The Curse of Oak Island went medieval this week as they investigated a strange ancient well on Lot 6, and examined mysterious rock markings that connect to ancient Christianity, possibly the Templar knights.
On last night’s episode, the team began borehole digging in the area identified as the source of the gold leaking into the water samples. The area, known as the “pink blob,” is a 70×25 foot area that lies about ten feet to the west of the garden shaft. So far, they’ve found nothing, but it’s very early days yet.
In the meantime, there’s a new peculiar mystery on Lot 26 of Oak Island. Rick Lagina explained that years back, he stumbled upon an old well on Lot 26 (south side of the island) while walking in the middle of winter. Rick was surprised because, despite the snow and ice covering the ground, this well remained unfrozen. Why?
This week, Rick decided to ask geoscientist, Ian Spooner, to investigate the well, which he did, by taking a couple of samples from the bottom for analysis. He removed some of the water, and he took a piece of wood from the bottom, which he believed had been used in the construction of the well.
The water sample came back with “an elevated silver content,” making this well one of the few places outside the Money Pit area to contain silver.
Ian also dated the wood, which came back as 800 years old. The geoscientist also pointed out that the well was crudely and roughly built, another factor suggesting it might be very old.
Historian Doug Crowell was the first to point out this was a similar timescale for the paved area in the swamp, which Ian had previously said also dated as far back as the 12th century.
Strange rock markings point to Templar knights in Nova Scotia
There was a medieval theme to last night’s episode, as Oak Island theories Corjan Mol made a return. The Templar Knights expert accompanied the guys on a road trip down to Liverpool, Nova Scotia, to examine some curious symbols.
A couple of landowners from the Liverpool area (about 50 miles southwest of Oak Island) wanted to show the guys a selection of symbols carved into the rocks on the seashore.
The first symbol looked remarkably like a broad head arrow marking, a symbol often used by the English aristocracy to signify ownership. However, Corjan suggested it might also be a goose paw symbol, which was used by the masons of the Templar Knights. This marking appears on the cornerstones of numerous Templar churches across Europe.
Another rock nearby featured a selection of small carvings that seemed to signify Christianity. One marking featured a cross on top of a circle, which is supposed to represent Christian dominance over the globe.
The landowners claimed that the markings had always been there; generation before generation knew of these symbols. Corjan and the guys speculated that this could be more evidence of Templar visits to Nova Scotia in the pre-Columbus era.
A clay pipe is found on Oak Island’s Lot 5
Meanwhile, on Lot 5, archaeologists Miriam Amirault and Helen Sheldon were working hard on excavating a mysterious stone feature. So far, the structure consists of at least one stone wall and a number of pieces of pottery.
Last night, there was excitement after Miriam located a piece of a clay pipe. Gary Drayton joked that it was a “smoking hot find” as he continued to showcase his vast array of corny dad jokes.
The pipe dates from about 1500 to 1800, but an analysis of the inner hole of the object should lead to a more precise date range. Once the team has a date, they should have a clearer idea of who built the feature and why.
Back when the archaeologists were working on the stone roadway in the swamp, they were surprised and baffled as to why they weren’t finding more artifacts, such as clay pipes. Last night, they speculated that perhaps Lot 5 and the roadway are connected. Maybe those who constructed the roadway were camped on Lot 5.
Either way, the team has only scratched the surface of Lot 5, and there’s a lot more ground to be explored.
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesdays at 98c on History.
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