Wednesday, May 03, 2017

The Mystery of Oak Island Solved by Joy Steele

While the Laginas begin to power up for a new assault on the treasure hidden beneath Oak Island, a new theory about the Money Pit has been revealed. Joy Steele, in her book, The Oak Island Mystery Solved, has provided an interesting idea. According to her, there is no treasure, never had been, and the alleged Money Pit is nothing more than a tar kiln, used in the early 18th century to produce material to repair ships. And, given what has been found on the island by the Laginas and some of those others, this does make some sense.

According to the history, back in the early eighteenth century, the British received their naval stores from Sweden which apparently included tar. But that supply was cut off and the British looked to their colonies in the new world to replace that source. They induced colonists in the Carolinas to create the tar kilns because of the dense pine forests (Can you say Tar Heels?). It would seem on my quick research that they built dozens of these kilns in the Carolinas, but it seems they also built them up and down the east coast of North America.

The question becomes, “Would they have built tar kilns on Oak Island?”

I have learned that pine trees are considered resinous trees, but oaks are not. They don’t produce resin when cut or “injured” which makes them good for furniture, cabinets and fire wood. Pines do produce the resin which can be rendered to tar which makes them bad for furniture and fire wood.

Would the British have established a camp on Oak Island and used it to produce tar? Well, oak trees aren’t any good for that, but there are pine trees in Nova Scotia. Would Oak Island have been a place where the British would build these kilns even if the pine trees were not in abundance on the island?

We know there was a British camp on the island. That was established by those guys the Laginas brought in and who, using metal detectors, found British coins and other debris that suggested a camp. So, there was a British presence on the island that predates the discovery of the Money Pit. And remember that the residents of Nova Scotia reported seeing lights on the island in the early eighteenth century.

I don’t know all that much about sailing ships of the eighteenth century, but it would seem that docking at an island for repairs might have been simpler than sailing all the way to the mainland (and yes, I know it’s not all that far, but the tides and depth of water might have made it somewhat problematic). That might also explain the artificial nature of that swamp that the Laginas are always attempting to drain, might explain some of the debris found in the swamp, and might explain why some believed that a ship had been scuttled in the area. It would might also explain the artificial beaches, the coconut fiber and the alleged coffer dam.

I also know that some of you might say, “Yes, but what about that stone with the strange carvings found 90 feet down in the Money Pit?”

I would say, “I believe that was created as an inducement for selling stock in another attempt to penetrate the Money Pit. They could say that they had found this plaque proving that there was a huge fortune just a few feet down. Buy stock in my company to recover it.” I would note that no treasure has been found a few feet below where it is the alleged stone was found.

There are those out there who will complain about this debunking of the Money Pit, but I have to say that you need to follow the evidence. The Laginas have provided some of that evidence from their searches. They have found coins on the surface, have pulled iron nails out of the swamp that suggest they had been using on sailing ships, and they have found evidence of lots of tunnels… but they have found absolutely nothing to suggests there is a treasure hidden anywhere on the island.

For those interested in seeing the other side of the coin, might I suggest you take a look at Joy Steele’s book, The Oak Island Mystery Solved, which can be found in many places including Amazon at:


https://www.amazon.com/Oak-Island-Mystery-Solved-ebook/dp/B00Y3BGVDM 

36 comments:

Mr. Sweepy said...

Honestly, I am not convinced of any of the stories about what happened on the island. The only I know that has been verified is the former black slave who lived and farmed there. After 4 years of this show, who knows what the real truth is. Joy's story makes as much sense as anything else at this point.

albert said...

@Craig,

Add to that an island inhabited, with a high water table, seems like a lousy place to bury treasure. There were probably dozens of sites in that area better suited for hiding things.

. .. . .. --- ....

Ikonita said...

The coconut fiber though was dated to between 12th to the 14th century, which contradicts that thesis.

RedTornado2008 said...

The coconut fiber though was dated to between 12th to the 14th century, which contradicts that thesis.

It is quite possible someone from the late 18th Century used the old coconut fibers for a new use. They reused most everything they could get their hands on as resources were at times limited. That can explain the rather old dates for the coconut fibers.

KRandle said...

All -

If you look at the current data for carbon-14 dating, you'll learn that it is unreliable for anything under 700 years old. The Carbon-14 dating on the coconut fibers is not correct.

Mr. Sweepy said...

There are other questions about what was found on the island that I have possible doubts about. One was the Spanish coin found in the pond. In my mind, finding one doesn't prove much. It could have thrown in for good luck for example. If there were a chest full or even 10 coins then I would view the pond seriously.

There are many questions about what was found on the island that could be question. Mainly because nothing has been verified to be in the actual hands or named group hundreds of years ago.

