The Truth About The Mystery Of Oak Island Will Definitely Leave You In A State Of Shock

The Oak Island Treasure

For the longest time, people have talked about the Oak Island treasure. A boy once saw a circular depression on the ground, which led people to explore what the island was really hiding. After seeing a stone tablet in the earth, many were intrigued. Even so, it took one more century before they learned what it meant.

The Oak Island Treasure

Theories About What It Meant

A professor from Halifax eventually translated it. Apparently, it said, “Forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried.” However, no one knew what it was talking about. There was an old legend claiming that seven people needed to die before the mystery could be solved. If you were curious, this treasure hunt has already claimed the lives of six people!

Theories About What It Meant

Where The Hidden Treasure Came From

Plenty of speculation surrounds the Oak Island mystery. If you are of the belief that William Shakespeare is nothing more than the pen name used by Francis Bacon, perhaps you will agree that he buried his earnings and manuscripts somewhere on the island. On the other hand, there is also the theory that the treasure was the possession of Marie Antoinette! The royal allegedly requested a maid to hide her riches in the middle of the French Revolution.

Where The Hidden Treasure Came From

There Are A Couple Of Theories

The other theories are about the mysteries of the sea. Certain people think that a Scottish sailor called Captain Kidd buried some of his treasure on the island. However, others are convinced that it belonged to Captain Blackbeard. The latter said that he hid it “nowhere none but Satan and myself can find it.” All things considered, Oak Island was a rather ill-fated place…

There Are A Couple Of Theories

The Craziest Theory

Among these theories, the strangest one might be the most widely believed one! It has something to do with the Freemasons. You see, it turns out that there is a lot of Masonic imagery on the island. This is the reason people think that the treasure must belong to this mysterious organization. According to theorists, Francis Bacon went on a Rosicrucian mission there in order to hide the treasure!

The Craziest Theory

Where Everything Started

But when did the rumors even start? Well, Daniel McGinnis had been wandering the island when he saw a circular depression. It was located on the ground right beside a tree that had been hacked away. He was familiar with the story of the hidden treasure and felt an inclination to investigate the matter.

Where Everything Started

The Very First Dig

With two friends, he started to dig in that very spot. Only two feet below the ground, the group already hit flagstone. They proceeded to dig it out and kept going for 30 more feet. The crew had to go through layer after layer of oak logs to do this. However, they eventually had to abandon the project.

The Very First Dig

The Second Team To Try

The following decade, the Onslow Company went on to pick up where he left off. They kept digging and digging until they reached sixty feet below the ground. Every ten feet, they would hit a new layer of oak logs. Aside from that, they found coconut fiber, charcoal, and putty down there as well. In the end, they found the tablet that had the inscription. As soon as they pulled it out, it started to flood down there!

The Second Team To Try

Their Efforts Got Washed Away

The workers of the Onslow Company tried everything to stop the flooding, to no avail. They learned that whoever built this pit had created it in such a way that it would be directly connected to a 500 ft. connecting water from Smith’s Cove. Every high tide, the tunnel would flood. In the end, the company decided to simply give up on it. The Truro Company was the one to keep going 45 years after this.

Their Efforts Got Washed Away

They Found Fascinating Things

What did the Truro company plan to do about the seawater issue discovered by the Onslow Company? The new company used drills to get rid of the soil samples located at the bottom. This proved to be a successful course of action because they were able to drill through two chests full of coins. Aside from that, they pulled up three gold chain links as well. However, the gold vanished in the blink of an eye!

They Found Fascinating Things

It Was An Artificial Beach

Unfortunately, the company ended up giving up soon after they did these things. It failed to drill into the hole any further than that without dealing with the water situation. One of the members of the Truro crew noticed that water would flood into the tunnel when there was a low tide. It is fascinating to learn that the whole beach was man-made. In the past, someone actually tried to put up a dam to prevent the flow of the water. However, it was only destroyed when the area was hit by a storm.

It Was An Artificial Beach

New Efforts By The Oak Island Association

This was not the last time that someone tried to look for the treasure! In 1861, someone else tried to have a go at it. The Oak Island Association attempted to dig more shafts in the hole, also known as the Money Pit. Sadly, their efforts did not bore fruit because the shafts always collapsed thanks to all the water beneath the ground. However, the worst incident involved the bursting of a water pump, which caused the death of a laborer. As you can see, no one was having any luck with the search.

New Efforts By The Oak Island Association

It Had Been A Long Way Down

A new team made its way to the island. This crew found a sheepskin parchment that had an illegible message on it. Sadly, this discovery was soon marred by the death of one of the people in the group. Maynard Kaiser met his doom while they were pulling him out of the hole. The rope came loose and led him to his fatal fall.

