The Curse of Oak Island Season 13 Episode 16: Silver Detected Deep Beneath Lot 8’s Boulder
In Episode 16 of The Curse of Oak Island Season 13, the Lagina brothers and their team of experts faced both setbacks and exciting discoveries, continuing their long-running quest to unravel the mysteries of Oak Island. From a significant drilling challenge in the Money Pit area to a tantalizing historical artifact linked to George Washington, the investigation pushed forward with newfound momentum.
The episode began with an unexpected roadblock at the Money Pit drilling site. Brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, along with their partners Craig Tester and Scott Barlo, had hoped to reach a potential solution channel in the area by drilling with a massive 7-foot diameter auger. However, they encountered a frustrating problem: the drill became stuck at around 25 feet due to backfill gravel from earlier excavations. Despite the drill spinning freely, the steel casing remained immobilized, bringing the operation to a halt. This challenge forced the team to adjust their plans, temporarily shifting their focus to a new location.
In a hopeful twist, the team set their sights on a promising new site called Karma 1, located near a previous discovery of an 1850s drill casing and a medieval Portuguese silver coin. The team had high hopes for this site, especially after earlier tests detected elevated metal traces in surrounding groundwater. Drilling resumed at Karma 1, and the team remains optimistic that they are getting closer to uncovering something extraordinary.
While drilling operations were redirected, another group of experts focused their attention on the swamp area, which has become one of the most intriguing sites on Oak Island in recent years. Surveyor Steve Guptil continued mapping a series of eight-sided wooden stakes found along a cobblestone pathway. The precise placement of these stakes suggested deliberate surveying rather than random placement, raising questions about the area’s historical significance.
Metal detecting expert Gary Drayton made a remarkable discovery when he found a small, round artifact with visible markings. Initially thought to be a coin, the object turned out to be a Washington Funeral Medal—an item produced in 1800 to commemorate the death of George Washington. The discovery of this medal on Oak Island has significant historical implications, as it suggests a connection to Freemasonry, with Washington himself being a prominent Freemason. This find adds to the growing body of evidence linking the island’s mystery to Masonic networks and early American history.
One of the most dramatic moments of the episode occurred when the team prepared to lift a massive 40,000-pound boulder on Lot 8. Previous excavations had revealed unusual features around the rock, including smaller stones intentionally placed to stabilize it and a possible metallic object visible in earlier camera footage. The soil beneath the boulder also contained high concentrations of lead, prompting the team to suspect that the rock might have been placed deliberately to conceal something beneath it.
With the help of a 130-ton crane, the team successfully lifted the boulder, revealing a surprising discovery: the soil beneath it was not natural glacial subsurface soil, but instead dark organic material, suggesting human intervention. Geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner used a handheld XRF spectrometer to analyze the soil, detecting silver in the lower layers. The presence of silver beneath the boulder is particularly significant because silver had also been detected in groundwater samples from the Money Pit area. This finding raises the possibility that valuable materials, such as silver coins, may lie hidden deeper beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, Italian archoastronomy expert Adriano Gaspani presented an intriguing analysis of the swamp’s wooden stakes, comparing their alignment to stellar patterns. According to Gaspani’s research, the stakes appear to align with the Segnus constellation, which could suggest that the features on Oak Island date back to around 1200 AD. If true, this would imply that medieval explorers—possibly the Knights Templar—may have visited Oak Island centuries before its official discovery.
As the episode concluded, the team was left with a host of new questions, but also with a sense of renewed purpose. The lifting of the boulder and the discovery of silver, combined with the analysis of the Washington Funeral Medal and the astronomical alignment of the swamp stakes, suggest that Oak Island’s past is far richer and more complex than previously imagined. While the search for treasure continues, the latest findings are a reminder that each step forward on Oak Island uncovers more layers of history and mystery.
The episode highlights the persistence and flexibility of the team, who, despite setbacks, continue to push the boundaries of what is known about Oak Island. As they move forward with their investigation, new discoveries in the swamp, Money Pit, and Lot 8 offer tantalizing clues that the legendary treasure may still be waiting to be uncovered—hidden beneath centuries of history, buried under layers of mystery, and protected by the island itself.