Unknown said...

What I don't get is, why bury a treasure that deep? 5 feet down is just as hidden as 100 feet down.

Unknown said...

A treasure of some kind is there! The stone cross is the key to the treasure!The rocks tell the history! Everyone is trying to make it too complicated. If treasure is there it has to be accessible period!

John Scott said...

I believe there is something there.... i have to say the "tar pit" theory sounds far fetched.... where is the residue if that was the case? The Laguna's have found enough to prove there was or is something valuable on the island. The whole "make an inducement to sell stock" is ridiculous.

deBare said...

I really don't know why I watch this show ... except that it's got some of the funniest narration in the history of television. Every little item ... not matter how small or obviously insignificant, is turned into the potential discovery of the Holy Grail, or at least a ridiculous cliffhanger for the next segment or episode.

In my humble opinion, sadly it's much ado about nothing ... stretched over several TV seasons to recover some of the Lagina brothers' huge investment.

If two millionaires with virtually unlimited resources can't find anything of real significance with all the technology at their disposal, how is it remotely possible for pirates (or even Templar Knights) with few resources and limited technology to have even dug that deep, or built all the alleged tunnel traps, hundreds of years ago.

From a simple engineering perspective, it's impossible ... but wait ... they've just discovered another iron nail ... COULD IT BE PART OF THE LID OF THE LEGENDARY TREASURE CHEST BURIED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MONEY PIT?!?!?!? ... stay tuned.

Anne Asher said...

Grammar and editing....try it

Unknown said...

Anne Asher must be an 80 year old retired English teacher

Unknown said...

Anne Asher must be an 80 yr old English teacher....anywho, i really want the arch of the covenant

Lennox115 said...

I imagine that the coastline has erroded away from the time that treasure (if any) had been buried there. With that said I have to wonder if the swamp is man made and that it was actually two islands at one time.

Piltz said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ralph said...

The question from me is why would anyone bury any treasure this way?

If a pirate or whoever buried this treasure, how would they ever recover it?

It would have taken a huge effort to bury the treasure and all there is, is a report of some lights on that island.

When the lights were seen, a couple of boys found a block and tackle over the pit. That block and tackle was the only remaining evidence of all the work that must have been done. If you were burying a treasure and went to all the trouble of removing all the evidence of the construction project, why would you leave something hanging directly over where your buried treasure?

In addition, if someone organized burying something that deep along with digging all those tunnels, people would have died. No remains have ever been found.

It more than likely is just hype.

oldiron said...

Scratch a treasure and you find a con. Scratch a treasure hunter and you find a con man. I'm not saying the Laginas are con men, I'm saying that they are being conned by people who have been dead for 200 years. That actually is the best outcome for these guys. If that drill started spitting out gold coins it would be the worst day of their lives. After they find themselves arrested, charged with looting an historical site, finding out their permits are worthless, bankrupted by lawsuits, subjected to character assassination, vilified and targeted by hundreds of entities interested in grabbing what they have spent their lives working for, they will wish they never heard of oak island.

Anonymous said...

That story makes no sense.

Delullo said...

Templers built strongholds to protect there treasure just look in Europe. They were guarded and if someone tried to over take that fort they had escape tunnels and ships waiting. They never buried there treasure They had it in vaults that were guarded. They might of stopped there and dropped a necklace cross but they always had there treasure hidden in plane site. In stone castles There treasure helped them regroup and start over. You might find a coin or two but the so called necklace and marker stone was to get people to invest money that’s it. So some guy could dig in a sinkhole 200 yrs and they only found a couple coins and some ship parts. It is just tv and that’s all

Melchizedek said...

Didn't you know Ancient Aliens did it.... Lol

ChuckB said...

This would be a correct prediction anywhere else in N. America but the Nova Scotian gov’t know there’s nothing there but tourist revenue thats essentially unlimited as long as the TV show continues to be profitable - as the gov’t has endorsed the show by providing tax credits to the production company each year.

Unknown said...

Joy's theory , though interesting and thought provoking , I fear may be just that ! A theory ! The term Tarheel didn't come about until the Civil War in reference to the Carolina soldiers for not having any shoes and being used to warmer climate going barefoot not to mention being a poorly equipped army many going without boots . Also I'm not sure if they are aware but most furniture is made from pine . If not the exterior , you can just about bet the interior will be . Now your higher end stuff may use hard or exotic woods but you can be assured that what you can't see on your furniture is gonna be of lesser quality wood . That's as true in the past as it is today . Now I'm not a world traveler or anything but I do have a pretty good working knowledge of the Carolinas coast being born and raised near those areas . I'm not saying there never has been nor am I saying there never was but I've never heard of , or never seen any indication that the Carolinas were deep in the tradition of tar kilns or tar pits . If it was as big a commercial undertaking as I suspect the author thinks , I probably would have heard about it in general conversation at some point . Like I said in the beginning it's interesting but the authors ideas , to me , seem too tightly strung together on inaccurate info and loosely based fact that when put together sound good upon first examination but upon closer inspection fall by the wayside because it may not stand up .