It Had Been A Long Way Down

The Old Salvage Group Came Next

In 1909, a different crew of explorers decided to give it a shot. The Old Salvage Group had someone famous among its ranks: Franklin D. Roosevelt! Sadly, the team worked on the mission for only one year. Despite this, FDR kept paying attention to what was going on Oak Island until the day of his death.

The Old Salvage Group Came Next

They Unearthed More Things

In 1928, a businessman called Gilbert Hedden and his partner Fred Blair wanted to explore the Money Pit to look for the treasure. The two of them had a steel company and planned to use it for the mission. When they started to drill the shafts down there, they found something fascinating. What could it be?

They Unearthed More Things

An Interesting Slab Of Stone

The two of them found a stone. It had the same markings found on the one from 1804. They continued to dig after this. The two of them found timber held together by pins. Just by looking at these things, they could tell that they had come from a long time ago since they were made of wood, not metal!

An Interesting Slab Of Stone

His Search Efforts

In 1938, a treasure hunter known as Erwin Hamilton went to Oak Island. He started to dig the following year. About 190 feet below the ground, he discovered rocks and bits of gravel! There was also a limestone layer that had oak splinters. There was a chance that the stone was lying on top of a wooden object…

His Search Efforts

An Unfortunate End

Two decades after that, Robert Restall decided to take on the challenge. It is interesting to hear that he discovered a stone that had an inscription saying, “1704.” This has since been used as a reference to the age of the Money Pit. However, Restall wound up inhaling carbon monoxide and falling to his death!

An Unfortunate End

The Hole Claimed More Lives

Sadly, his death was just the beginning. His son tried to rescue him, but he also inhaled the fumes and fell down. Cyril Hiltz and Karl Graeser, two more workers, were also there. They went down the Money Pit in an attempt to rescue the father and son duo. Sadly, they ended up dying as they did so.

The Hole Claimed More Lives

Things Got More Serious

In the same year, Robert Dunfield ordered heavy construction equipment to the area. He wanted to dig deep into the hole! His work ended not long after he got to the limestone layer. In 1965, Daniel C. Blankenship discovered a washer, a nail, and a heart-shaped stone 60 feet below the ground. These objects intrigued people even some more!

Things Got More Serious

Taking A Better Look

In the late ‘60s, the Triton Alliance heeded the call of the Money Pit. The team found a pair of iron scissors that went as far back as 300 years! Apart from that, they wanted to excavate a “Borehole,” which is a steel tube that allowed them to install a camera for further investigation. Hopefully, this was going to prevent any fatalities since they would no longer have to go down the hole.

Taking A Better Look

The Wildest Findings

They were able to learn more about the Money Pit because of this method. Here was what they found: tools, leather shoes, and a severed human hand. After some time, they also saw the rest of the body. It was morbid, but they also saw that there were three chests there! This was what kept the team going.

The Wildest Findings

It Was Too Much For Divers

The Triton Alliance asked divers to go into the pit to take a closer look at those chests. Sadly, they had a hard time going against the current. On top of that, the sediment brought the visibility level down. After some time, the Alliance ran out of money. The shaft they constructed started to fall apart as well.

It Was Too Much For Divers

Word Started To Spread

A decade after the company abandoned the expiation, more people got wind of Oak Island. The interest in the treasure hunt kept growing and growing! In 1979, it was the subject of a TV show called In Search Of. This was when word about the mystery of Oak Island really began to go around.

Word Started To Spread

Fighting Over Land Rights

Fred Nolan, who was part of the Triton Alliance, was sued by the company over land rights. This was why Oak Island saw a period of peace that went on for 15 years or so. This is where the Lagina brothers come in! The siblings decided to try their hand at solving the longstanding mystery of the Money Pit.

Fighting Over Land Rights

Going Back To Business

Rick Lagina read an article about this topic when he was only 11 years old. It talked about the attempts of the Triton Alliance to dig there. In 2005, a property on the island went up for sale at the price of $7 million. In an effort to solve the mystery, the Lagina brothers bought a 50% stake in Oak Island Tours Inc.

Going Back To Business

They Had An Edge

The Lagina brothers had a couple of tools that would grant them an advantage here. The technology let them study and investigate Oak Island as they looked for a way to deal with the flooding of the Money Pit. We are glad to hear that the equipment gave them the edge that they needed.

They Had An Edge

How The Show Came To Be

Once the History Channel found out about what they were doing, the network approached the Lagina brothers. They wanted the siblings to work on a program called The Curse of Oak Island. It was not only going to document the project, but it was also a way for them to fund the project.

How The Show Came To Be

They Played To Their Strengths

The Lagina brothers had an advantage here since they had connections in the industries that proved useful when it comes to the excavation. Marty Lagina also had some experience when it comes to digging and gas wells. Their project would have been a lot more difficult if they did not have these skills and connections with them.

