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Oak Island Money Pit

I think _______ made the money pit

  • Captain Kidd (privateer)

    Votes: 6 9.2%

  • Gangs Of Pirates (Thar be booty in that pit, arrr)

    Votes: 9 13.8%

  • The French (just to spite english or americans after their gold)

    Votes: 3 4.6%

  • The Vikings (the viking settle ment of vinland it thought to be on the nova scotia coast, which is w

    Votes: 3 4.6%

  • The Spanish (If you're worried about prirates and you've lost a lot of ships to a recent raid by the

    Votes: 3 4.6%

  • British Navy (on the run with lots of lovely treasure after/dureing the american war of independance

    Votes: 7 10.8%

  • Native Americans (dosen't fit with the artifacts found but native americans could theoreticly have m

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Aliens (Aparently they made the pyramids too :rolleyes: )

    Votes: 6 9.2%

  • Another Theory?

    Votes: 16 24.6%

  • The Templars (after escaping from La Rochelle)

    Votes: 12 18.5%
  • Total voters
    65
Sharon Hill said:
GOD, no. I don't have cable because these shows are all trash. But I read the updates from people who watch it so I don't have to.
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It really is strangely compelling. Although it would appear to be entirely about treasure, it is not really about the treasure. It relies heavily on the likeability of the characters and is more of a bonding exercise between brothers/friends/fathers/sons. I think that is why fans keep coming back for more. We know we aren't going to see any treasure but it doesn't really matter. And you can always hope. ;)
 
It is a genuine mystery, and just enough discoveries have been made during the whole series to confirm that there is something to be found.. some day. If it turns out to be just a box of gold and jewels I would be disappointed.
 
Ok in the U.K. the new season of Oak Island is just about to start and as a prelude they are doing some of those top 25 moments type of thing and one of them got me thinking the investigators have missed a trick. In the U.K. whe you are digging and you find human remains it has to be reported to the police who take over the investigation until they can be certain no crime was committed. Well in one of the pits they dug they found human remains. Why not inform the police and get them to dig that area for them! Save them a fortune :)
 
As stated the new Curse of Oak Island is about to start in the U.K. so far we have had three top 25 shows. Tonight is the night. From 6 to 8 we have top 25 never before seen moments, then from 8 to 9 Digging Deeper introduction to season 7 then the first two episodes of season 7. So five hours non stop of Oak Island stuff. Even I feel that’s overload. Mind without adverts it’s only 3 45 but that’s still a very long film.
 
The new series/season starts here on the 20th.

"And could this new season..bring us one step closer...to revealing if there is a treasure...and if so, who placed it there?"
 
we're watching the first of the "top 25" shows and it really does feel like they're squeezing the sponge dry.

I hope they find something but I have a nasty thought that anything that was there was found a long time ago.
 
DrPaulLee said:
we're watching the first of the "top 25" shows and it really does feel like they're squeezing the sponge dry.

I hope they find something but I have a nasty thought that anything that was there was found a long time ago.
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I must admit I think any treasure that was there was found by Samuel Ball in the early nineteenth century.
 
gordonrutter said:
I must admit I think any treasure that was there was found by Samuel Ball in the early nineteenth century.
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This 100%.

However, I'm now more intrigued by the other archaeological finds in Smiths Cove than the treasure. Something was going on, but what!

Does anyone else feel that the recent episodes seem to go past faster than the last few series. My wife and my theory is that there is less rehashing of old stuff and that they are concentrating on the new discoveries more.

I'm also quite excited in that they may finally
be homing in on the exact location of the lost Money Pit itself

We have also been discussing the fact that the are that is now the swamp could have been used as a sheltered spot for repairing ships.

Mark ;0)
 
marksourbutts said:
Does anyone else feel that the recent episodes seem to go past faster than the last few series. My wife and my theory is that there is less rehashing of old stuff and that they are concentrating on the new discoveries more.
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Yes, they definitely picked up the pace in the last series and that seems to be continuing. No more introducing each member of the team every time they reappear on screen thankfully, or telling you what happened 5 minutes ago.