Brad said...

The person that wrote the lead to this discussion has a poor way of using words. I am not any better for sure. I for one don't agree with the Tar Pit way of thinking. Also I would ask what facts does she have to back her up. It is interesting but there is at this time nothing that back her up. At least there is some things found on Oak Island that makes one think that the story could be true. For one the African American that fought for the British and received land there became one of the riches people in the area buy raising crops on the Island. That makes you question how.

I agree with the post about the Tar Heels in North Carolina. If the people of that time did make tar in pits there would examples of it found along with items used in and around them. In New England there are areas where charcoal was made as early as the 1700s and they are still being found today. Paleo Indian sites have been found throughout New England that have been dated back as far as 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. We know this from the material they left behind. There was a question about how this area was constructed well I would say to look to Egypt and the Valley of the Kings, also the people of South America and all they did. Ancient people did things that today we cannot explain how they did it. We have to look at the stone work and know that they did all of it without modern machines. In some cases our machines today cannot match what they did. So I would say don't disregard our ancestors and what they could do by hand and with very little else.

Yes, tourism is a big part of this show and that may be the whole thing. If you remember they had to move the so called "War Room" because of the tours and this lead to the museum and research center. We today need to keep an open mind about this until it has been proven wrong or right. Until this happens I for one find it to be good TV.

john said...

She was hired by secret society to obfuscate the oak island structure,birch island and the underground complex that connects to other islands.lots of treasure to be found.

KRandle said...

John -

No she wasn't and there is no treasure to be found.

Unknown said...

Brad my man you must have quite peculiar tastes indeed to find this good television. The only "reality shows" I've viewed and had more disdain for were: The Bachelor, Storage Wars, and The Alaskan Bush idiots. This despite a general disdain for "reality television." Jersey Shore somehow comes off more authentic.

Keep enjoying the garbage I guess. To each their own but, really we don't need to keep an open mind. Regardless of whatever used to go on there, there isn't any damn treasure, nor was there ever any. Especially if we're talking deeper than 6-8 feet. There's just no logic whatsoever involved in this, like most, fairy tales. The only real Oak Island Mystery is how many seasons of crap they're going to beat this dead horse for.

Tours and a museum? It would be a bona fide dumbass that would waste resources, time or money, on either. Searching for the Fountain of Youth in the Amazon is no less worthless a cause. Or maybe ol' Nessy in some loch in Scotland? Bigfoot? Chupacabra? Yeti? Leprechaun?


Unknown said...

Just watching the SCI channel (mysteries of the pirate mummy) interesting they talked about a pirate highway, lost treasure of Sam Belamy and how priate ships of Mahone Bay would group together ( as illustrated in 'pirate book") to careen their ships for repair. They would off load treasure before pulling ship in its side for repairs and place canons seaward for protection...…..
Made me think of favorite show Oak Island ant that Swamp...….What if in swamp creation it was structured like a leavey and lock system to allow for ships to be brought in water lowered, cargo off loaded and stored , cleaned repaired and re-floated......lots of cannon balls found in area, makes some ideas about pitch kilns offer possible reason for.....
If such a system broke down due to storm damage or infighting it would make sense how the swam could fill in and cover evidence of warf, ship repair and building equipment, carts, rock pathways and treasure storage hords. My imagination does get carried away ...but seafaring peoples come from so many backgrounds with talents for creation of necessary tools and engineering systems to forward their cause and business..not all were sword swinging buckaneers. (forgive the spelling errors)

Unknown said...

Oak Island Swamp??? part of a levy/lock system for unloading / careening ships for repair / refloating after repair and storage of booty....???? an engineering feat constructed as a safe haven conglomerate for mutual benefit of trader and pirates alike ??? cannons pointed seaward for mutual defense ( several cannon balls found on island) while ships turned on their sides and off loaded......Watch mystery of mummie pirate (Sam Belomy) and stories of the missing treasure on the cape...as other shipw in fleat headed north to Mahone bay for repair and off loading...….Possibilities and curiosity?????

Art said...

Very interesting comments. Regardless, if there isn't any treasure, whoever engineered the intricate system on Oak Island were very intelligent individuals. I hope the Laginas, or whoever, completely reverse engineer the system and solve the mystery of its utility. Anyway, they're wasting their time ... haven't they watched the Goonies.

