SEASON 13, EPISODE 12, “A FORT KNIGHT” EPISODE ANALYSIS BY DANIEL SPINO
- Daniel Spino
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
In this week’s episode, “A FORT KNIGHT”, the show began at the WAR ROOM, where the Oak Island team met to discuss their plan for their continuing investigation of the Boulder area on Lot 8. The team discussed that the feature had been altered by humans, but they weren’t sure who it was that altered the site. Pictures from the snake camera were shown and revealed what was speculated to be an iron spike or fastener. It was then thought that perhaps a wooden structure had been beneath the boulder and it had decayed away. It was then debated if the boulder should be moved. It appeared that the Archeologists didn’t want to move the boulder because it could damage the structure. The treasure hunters of the team wanted to move the boulder but understood and agreed with the Archeologists for the time being.
The action then took us to the MONEY PIT AREA, where the Oak Island team began a new core drilling operation in a new borehole called CN-12.5. This new hole is about eight feet northwest of the last drill site, BN-13.5 and about 16 feet from the Garden Shaft. The team believes there may be an Offset Chamber in this vicinity and are hoping to find evidence to support this theory. The core samples they are expecting are slushy, muddy and watery with open loose material. The team believes that these are the perfect conditions for any fallen treasure to be hiding.
We were then taken to the NORTHERN SWAMP where the Oak Island team continued its excavation of the area. The team began going through the newly dug earth and Metal Detectorist Gary Drayton found a piece of pottery. He then found another that he identified as Earthenware. The team then uncovered a large deposit of pottery and Archeologist Laird Niven was brought in for his opinion. Laird examined a piece and said it was Pearlware from the 1840’s. Another piece was Redware. Laird also mentioned another piece could be North Devon Gravel Ware from the 1600’s to 1700’s. It was then speculated if any of the pottery was from the 1600’s, it could have been from the Knights of Malta. Continuing to search, Gary found a large piece of iron. He speculated that it was some type of lifting device, such as a hoist or shackle. It was sent to Emma in the Lab for further testing and analysis.
We were then taken back to the MONEY PIT AREA, where the Oak Island team continued their drilling in Borehole CN-12.5. The drilling reached a depth of 140 Feet at the beginning of the scene. It was mentioned that from 138 to 168 Feet there was only 12 Feet of core material. The team felt they hit a void. The material was cakey and perfect for hiding treasure according to the team. A core sample was brought up but no metals were detected. Charles Barkhouse cited his famous phrase, “There’s treasure down there, we just haven’t found it yet!”.
The scene shifted to the FORT POINT MUSEUM IN LAHAVE, where the Oak Island team traveled to view the location of where Isaac de Razilly had his fort back in the early 1600’s. The fort, Fort St. Marie de Grace, was displayed in the museum, but only a quick glimpse was shown in the episode. This author added the full display for your viewing. At the museum, the team met Historian Joan Dawson who has written a book on Razilly and conducted extensive research in the past about the area. She said the stated goal of the voyage was colonization. Although it should be noted that part of that plan was to recapture Port Royale and to promote the fur trade. She was shown beads from Oak Island. She immediately said they were for trade. It was asked if the Knights of Malta would have used beads for trade and she said yes. In fact, all Europeans in North America would have done so at that time in history. Mrs. Dawson was then shown the Flint Lock pistol plate found on the island, and she said it could have been part of the Razilly expedition. She was also shown a book that was brought forward by Researcher John Edwards that had biblical, Freemasonic images in it. She was asked if a Knight of Malta would have had such a book, she said it was possible. It should be noted that the book, “The Whole Genuine Works of Josephus Flavius”, was published in 1812, so the drawings would have occurred sometime after that. This was well past the prime-time activity period of the Knights of Malta.
The action shifted back to the MONEY PIT AREA, where the Oak Island Team continued its drilling in Borehole CN-12.5. The drilling reached a depth of 188 to 208 Feet. The bedrock was hit at 204 Feet. A core sample from the bottom of the Solution Channel was brought up. It was examined, and no metal hits were detected. The team felt it should be tested in the lab to make sure if there were any materials present that they could not detect. Samples were bagged and tagged and sent to Emma in the Lab for further testing.
The episode concluded on LOT 8, where the Oak Island Archeological Team continued its excavation of the Boulder area. The archeologists had been working to reveal more details of the feature and to make it possible to explore more of the area underneath the boulder. The snake camera was used by Fiona Steele and Peter Fornetti to get some new images of underneath the boulder. As they fed the camera down into the cavity, an image caught the eye of the team. Upon reviewing the image on the camera, Rick Lagina thought the object could be a pearl. It was decided that the area underneath would be cleaned up using a shopvac, and to make it possible for further exploration. Until Next Week….
DANIEL’S ANALYSIS AND COMMENTARY:
During this week’s episode, the excavation continued on the Boulder area on Lot 8. An important question is who owned Lot 8 once it became surveyed, recorded, and granted. The answer are three men who all are very intriguing participants in the Oak Island Mystery. The first is Jonathan Prescott. Previously on Lot 8 a red brooch was found, and it was suggested by Researcher Scott Clarke that it could be a jewel for a Masonic Breastplate that Prescott may have had in his possession. Prescott was a Freemason and owned the Lot from 1765 to 1784. At that time, he sold Lot 8 along with his other property on the island, Lot 22 to Robert Melvin. The timing is interesting since this was right before the Loyalists came to Chester after the American Revolution. Prescott was a New England Planter with deep ties to America. It is believed he was an American sympathizer and may have helped their cause during the war.
Melvin was the earliest landowner on Oak Island that actually lived there. It is believed that he was part of the British Militia from Massachusetts that was patrolling the Mahone Bay area during the French and Indian War. He was bequeathed Lot 6 in 1765 from Phillip Payzant, whose family was attacked and some members killed in 1756 from a Maliseet War Party sent by the French. In the story, “Treasure by the Sea” by James DeMille, an account about a landowner on Oak Island who finds the Money Pit and works it for a number of years is conveyed. They were told of its location by the French. Melvin’s name is not mentioned, but he is a prime suspect for being this person, if the story is accurate.
In 1787 Robert Melvin died and his lots on Oak Island went to his family. In 1798, Robert Melvin Jr. sold Lot 8 to Samuel Ball. Ball’s activity on the island is well documented but still mysterious. Ball grew cabbage and farmed on the island which some believe explained his extremely comfortable lifestyle for a former African slave. Although at the time in Nova Scotia, conditions were so bad for blacks, some returned to Africa. Samuel Ball was a well-respected member of the community, but was he involved with activities on the island that produced unexpected wealth? Compendium Investigations will be looking at these three men in more detail and present to you our findings into their backgrounds and activity.
Please follow our weekly episode analyses during Season 13, along with articles from the original “Compendium/Blockhouse Blog”, and special investigations and features involving Oak Island. Feel free to reach out to us for questions, comments, information and any theories to our email, theoakislandcompendium@gmail.com
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