I enjoyed the first episode but I was a bit Oak Island weary at the end of a whole evening of viewing (and I missed out most of the first show!) Some interesting finds and I do like that somewhat eccentric blacksmith that they seem to be using recently. Looking forward to the rest of the season, even if I do agree that the treasure is long gone.
 
on one of the facebook groups, it was stated that it was well known that the swamp is a modern construct. I don't know if this is true. I left the group after it became tiresome because of too many spoilers without a warning.
 
Episode 9 of Season 7 has an interesting revalation on the possible age of the swamp. The guy from the university from last season who did some preliminary testing on the swamp is back with his team. They take some core samples from next to the "eye" with some startling results.

Looking forward to this weeks episode and MDEGD's
silver
find in Smith's Cove that they teased in last weeks show.
 
Watched episode 12 of season 7 last night. Some very interesting finds in the swamp.

I've also just finished listening to the Randall Sullivan audiobook The Curse of Oak Island that I think somebody on here recommended. It was an excellent listen that filled in a lot of gaps and also talked about the hoaxers and con-artists. I often wondered why some of the theories seemed to get brushed under the carpet despite being theoretically sound (I'm looking at you Zena Halpern R.I.P).
 
Thought some-one might be interested in Robert Young's take on things since buying Lot 5 on Oak Island in 1996. He's keeping his head down in case the area is designated a Special Site and he'll be prevented from building on or selling his property. Of the artifacts found on Lot 5 (he didn't renew his Treasure Trove licence in 2008), one of the most intriguing has to be the cricket motif badge inlaid with gold. GOLD I say.

Cricket motif badge engraved with gold..jpg
https://www.thechronicleherald.ca/n...lays-20-plus-years-of-found-artifacts-274737/
 
RaM said:
Read about it in 1965 when I was 17 been hooked ever since.
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I first read about it in a school book in primary school, 1985, and like you, was fascinated. The book had lots of 2/3 page stories, another one of which was the tale of Father Damien of Molokai. I'd love to read that book again, only problem is I've no idea of the title!
 
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There is a compendium of transcripts, newspaper clippings, signed affidavits and extracts of a book 'The story of Oak Island 1895' in a .pdf file by Les MacPhie 2014, that isn't copyrighted as far as I can tell. This gives a meaty story of the search for 'Captain Kidd's treasure' from 1849 to around 1895 and mentions the key aspects of the narration given in the current Curse of Oak Island series. Thus you have the story of McGinnis making the Money Pit discovery, the Onslow and Truro companies, the Oak Island Association and the Halifax companies, each promising investors that the big discovery will be made in the next 20 feet or $2,000 investment. The flood tunnels in Smith Cove, the other tunnels in the middle shore, coconut matting, traces of parchment recovered, building a coffer dam, the carved stone from 90ft - it's all there. In fact apart from the Nolan Cross and the swamp, one wonders if the Restalls, Nolan, Blankenship and Laginas investigations have added anything to the Oak Island story in the last 100 years (besides obliterating the landscape).
The file is 130 pages long (takes a while to load), I'd recommend starting with the book at page 91.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...may_2014.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2B8-7m_YVUSGIqgtNc-TZ-
 
Bad Bungle said:
There is a compendium of transcripts, newspaper clippings, signed affidavits and extracts of a book 'The story of Oak Island 1895' in a .pdf file by Les MacPhie 2014, that isn't copyrighted as far as I can tell. This gives a meaty story of the search for 'Captain Kidd's treasure' from 1849 to around 1895 and mentions the key aspects of the narration given in the current Curse of Oak Island series. Thus you have the story of McGinnis making the Money Pit discovery, the Onslow and Truro companies, the Oak Island Association and the Halifax companies, each promising investors that the big discovery will be made in the next 20 feet or $2,000 investment. The flood tunnels in Smith Cove, the other tunnels in the middle shore, coconut matting, traces of parchment recovered, building a coffer dam, the carved stone from 90ft - it's all there. In fact apart from the Nolan Cross and the swamp, one wonders if the Restalls, Nolan, Blankenship and Laginas investigations have added anything to the Oak Island story in the last 100 years (besides obliterating the landscape).
The file is 130 pages long (takes a while to load), I'd recommend starting with the book at page 91.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiL79XHxfDpAhX5UhUIHdW2D4wQFjAAegQIBRAB&url=https://www.oakislandcompendium.ca/uploads/6/9/1/8/69188499/b01_early_oak_island_docs_compiled_by_les_m_may_2014.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2B8-7m_YVUSGIqgtNc-TZ-
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Thank you very much for this.
 
