In the latest episode of The Curse of Oak Island, A Bead on the Target, the team led by brothers Rick and Marty Lagina made significant strides in their quest to uncover the island’s long-standing mysteries.
The episode began with the team focusing on the Money Pit area, where they drilled a new borehole, D-25.5, aiming to intersect the Chappell Vault, a legendary treasure chamber.
In the previous episode, the team used advanced technology, including seismic scanning and core drilling.
They uncovered layers of wood and concrete-like material consistent with Chappell’s original findings, suggesting proximity to the vault.
They continued drilling at a depth of approximately 109 feet; the coring drill reached what appeared to be a nine-foot tunnel.
As they drilled deeper, reaching 150 feet, the team became increasingly optimistic that they had located the Chappell Vault.
Rick Lagina and the team return to the swamp and discover a large wooden structure
Shifting their attention to the swamp, an area that has yielded intriguing artifacts in recent years, Rick Lagina advocated for exploration, believing it to be a multi-generational hiding place for valuable items.
Marty Lagina suggested starting at the northern end of the bog, which Rick believed contained unexplored treasures.
During the excavation, the team uncovered logs arranged in a manner suggesting a large wooden structure.
Dr. Ian Spooner, a geoscientist, assessed the find and proposed that it might be a ramp constructed to move heavy objects.
This ramp could potentially point towards the “Eye of the Swamp,” a perfectly circular feature of cobblestone discovered in 2019.
Landowner Tom Nolan joined the team at the northern area of the swamp, confirming that the structure was not built by his father, Fred Nolan, a previous Oak Island treasure hunter.
The Oak Island team discover more jewelry in Lot 5
In a notable discovery, the team unearthed a tiny red glass bead. Emma Culligan, an artifact analyst, conducted a thorough examination and determined that the bead was of Venetian origin, with the red coloring dating to the early 1700s or late 1600s.
This predates the Money Pit by approximately a century, suggesting that the island’s mysterious activities began earlier than previously thought. The jewelry also indicates that there was some trade in the area.
The episode concluded with the team planning to return to the swamp for further investigation, driven by the belief that the area holds critical clues to unraveling Oak Island’s enduring enigma.
The Curse of Oak Island continues to captivate audiences with its blend of historical intrigue, but viewers are yearning for some actual treasure that continues to evade the team.
The Curse of Oak Island airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on History.