The Curse of Oak Island: 17th Century French Relic Discovered

[narrator] Rick Lagina and Gary Drayton are investigating a significant area on Oak Island where some of the oldest discoveries in North America have been made.

[Gary] “You’re about due for a coin.”

[Rick] “I am overdue for a coin.”

[Gary] “Yay! It’s a coin.”

[narrator] Last week, Gary, Rick, Marty, and Craig Tester unearthed four ancient coins, adding to the total of five discovered in the past year. Numismatist Sandy Campbell identified three of these coins as Roman, dating between 500 AD and 300 BC.

[Rick] “Lot 5 remains a complete mystery, especially regarding its manmade constructs and artifacts.”

Search and Discovery:

[beeping]

[Gary] “Gotta come out because I don’t know what it is.”

[Rick] “Right in the middle.”

[Gary] “Sounds a little better now.”

[Rick] “Come on, be something.”

[Gary] “It looks like a strap. It might be a decorative strap, possibly from a box or chest.”

[Rick] “It could be something broken off from something else. Many straps were used around boxes or chests.”

[narrator] Could this strap be related to the nearby circular depression or to the Roman coins found in the area?

[Gary] “The CT scanner will give us a good view and help us understand its purpose.”

[Rick] “The information from Emma and the CT scanner could be highly revealing about the feature on Lot 5.”

Further Exploration:

[beeping]

[Gary] “We’ve got something in this area. Let me brush the stuff away and take another swing.”

[beeping continues]

[Gary] “Not sure what that is. It’s iron. It’s heavy. It looks like some kind of fastener.”

[Rick] “Why are we finding bits of iron on lots where significant finds were made? Iron was valuable, so its presence is intriguing.”

[Gary] “It might be a rosette-type fastener. These are old and hand-forged, which explains their weight.”

[Rick] “If there was a structure, you would need fasteners to assemble it. This could be related to that.”

Expert Analysis:

[narrator] The next morning, Rick and the team meet blacksmithing expert Carmen Legge at the Oak Island Interpretive Centre.

[Rick] “We’ve got some items here from Lot 5 that we need you to examine.”

[Carmen] “I see that.”

[Rick] “This chunky piece of iron feels old. It seemed like a broken tool or a fastener.”

[Carmen] “It looks like the broken end of a chisel. It could have been used for mining or tunneling.”

[Rick] “How much bigger would it have been?”

[Carmen] “Length-wise, it would be about a foot or slightly shorter.”

[Carmen] “The metallurgy shows no modern elements, indicating it’s an older metal.”

[Rick] “And this strap?”

[Carmen] “It looks like a bowtie strap, which would have decorated a chest or wooden box. It has a French cultural influence.”

Implications:

[narrator] A decorative strap from a chest, possibly of French origin and predating the 17th century, raises intriguing questions about who might have brought it to Oak Island.

[Rick] “We’ve found French artifacts before, like the lead cross with French lead. This area on Zena’s map, which is French, could be linked to a hatch.”

[narrator] In 2016, researcher Zena Halpern presented maps suggesting French Templar activity on Oak Island. Could recent finds support her theory?

[Rick] “I’ve always believed the depositional work on Oak Island started very early. We need to fill in the gaps more precisely.”

[Carmen] “The artifacts from Oak Island are unique. We need to understand their complexity and connection to the island’s story.”

[Carmen] “It makes me want to get back to Lot 5 and find more.”

[Rick] “We have a lot more to dig and excavate. Thank you, Carmen.”

Conclusion:

[narrator] The team’s discoveries and the expert analysis of artifacts from Lot 5 continue to build the mystery surrounding Oak Island. The findings suggest a deeper historical connection and point to ongoing investigation to unravel the island’s secrets.