In a breakthrough that has captivated treasure hunters and historians alike, brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, stars of the History Channel’s The Curse of Oak Island, have announced the discovery of a 250-year-old wooden tunnel deep within the island’s infamous Money Pit. This latest find, part of what the team describes as their most ambitious excavation yet, adds to a string of intriguing artifacts that suggest Oak Island’s buried secrets may finally be within reach—echoing engineering feats that would have seemed impossible 500 years ago.
The Lagina brothers, who have been leading the charge on the 140-acre island off Nova Scotia’s coast since 2014, returned this season with advanced tools and a team of experts, including metal-detecting specialist Gary Drayton, geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner, archaeologist Dr. Aaron Taylor, and researcher Miriam Amirault. Their efforts have yielded a series of rapid discoveries, building on previous seasons’ hints of ancient pottery, coins, wooden platforms, and cryptic documents.
Drayton’s metal detector first pinged on a signal within a stone wall near the swamp’s eastern border, leading to the unearthing of a large caster wheel buried underground. “It looks like something from a trolley system used in tunnels,” Drayton speculated, linking it to evidence of historical tunneling operations. The find has sparked questions about 15th-century construction techniques, with the team exploring whether it ties to early settlers, hunters, or a more secretive purpose.
The excitement escalated along the coastline, where Drayton and Rick Lagina uncovered two King Charles II Britannia coins dated to 1671, hidden beneath rocks. These 17th-century artifacts bolster theories of long-buried wealth, possibly dropped by frantic searchers or deliberately concealed by a wealthy group safeguarding their fortunes. Nearby, a button from a 17th-century military officer’s uniform was found, fueling speculation about armed guardians protecting the island or a covert military operation.
Venturing into a forested area, the team discovered a small Maravedí coin, believed to predate the Money Pit’s initial discovery in the late 18th century. Smaller than a similar find from last season, it equates to two Maravedís and points toward the Money Pit as a potential treasure hub.
The Money Pit itself, first spotted in the 1790s by curious boys who noticed a depression under an oak tree with a hanging tackle block, has long been shrouded in legend. Early excavations by groups like the Onslow Company in 1803 revealed wooden barriers, stones, and booby traps designed to flood the shaft, thwarting diggers. Over two centuries, these ingenious defenses—flood tunnels and collapse mechanisms—have dashed hopes, but modern technology is closing the gap.
Recent drilling in the C1 cluster and B4C shaft, positioned just 5 feet north of Borehole C, has revealed wooden tunnels tracing back to the 15th century. Traces of gold and silver in water samples have heightened anticipation, with scattered wood scraps suggesting an underground network for protection, smuggling, or secrecy. A hand-forged iron spike, predating the pit’s discovery, is undergoing C-14 testing to reveal its medieval origins, possibly used for rock drilling during construction.
Despite reaching 130 feet in the B4C shaft—a setback that halted digging for the year—the team remains optimistic. “We’ve uncovered evidence of significant gold and silver deposits,” Rick Lagina said in a recent episode. “This could be the original Money Pit or a tunnel leading straight to the treasure chamber.” The brothers, inspired by a Reader’s Digest article Rick read as a child, emphasize that the quest is about unraveling history as much as finding riches.
Challenges persist, including the pit’s flooding system, but the Laginas plan to deploy more advanced machinery next season. “Oak Island doesn’t give up its secrets easily,” Marty Lagina noted, “but every clue brings us closer.”
As Season 13 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on the History Channel, viewers worldwide are hooked on the unfolding drama. With scientific evidence mounting and the team’s resolve unshaken, the curse of Oak Island—said to claim seven lives before the treasure is found—may soon be broken. For now, the island’s mysteries endure, inviting speculation: What lies at the tunnel’s end?