Bad Bungle said:
There is a compendium of transcripts, newspaper clippings, signed affidavits and extracts of a book 'The story of Oak Island 1895' in a .pdf file by Les MacPhie 2014, that isn't copyrighted as far as I can tell. This gives a meaty story of the search for 'Captain Kidd's treasure' from 1849 to around 1895 and mentions the key aspects of the narration given in the current Curse of Oak Island series. Thus you have the story of McGinnis making the Money Pit discovery, the Onslow and Truro companies, the Oak Island Association and the Halifax companies, each promising investors that the big discovery will be made in the next 20 feet or $2,000 investment. The flood tunnels in Smith Cove, the other tunnels in the middle shore, coconut matting, traces of parchment recovered, building a coffer dam, the carved stone from 90ft - it's all there. In fact apart from the Nolan Cross and the swamp, one wonders if the Restalls, Nolan, Blankenship and Laginas investigations have added anything to the Oak Island story in the last 100 years (besides obliterating the landscape).
The file is 130 pages long (takes a while to load), I'd recommend starting with the book at page 91.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiL79XHxfDpAhX5UhUIHdW2D4wQFjAAegQIBRAB&url=https://www.oakislandcompendium.ca/uploads/6/9/1/8/69188499/b01_early_oak_island_docs_compiled_by_les_m_may_2014.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2B8-7m_YVUSGIqgtNc-TZ-
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I think that what the more recent investigations have discovered is strong evidence about activity on the island going back far beyond Captain Kidd and an implication that something was going on in the swamp area long before the money pit was constructed. Makes me wonder whether the money pit was created specifically to distract attention away from the swamp...
 
gordonrutter said:
As I don’t have an audible account that link just takes me to a sign up page, could you supply the title/ author please?
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Here you go:
  • The Curse of Oak Island
  • The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt
    From longtime Rolling Stone contributing editor and journalist Randall Sullivan, The Curse of Oak Island explores the curious history of Oak Island and the generations of individuals who have tried and failed to unlock its secrets.
    In 1795, a teenager discovered a mysterious circular depression in the ground on Oak Island, in Nova Scotia, Canada, and ignited rumors of buried treasure. Early excavators uncovered a clay-lined shaft containing layers of soil interspersed with wooden platforms, but when they reached a depth of ninety feet, water poured into the shaft and made further digging impossible.
    Since then the mystery of Oak Island’s “Money Pit” has enthralled generations of treasure hunters, including a Boston insurance salesman whose obsession ruined him; young Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and film star Errol Flynn. Perplexing discoveries have ignited explorers’ imaginations: a flat stone inscribed in code; a flood tunnel draining from a man-made beach; a torn scrap of parchment; stone markers forming a huge cross. Swaths of the island were bulldozed looking for answers; excavation attempts have claimed two lives. Theories abound as to what’s hidden on Oak Island - pirates’ treasure, Marie Antoinette’s lost jewels, the Holy Grail, proof that Sir Francis Bacon was the true author of Shakespeare’s plays - yet to this day, the Money Pit remains an enigma.
    The Curse of Oak Island is a fascinating account of the strange, rich history of the island and the intrepid treasure hunters who have driven themselves to financial ruin, psychotic breakdowns, and even death in pursuit of answers. And as Michigan brothers Marty and Rick Lagina become the latest to attempt to solve the mystery, as documented on the History Channel’s television show The Curse of Oak Island, Sullivan takes listeners along to follow their quest firsthand.
 