They Played To Their Strengths

A Strong And Promising Beginning

The Lagina brothers started the project by excavating a man-made swamp. However, this was also how they found their very first treasure as well. It was a Spanish copper coin that came from the 17th century. The two of them were excited when they saw this. It looked like their quest started off on the right foot.

A Strong And Promising Beginning

Their Discoveries Had Different Origins

However, the next find was only discovered after two seasons of the show. After draining the Borehole 10-X, they discovered a number of amazing things. They found Portuguese carvings, a Roman sword, and even evidence that Aztecs were once on the island. Their different origins caused some confusion, but the Lagina brothers were nevertheless thrilled by this discovery.

Their Discoveries Had Different Origins

It Was All Worth It

“There’s a story to be written up here,” explained Rick Lagina. He went on, “Treasure, perhaps, but it’s a truly wonderful story from a long time ago. Every day it feels like we’re turning a page of a really good book. To me, life’s a treasure hunt. We’re all on one in our own different way, and we happen to be on a real one right now.”

It Was All Worth It

An Old French Map

Aside from that, there was even more good news during the fourth season of the show. The Lagina brothers learned that there was more to this story when they found a French map from 1647. The map showed the locations of a hatch, a valve, and an anchor. On top of that, it showed the origins of the treasure as well! It indicated that the treasure came from Africa…

An Old French Map

The Resting Place Of The Ark

There was another theory that popped up. It revolved around a man called Vincent Astor. He was the son of a wealthy socialite called John Jacob Astor IV, who died aboard the Titanic. It is said that Oak Island is the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. A lot of people were fascinated by this theory.

The Resting Place Of The Ark

The Most Probable Ones

There are two certain theories that have the strongest evidence to back them up. The first one goes that Marie Antoinette had a servant who buried her prized possession in the Nova Scotian island. It adds up because it is believed that she reached that area. On the other hand, French soldiers could have hidden their war trophies from the Seven Years War here.

The Most Probable Ones

Something Called The Harvard Theory

Barry Fell, a zoologist from Harvard, had a different theory about the island as well. After taking a look at the carvings, he reached a different conclusion from the rest. He thinks that they were made by Coptic Christians. Hailing from North Africa, they must have made their way to Nova Scotia many years ago.

Something Called The Harvard Theory

Not Your Regular Treasure Hunt

Mind you, The Mystery of Oak Island did more than just explore the area in the hopes of finding the treasure. A Texas man had been dealing with flooding issues brought about by Hurricane Harvey and figured out how to solve it thanks to the show! It was a good thing that he recalled the “Aqua Dam” from the show. If he did not remember this, the house would have been a goner.

Not Your Regular Treasure Hunt

Joy Steele And Her Two Cents

What a lot of people fail to realize, however, is that the Money Pit is not the only pit out there. Joy Steele is of the belief that these pits had been used to store tar when the British Navy constructed ships there. In an effort to prove this, she referenced North Carolinian shipbuilding sites that look almost identical to the ones on the island. In reality, we are getting closer and closer to getting to the bottom of things at Oak Island! With the help of modern technology, we are sure that it is only a matter of time before we finally learn the truth. And to be honest with you, we simply cannot wait.

Joy Steele And Her Two Cents

Just like how we have enjoyed The Curse of Oak Island, there is no doubt that we also love to watch other shows from History too. We enjoyed talking about The Curse of Oak Island as well as what we’ve seen and learned from the show, which is why we are presenting to you another classic from History, American Pickers. We all loved watching the show to see what they would find, but did you know that there are more happening behind the scenes than you think?

Here Are The Secrets That American Pickers Does Not Want You To Know

American Pickers document Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they make their way across the nation, searching for special relics, secret treasure, and lost memorabilia. They do this by going through everything they see in huge junkyards and bringing it home to their basements! They meet a lot of interesting people along the way. Isn’t it amazing that the show has already aired for 21 seasons? It’s still going strong, despite a lot of changes behind the scenes. There have been allegations that it is all staged, as well as rumors of financial difficulties.

Here Are The Secrets That American Pickers Does Not Want You To Know

The Overseas Spinoffs Did Not Last

In the United States, the show was a big hit. The show spawned spin-offs in Australia and Canada as a result of its success. Regrettably, they did not have nearly as much success. The Canadian adaptation lasted only four seasons. The Australian one, on the other hand, was even unluckier, with only two seasons.

The Overseas Spinoffs Did Not Last

Not His Only Source Of Income

Mike Wolfe earns money from a variety of sources in addition to co-hosting the show. As fans are aware, he is the proprietor of Antique Archaeology, a vintage antique shop. Danielle, the store manager, is in charge. He owns a clothing store, a coffee shop, a candy store, and a photography studio, among other things.

Not His Only Source Of Income

Playing Himself On NCIS

Are you curious about the popularity of American Pickers? It’s so popular, in fact, that Mike Wolf was cast in the role of himself on NCIS. There aren’t many people who can say the same thing! If you want to catch him on the hit drama, look for him in the episode “One Man’s Trash.”