James A. McQuiston, FSAScot said...

William Alexander and his son John were Masters of Mining for Scotland in the 1630s. William two other sons Anthony and Henry were Masters of Public Works, building castles and churches, buildings much more complex than anything on Oak Island. William's sons, William Jr. and Anthony were the world's first two known recorded non-operative masons, or what we would today all a Freemason. Henry was the seventh.

William Alexander received Nova Scotia in 1621, he chartered the land that included Oak Island in 1630, as witnessed by his friend Al Strachan. Strachan was the world's third non-operative mason.

In 1632, these Scots were forced out of Nova Scotia by treaty, and I believe they left behind part of a treasure Al Strachan is absolutely known to have stolen in 1622.

Gilbert Hedden, Oak Island landowner and searcher, projected the dates of 1630 and 1635 for the build of the Money Pit. A piece of axe cut wood was found at depth in the money pit that dated to as old as 1626. Many other artifacts can be dated to around this date.

Arborists working for the Laginas have told then that if the pit was actually found in the condition as reported (rotting stumps with moss on them, and small saplings growing up) the pit would have been dug in the 1600s.

I've now written six books on this subject and appeared on Curse of Oak Island five times, having the number 6 rated theory out of the top 25 that made the show. The tar kilns theory is one of dozens that have never made the show. All of my research and writing is based on actual documents and logical conclusions, with a little science thrown in.

My books are all on Amazon for anyone who wants to know more, under my name James A. McQuiston. I am a fellow with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and my cousin is the premier Knight Baronet of Nova Scotia (title from 1625).

I've been on the island 10 times, I've been in important war room meetings five times, I've emailed and phone called with the team literally hundreds of times.

It is taking awhile for my theory to be included in the common theories of Oak Island, because it is uncommon, even though five other Oak Island authors have touched on it slightly in the past.

James A. McQuiston, FSAScot said...

William Alexander and his son John were Masters of Mining for Scotland in the 1630s. William two other sons Anthony and Henry were Masters of Public Works, building castles and churches, buildings much more complex than anything on Oak Island. William's sons, William Jr. and Anthony were the world's first two known recorded non-operative masons, or what we would today all a Freemason. Henry was the seventh.

William Alexander received Nova Scotia in 1621, he chartered the land that included Oak Island in 1630, as witnessed by his friend Al Strachan. Strachan was the world's third non-operative mason.

In 1632, these Scots were forced out of Nova Scotia by treaty, and I believe they left behind part of a treasure Al Strachan is absolutely known to have stolen in 1622.

Gilbert Hedden, Oak Island landowner and searcher, projected the dates of 1630 and 1635 for the build of the Money Pit. A piece of axe cut wood was found at depth in the money pit that dated to as old as 1626. Many other artifacts can be dated to around this date.

Arborists working for the Laginas have told then that if the pit was actually found in the condition as reported (rotting stumps with moss on them, and small saplings growing up) the pit would have been dug in the 1600s.

I've now written six books on this subject and appeared on Curse of Oak Island five times, having the number 6 rated theory out of the top 25 that made the show. The tar kilns theory is one of dozens that have never made the show. All of my research and writing is based on actual documents and logical conclusions, with a little science thrown in.

My books are all on Amazon for anyone who wants to know more, under my name James A. McQuiston. I am a fellow with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and my cousin is the premier Knight Baronet of Nova Scotia (title from 1625).

I've been on the island 10 times, I've been in important war room meetings five times, I've emailed and phone called with the team literally hundreds of times.

It is taking awhile for my theory to be included in the common theories of Oak Island, because it is uncommon, even though five other Oak Island authors have touched on it slightly in the past.

KRandle said...

James -

I would certainly like to interview you on my radio show/podcast. Please contact my at KRandle993@aol.com

Bob said...

The search for treasure on Oak Island is a metaphor for life itself. That's why we watch the show. You search and search and search for that thing you want or think you want or maybe you don't even know what you want but you search anyway. And in the end you find nothing and it was all pointless. Life is ultimately futile and you die in the end.

Unknown said...

This is an interesting theory. However, she dismissed a lot of evidence. The gold link chain and piece of parchment recovered from the hole, the fact that every 10 feet down a row of wooden logs (sealed with putty), the sound of "coins rattling" when an augur was used in the shaft, the stories from the Micmac native americans describing Henry Sinclair's visit in late 14th century, etc... If it was a pine tar kiln...why should the builders (or users) waste their time filling it back in and covering up everything else???

Rodster said...

North Carolina was the center of pitch, tar and turpentine production in Colonial times and beyond. It's been very well researched and written about at an academic level

Unknown said...

Hahaha.... Could it be????