uair01 said:
Here you go:
  • The Curse of Oak Island
  • The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt
    From longtime Rolling Stone contributing editor and journalist Randall Sullivan, The Curse of Oak Island explores the curious history of Oak Island and the generations of individuals who have tried and failed to unlock its secrets.
    In 1795, a teenager discovered a mysterious circular depression in the ground on Oak Island, in Nova Scotia, Canada, and ignited rumors of buried treasure. Early excavators uncovered a clay-lined shaft containing layers of soil interspersed with wooden platforms, but when they reached a depth of ninety feet, water poured into the shaft and made further digging impossible.
    Since then the mystery of Oak Island’s “Money Pit” has enthralled generations of treasure hunters, including a Boston insurance salesman whose obsession ruined him; young Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and film star Errol Flynn. Perplexing discoveries have ignited explorers’ imaginations: a flat stone inscribed in code; a flood tunnel draining from a man-made beach; a torn scrap of parchment; stone markers forming a huge cross. Swaths of the island were bulldozed looking for answers; excavation attempts have claimed two lives. Theories abound as to what’s hidden on Oak Island - pirates’ treasure, Marie Antoinette’s lost jewels, the Holy Grail, proof that Sir Francis Bacon was the true author of Shakespeare’s plays - yet to this day, the Money Pit remains an enigma.
    The Curse of Oak Island is a fascinating account of the strange, rich history of the island and the intrepid treasure hunters who have driven themselves to financial ruin, psychotic breakdowns, and even death in pursuit of answers. And as Michigan brothers Marty and Rick Lagina become the latest to attempt to solve the mystery, as documented on the History Channel’s television show The Curse of Oak Island, Sullivan takes listeners along to follow their quest firsthand.
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Excellent thanks. I actually have this book but haven’t read it yet!
 
Be sure to tell us what you think of it! Tempted to grab a copy, myself, as I need a good Oak Island book, and I have to confess I wasn't very taken with the Fanthorpes' one; they got carried away, for me, with Rennes le Chateau (a story I have strong doubts about) and the Knights Templar and the kitchen sink.
 
Kryptonite said:
I first read about it in a school book in primary school, 1985, and like you, was fascinated. The book had lots of 2/3 page stories, another one of which was the tale of Father Damien of Molokai. I'd love to read that book again, only problem is I've no idea of the title!
Click to expand...

When I first read about it it was in Readers Digest.
 
uair01 said:
Here you go:
  • The Curse of Oak Island
  • The Story of the World's Longest Treasure Hunt
    From longtime Rolling Stone contributing editor and journalist Randall Sullivan, The Curse of Oak Island explores the curious history of Oak Island and the generations of individuals who have tried and failed to unlock its secrets.
    In 1795, a teenager discovered a mysterious circular depression in the ground on Oak Island, in Nova Scotia, Canada, and ignited rumors of buried treasure. Early excavators uncovered a clay-lined shaft containing layers of soil interspersed with wooden platforms, but when they reached a depth of ninety feet, water poured into the shaft and made further digging impossible.
    Since then the mystery of Oak Island’s “Money Pit” has enthralled generations of treasure hunters, including a Boston insurance salesman whose obsession ruined him; young Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and film star Errol Flynn. Perplexing discoveries have ignited explorers’ imaginations: a flat stone inscribed in code; a flood tunnel draining from a man-made beach; a torn scrap of parchment; stone markers forming a huge cross. Swaths of the island were bulldozed looking for answers; excavation attempts have claimed two lives. Theories abound as to what’s hidden on Oak Island - pirates’ treasure, Marie Antoinette’s lost jewels, the Holy Grail, proof that Sir Francis Bacon was the true author of Shakespeare’s plays - yet to this day, the Money Pit remains an enigma.
    The Curse of Oak Island is a fascinating account of the strange, rich history of the island and the intrepid treasure hunters who have driven themselves to financial ruin, psychotic breakdowns, and even death in pursuit of answers. And as Michigan brothers Marty and Rick Lagina become the latest to attempt to solve the mystery, as documented on the History Channel’s television show The Curse of Oak Island, Sullivan takes listeners along to follow their quest firsthand.
Click to expand...

The Randall Sullivan book is excellent. It fills in lots of gaps, especially about the whitewashed history of Samuel Ball; so much so that I am surprised more hasn’t been made of it on the show. Though if what I believe to be the case is true, if they did dig more into that part of the story, there probably wouldn’t be a show to speak of.

The description of the rivalry between Fred and Dan is hilarious as well; though ultimately very sad, as I believe they could have achieved lots more if they cooperated.

i listened to the audiobook and it is very well narrated.
 
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