Playing Himself On NCIS

A Complaint Brought Frank To Court

There was a time when Jerry Bruce, an auctioneer and collector, sued Frank Fritz! He bought an old piece of farm equipment called a polarimeter from the host. Fritz said it was his for $300, but he never cashed the check or sent the device. Bruce ended up winning $1,000 in the end.

A Complaint Brought Frank To Court

He Was Also Arrested For DUI

Frank Fritz was arrested for driving under the influence in 2018. Driving after drinking is, as everyone knows, extremely dangerous. It’s a risky and irresponsible action to take. He had to go to rehab and was sentenced to a year of probation as a result.

He Was Also Arrested For DUI

Ever Since He Was Young

Mike Wolfe’s journey began when he was a small child. This is when he became interested in collecting! When he came across an abandoned bike, the story began. He was able to sell it for $5. After that, he’d go out looking for rusted bikes to fix up and sell for a profit.

Ever Since He Was Young

Hobo Jack Is Now A Star

Are you familiar with Hobo Jack from the show? He goes by the name Jack J. Sophir. He has proven to be a hit with the show’s viewers. In fact, he has his own album, which is comprised entirely of original recordings. Isn’t that incredible?

Hobo Jack Is Now A Star

Rumors Of A Secret Relationship

Mike Wolfe is currently married to Jodi Faeth, with whom he is very happy. The couple is also parents to a child. Despite this, some people believe he is involved with Frank Fritz in a secret relationship! To set the record straight, it’s just a rumor. However, the co-hosts are close friends.

Rumors Of A Secret Relationship

Raking In The Cash

Many people admire Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz because they appear to be ordinary men who live simple lives. Don’t be fooled, though! Many fans are unaware that the American Pickers hosts are extremely wealthy. Mike’s net worth is currently estimated to be around $4 million.

Raking In The Cash

Even Before The Show

It is clear that Danielle and Mike are close friends. After all, they’ve been friends for more than two decades. In reality, they’ve been working together for a long time, even before the show began! This is why they have such a great rapport in front of the camera.

Even Before The Show

The Truth About Reality-TV

Reality television shows like to claim that they are revealing the truth to us. However, many aspects of the shows are frequently fake. In the case of American Pickers, the show makes every effort to provide viewers with a genuine experience. While the actual purchases take place, the negotiations take place behind closed doors.

The Truth About Reality-TV

How To Strike A Deal

The banter between the sellers and the hosts is always entertaining to watch. However, it turns out that not everything is as it appears. The producers, it appears, are pressuring the sellers to set a higher price than they really want. The hosts can then continue to talk it down until they reach a certain number.

How To Strike A Deal

They Also Plant Items

However, the price isn’t the only factor that has been manipulated. The producers, it appears, also stage a couple of special items! The hosts will have something to talk about and discuss as a result of this. Oh well, we doubt anyone thought they found all those things at random. After all, that’s how reality television works.

They Also Plant Items

Danielle Is An Important Part Of The Show

Despite the fact that Frank and Mike are the “pickers,” Danielle also has a significant role to play. In fact, when the cameras are not present, she is the one who runs the shop! Not only that, but she also operates her own boutique. 4Miles 2Memphis is its name.

Danielle Is An Important Part Of The Show

Owing Back Taxes

What else can be said about the show’s shop manager? In fact, Danielle received a letter from the IRS in 2013. It stated that she owed thousands of dollars in back taxes! These are from the vintage items that she sold. So you know, she didn’t get just one of them.

Owing Back Taxes

Mike Wanted To End The Show

Who’d have guessed Mike wasn’t keen on continuing with the show at one point? In 2016, the reality TV star decided to take a break in order to devote more time to his daughter. We’re curious as to what caused him to change his mind. The show, after all, is still going strong to this day!

Mike Wanted To End The Show

Starting Them Young

Mike started a project to encourage kids to be creative and find valuable items. In LeClaire, Iowa, he opened a Kid Pickers flea market! This is a fantastic way to pique a child’s interest in a fascinating hobby. Let us not forget that he was also interested in it as a child.

Starting Them Young

An Episode About Star Wars

There was an entire episode dedicated to the Star Wars franchise! This occurred when the crew met a former Lucasfilm employee who owned an extremely rare piece of memorabilia. Isn’t that amazing? Fans of the sci-fi series will no doubt have enjoyed watching the episode in question when it first aired.

An Episode About Star Wars

Prince Mongo For Mayor

It’s impossible to forget Prince Mongo’s name. This was the show’s eccentric character who was a lot of fun to watch. His home was brimming with fascinating items! However, there is something about him that you may not be aware of. Did you know he ran for mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, on multiple occasions?

Prince Mongo For Mayor