This week on The Curse of Oak Island, an ancient map points the way to the fabled treasure vault and the Money Pit.
As well as an intensification of borehole drilling in the Money Pit area, we’ll also see the guys get one of Gary Drayton’s finds dated, and it is super old.
We’ll also see further excavations at the swamp as the guys continue in their efforts to uncover a wharf buried below the murky waters.
The History Channel’s description of the episode reads:
While the discovery of a possible slipway in the swamp reinforces the team’s eagerness to excavate further, the fellowship is shocked when they learn Zena’s map may have been pointing to the elusive Treasure Vault the entire time.
And the preview does appear to show Gary Drayton unearthing what appears to be a strange structure. We then hear archaeologist Laird Niven announce that “that appears to a slipway.”
The guys have been investigating a pier or wharf like structure in the swamp for the last few weeks now. Last week, they even sent diver Tony Sampson into the sea off the coast of the swamp to check how far the wharf goes out to sea.
Unfortunately, Tony’s search was inconclusive, but if they have now found a slipway in the swamp, then this all ties into the theory that ships were able to unload large amounts of cargo (hopefully treasure) in or around the marshy area and onto the island.
The guys also think they’ve discovered a trail that leads from the swamp to Lot 15, where there may be a tunnel leading underground, perhaps to the Money Pit.
Expert says Oak Island map points to the treasure
Add to that the exciting news that archaeologist Erin Helton is back on the show, and she thinks she knows where the treasure vault can be found. Helton specializes in maps, and she’s been studying the ancient French map that Oak Island expert Zena Halpern previously gave to the team.
In a previous episode, Helton correctly determined that the guys would find two stone markers at very precise locations, so she clearly knows what she’s talking about. And according to the preview, she believes that Halpern’s map has been pointing to the treasure all along.
An ancient coin found on Oak Island
This week we’ll also see an old coin discovered by Gary get dated by an expert. The coin in question is quite distinctive as it had a square hole in the middle, which led one expert to suggest it might be Chinese.
In the preview for this week, we hear an expert date the coin somewhere between 400 BC and 400 AD, meaning it’s at least 1600 years old. This could be evidence that an ancient Chinese civilization visited the island.
We can’t wait to find out what else the guys have discovered.
The Curse of Oak Island airs at 9/8c on History.