Legacy Beneath the Surface: Knights of Malta Take Center Stage on Oak Island

The mystery deepens. What began as a centuries-old search for buried treasure has now taken a dramatic and historic turn. In Season 12, Episode 20 of The Curse of Oak Island, the team uncovered evidence that may tie the enigmatic Knights of Malta to the island’s buried secrets — and possibly to the long-whispered legacy of the Knights Templar.

The episode focused heavily on Lot 5, a recently acquired parcel of land already proving to be a gold mine of mysterious artifacts and structural anomalies. But the real bombshell? A button, unearthed by archaeologists, bearing a rare starburst design — a design that matches known examples from Knights of Malta uniforms.

“This isn’t just about gold anymore,” said lead investigator Rick Lagina. “This could be something much bigger.”

Knights of Malta: From the Holy Land to Nova Scotia?

For those unfamiliar, the Knights of Malta, originally the Knights Hospitaller, were a powerful religious-military order with deep ties to the Crusades. After the fall of Jerusalem and the suppression of the Templars in 1307, the Knights of Malta absorbed much of their influence — and possibly their secrets.

From Cyprus to Rhodes, and finally Malta, the Order built underground tunnels and massive fortifications. But a revelation from researcher Judy Rudabush turned heads: a man named Isaac Doners, a documented Knight of Malta, settled near Oak Island in the 1630s. His family, the Devilers, included Grand Masters of the Order. The implication? This may not be coincidence — it may be intentional lineage.

Artifacts Whisper of a Hidden Past

In addition to the button, the team uncovered Venetian trade beads, bottle glass, and ceramic fragments on Lot 5 — many dating back to the 17th century. The blue beads in particular raise eyebrows. Historically traded by Mediterranean merchants — including the Knights of Malta — their presence in Nova Scotia strongly suggests a global connection far beyond random settlement.

“Those beads are like time capsules,” said team archaeologist Laird Niven. “They’re small, but they carry centuries of history.”

A Wall in the Swamp and a Timber That Doesn’t Lie

Meanwhile, in the northern swamp, Rick Lagina and Tom Nolan continued the work of the late Fred Nolan, who long suspected a man-made wall was hidden beneath the mire. This week, evidence supported his theory: large boulders, aligned at uniform elevation, and a cut timber — clearly shaped by an axe — lodged between them.

This wasn’t driftwood. This was construction.

“This changes the narrative,” Rick remarked. “There’s purpose here. Design.”

A Relay of Secrets?

The cumulative finds suggest something far deeper than a single treasure drop. Historian Zena Halpern once proposed that Oak Island was part of a relay system, a long-term operation where secretive brotherhoods handed off knowledge, relics, and treasures across generations. From the Templars to the Knights of Malta, and now to the modern-day Lagina team, the thread might finally be visible.

“This wasn’t a pit stop,” one crew member observed. “It might’ve been a staging ground.”

What Comes Next?

With mounting evidence, the team plans to turn its sights to Malta itself, where ancient archives and architectural records may hold the final key to unlocking Oak Island’s secrets.

As Rick Lagina said, “This isn’t just about digging in the dirt — it’s about digging into history.”

And history, it seems, is ready to talk.

Stay tuned, explorers. The truth may be older — and closer — than we ever imagined.