Legend:

Pirate treasure?  English, French or Spanish military plunder? The secret Rosicrucian works of Sir Francis Bacon and therefore also the possible original missing folios of Shakespeare?  Or perhaps the greatest sacred antiquities lost to history, such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Spear of Longinus or the menorah from King Solomon's temple?  Or maybe it's all just natural geological processes forming a sinkhole, plain and simple?  These are just some of the theories of what could be down in the infamous and mysterious "Money Pit" on Oak Island, Nova Scotia -- thought by many to be one of the greatest archeological mysteries of North America, and possibly the world.

Background:

In 1795, a young Nova Scotia resident named Daniel McGinnis rows out to Oak Island, not far from the mainland to check out what he thinks are strange green lights floating amongst the non-native oak trees that cover the island.  By most accounts, his attention is drawn to a sawed-off limb on a large tree in a clearing, from which a ship's block and tackle are hanging.  Directly below the pulley he finds a 12 foot circular depression in the soil, and immediately thinks this must be a location for buried pirate treasure. Even though the boys related the details of their remarkable discovery to friends, neighbors and relatives, they could find no one to help them with their quest, because of local legends and superstitions.

The hunt continues to this day, and many tantalizing clues have emerged from the multitude of holes in the ground as well as the island's surface.  Theories abound as to what enlightened mind could devise such an ingenious feat of engineering, and what group of dedicated souls sworn to secrecy could carry it out.  One thing is certain, some folks went to a lot of trouble to hide something pretty important.

For more information on this episode visit our website!

Nova Scotia Ashley Morgan's website that covers the main points of the Oak Island story Google Maps Location of Oak Island The Reader's Digest Article that Inspired the Current Treasure Hunters Ken Polsson's Chronology of the Oak Island Treasure Hunt In Search Of on Oak Island Is Oak Island A Hoax?