Oak Island Revelations: Metal Detection Yields Tantalizing Clues to Ancient Round Feature on Lot 5

In the ongoing quest to unravel one of North America’s most enduring mysteries, the “Curse of Oak Island” team has uncovered fresh evidence on Lot 5 that could link a enigmatic stone foundation to centuries-old treasure depositors. As core-drilling operations persist in the legendary Money Pit area, metal detection experts Gary Drayton and Peter Fornetti, alongside archaeologists, have zeroed in on spoil piles from last year’s excavations of a mysterious round feature near the shoreline—yielding artifacts that hint at 17th-century activity and potential ties to secretive orders like the Knights Templar.

The day’s discoveries began with Drayton and Fornetti sifting through the remnants of the round feature, designated a “special place” by Nova Scotia officials in 2024, which mandates archaeologist oversight for any digs. “These are the spoil piles from last year of the round feature, so I’m really excited to see what we can find here,” Drayton remarked as they scanned the area.

Their metal detector soon pinged on a nonferrous target outside the spoils but in situ—embedded in the ground nearby. Adhering to protocols, they summoned archaeologist Fiona Steele. “Yeah, we’ve got a target here, Fiona. You think it’s nonferrous?” Drayton asked. The excavation revealed a small lead shot, or bullet, squashed but intact. “Tiny little bit of squashed lead shot,” Drayton noted, adhering to the site’s strict rules.

This find adds to a growing cache of gun-related artifacts on Lot 5, including musket balls and a ramrod guide from a rifle, all potentially dating back to the 17th century—over a century before the Money Pit’s 1795 discovery. “That probably created somebody’s supper one day,” Steele quipped, suggesting the site may have served as a hunting camp. Speculation abounds: Could this indicate a base for those who allegedly buried valuables in the Money Pit? “The people on Lot 5 would have had locks of some kind. They could have had chests and doors that needed locking,” Drayton later reflected.

Encouraged, the team flagged the area and expanded their search westward, where most prior artifacts had surfaced. “I find it very strange that we’re not finding as many artifacts right here,” Fornetti observed. Another signal led to a chunky iron piece with bumps and a shaped design. “What the heck is that? That is something,” Drayton exclaimed. Initial theories point to a door hinge fragment, possibly connected to the round feature. “We’re not too far from the round feature,” Steele noted, emphasizing its potential narrative value in solving the site’s puzzle.

The excitement peaked with a third, deeper iron target at about ten inches. “It’s a screamer,” Drayton said as Steele troweled carefully. The dig exposed not just metal but green-tinted older glass and coarse earthenware shards. “That’s looking like older glass… There’s all sorts of things down here,” Steele said, halting the excavation. Believing it might extend the round feature—mere feet from previous finds like a starburst button and spiral button linked to the 17th-century Knights of Malta—she called for a full archaeological probe.

The Knights of Malta, descendants of the Knights Templar via the Portuguese Knights of Christ, have long been theorized in Oak Island lore as possible treasure guardians. “This could potentially be part of whatever’s going on over at this feature,” Steele pondered. “What if this is another part of a foundation? We are not that far away from this feature.”

With provincial regulations in play, further digs will proceed under expert supervision. “Now we’ve found this, who knows what else is waiting for us over here? This is really encouraging,” Steele concluded.

Since acquiring Lot 5 three years ago, the Lagina brothers and their team have transformed it into a hotspot of intrigue, unearthing artifacts predating the Money Pit and fueling theories of Templar involvement. “Lot 5 is the lot that keeps on giving,” Fornetti said. “We’re finding artifacts that were here well before the discovery of the Money Pit… My number one objective for Lot 5 is to get some answers to help the archaeologists tell the story about what’s happening in the feature and how that relates to the Money Pit.”

As the team balances metal detection with archaeological precision, these finds could bridge Lot 5’s secrets to the island’s core enigma. With the season advancing, viewers of the History Channel series await whether this “pile of something” reveals a hidden chamber, ancient camp, or the key to Oak Island’s curse. One thing is certain: The island’s layers continue to peel back, one artifact at a time.