either cut or painted on the stone.". Faribault, E. Rudolph. [54], Australian-American actor Errol Flynn invested in an Oak Island treasure dig. Eventually, they reached a hard surface that was seemingly impenetrable. Center Road Developments, in conjunction with Allan Kostrzewa and Brian Urbach (members of the Michigan group), had purchased Lot 25 from David Tobias for a reported $230,000 one year before Tobias sold the rest of his share. The difference here is that this coin has been cut into a smaller segment. Another pirate theory involved Edward Teach (Blackbeard), who said that he buried his treasure "where none but Satan and myself can find it. Having found nothing of interest, the group gave up the search in 1867. He is excited to discover the show's first appearance of buried gold. [70][71][72] But the excavated earth was left behind and became known as the Dunfield Spoils. Samples of human bone dating back to the 17th century were found during a dig in the Money Pit. This connection to the Knights Templar becomes even more concrete after further investigations into the cross occur in Season 5, Episode 13 "Unhinged" and Season 5, Episode 15 "Steel Trapped.". Timeline of Oak Island Explorations - Oak Island Treasure A depression was also spotted beneath the tree. Could this be a coin used by the Knights Templar for banking purposes? After uncovering what might be a metal tag from the bottom of a pistol with a name etched on it (that some online researchers believe might have been Samuel Ball's own), Drayton theorizes that all of these artifacts could be the remnants of a military encampment. After finding a 17th century spike and a metal hook, they dig up their biggest find: A long bolt with an arrow-shaped tip. According to an undocumented story, Marie Antoinette instructed her maid (or a lady-in-waiting) to flee with her jewels. The pit was re-excavated back down to the 86-foot (26m) level, but ended up flooding again. [22] Exploratory holes that were drilled turned up bits of wood, more coconut fiber, soft clay, and blue mud. prevented him from doing so. Whats the scoop on the mysterious buried treasure at Oak Island? It's likely the wood was stained a vegetable dye and may be a fragment of bookbinding that the parchment was once part of. "Scanned copy of the original Reader's Digest article", "For Sale: Island with Mysterious Money Pit", "Appendix: Woods Hole Explores Oak Island", "A Solution To The Mystery Of The Oak Island Five Finger Drains", "Canadian Newspapers on Microfilm 2013 Catalog", Oak Island Treasure Company ([microform): capital, sixty thousand dollars, shares only five dollars each, full paid and non-assessable. The Bones in the Pit: Who Built the Oak Island Money Pit and - eBay [1] The program features the Oak Island mystery. Transportation of the crane to the island required the construction of a causeway (which still exists) from the western end of the island to Crandall's Point on the mainland, two hundred metres away. Two years later, Blankenship and Tobias formed Triton Alliance after purchasing most of the island. [37] The reported five finger (or box) drains at Smith's Cove have recently been thought to be the remains of an early salt works, with no connection between the drains and any flooding of the pit.[38]. The characters in the novel find that the stone had been removed from the chimney when they arrived on the island;[43] until then, no one had been able to decode the mysterious symbols reportedly on the stone, which an inn landlord describes as 'rather faint, and irregular' he also says that 'men who don't believe in Kidd's treasure say that it isn't an inscription at all it's only some accidental scratches'. The Oak Island Money Pit has been sought by many people and corporations for over 200 years.