Oak Island, a privately owned island off the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, has been
a mysterious place of intrigue and speculation for many years.
Countless theories about alleged buried treasure or other historical artifacts concealed on
the island have been tied to this 57-hectare island which sits just 200 meters from the
mainland.
As far back as the 18th century - and perhaps even earlier - numerous attempts have been
made to find the supposed treasures that the island is said to be hiding.
Rumored items that are thought to be present on the island range from Shakespearean manuscripts
to pirate booty to even religious relics such as the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail,
of all things.
The latter two items even have some lore attached to them, with many believing that they were
buried there by the Knights Templar.
While a handful of items have actually been uncovered on the island throughout the years,
with some of them being carbon-dated at hundreds of years old, none of these finds can rightfully
be called treasure – and no significant treasure troves have ever been found on the
site.
Even more intriguing, however, is the fact that there is an old omen that states that
seven men will perish in the search for the island's treasure before it is found.
As of today, six men have died in pursuit of the ever-so-elusive prize that has tempted
countless adventures and treasure hunters over the years.
The mystery of Oak Island and its supposed riches received increased notoriety when the
History Channel put out their popular, albeit highly dramatized, reality series The Curse
of Oak Island back in 2014.
The show is now on its ninth season which premiered on November 2, 2021.
Join Facts Verse as we tackle several theories that attempt to shed light on the mystery
that has enshrouded the island and its supposed cache of wealth for centuries at this point.
And make sure you stick around for the whole video to learn about a recently reevaluated
theory involving a 17-century plot to overthrow the King of England that just might solve
this fascinating yet perplexing puzzle.
The Captain Kidd Theory: Shiver Me Timbers
This plausible theory which was featured in the very first episode of History's The Curse
of Oak Island television series, maintains that the legendary Captain Kidd buried his
stash of treasure on the island and then cursed it before setting up booby traps to ensnare
future seekers of the hoarded wealth.
The theory was further explored in the season 4 episode 'All That Glitters'.
The Shakespeare Theory: Will's Lost Works
A man named Petter Amundsen, who is a Freemason, claims that William Shakespeare wrote a cryptic
map that points towards Nova Scotia, which happens to be where Oak Island is in case
you weren't paying attention.
The Cure of Oak Island's Lagina brothers spoke with Amundsen in the season 1 episode “The
Secret of Solomon's Temple'.
According to him, Shakespeare included seemingly random clues throughout his many works by
capitalizing letters, intentionally misspelling words, and using out-of-order page numbers
as a way of giving would-be treasure hunters a trail of bread crumbs that would lead them
to the treasure.
Amundsen further claims that the trove contains not only precious metals such as gold and
silver as well as priceless gemstones but also some lost Shakespearean manuscripts.
The Sir Francis Drake Theory: Wealth Beyond Measure
Historian Paul Speed speculated in the season 5 episode 'The Lot Thickens', that an otherwise-mundane
piece of leather that he insisted was used for bookbinding was somehow connected to the
16th-century privateer Sir Francis Drake who was infamous for plundering hundreds of millions
of dollars worth of riches from a Spanish galleon.
Speed further suggested that Drake himself was actually buried somewhere on the island,
stating that whenever the crew of treasure hunters hits metal, that they just might have
found his casket.
The Marie Antoinette-FDR Theory: Off With Her Head!
Just to brush you up on history real quick, Marie Antoinette was the Queen of France who
famously was decapitated in the French Revolution.
Then we have Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was the 32nd President of the United States
from 1933 to his death in 1945.
So, what on earth is the connection between these two historic individuals?
And what ties could they possibly have to Oak Island?
In the season 4 episode of The Curse of Oak Island entitled 'Presidential Secrets', the
team of treasure hunters met with a historian who discussed FDR's belief that the infamously
lost crown jewels of France somehow ended up being buried on Oak Island.
The theory further postulates that Marie Antoinette's jewels were given to a servant who ran off
with them and potentially took the precious gems all the way to Oak Island.
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And make sure you stick around to learn all about the theory that might prove to be the
final piece to the puzzle that puts the mystery of Oak Island to rest once and for all.
The Dual Cipher Theory: Things Are Getting Cryptic
In the season 2 episode 'The 90 Foot Stone', a cryptographer named Daniel Roonstam met
up with Rick and Marty.
Roonstam is convinced that a slab of rock found at a depth of 90-feet below the surface
of the earth holds a few clues pertaining to the treasure that conflicts with previously
held beliefs about where it might be hidden.
In 1949, a man named Reverend A.T.
Kempton supposedly translated the stone by using a simple substitution cipher.
According to Roonstam, the stone reads 'Forty feet below two million pounds are buried'.
But he also believes that the cipher actually contains two messages which include the English
reading and a Spanish one as well.
The second code, according to Roonstam, reads 'At 80 feet guide corn long narrow sea inlet
drain', which he claims are cryptic instructions on how to thwart the booby traps that flood
the money pit.
The South Shore Theory: Six Degrees Of Francis Bacon
This theory holds that the 16th-century philosopher Sir Francis Bacon hid his wealth on the island
and set booby traps above it to ward off future treasure hunters.
The Curse of Oak Island season 6 episode 'The Paper Chase', saw the Lagina Brothers meeting
up with an author named Randall Sullivan who believes that one of Bacon's books which was
published posthumously, makes reference to seas, water, shafts, and pits – all of which
bear striking similarities to the booby traps in the so-called Money Pit.
The Money Pit 'False Lead' Theory: It's All A Distraction
In the season 3 episode 'Sword Play', the brothers met with Mike and Sean Herold, two
engineers who basing their theory on research of one of their distant relatives who supposedly
explored the island ages ago, believe that the Money Pit was a red herring – a false
lead to deter treasure-seekers from finding the true site of the buried treasure.
The brothers further believe the actual site of the trove is very close to the Money Pit.
They say that placement stones were used to mark the spot, but those stones have since
been destroyed by earlier excavations.
The Star Map Theory: Signs And Symbols
Aerospace engineer Dr. Travis Taylor, who was the show-runner for the National Geographic
Channel program Rocket City Rednecks, met up with the Curse of Oak Island team and explained
his theory that by overlaying symbols tied to Freemasonry as well as a map of the constellation
Taurus onto a map of Oak Island, it's revealed that the treasure is actually hidden on the
west side of the island.
Despite his claim, expeditions to some of the locations suggested by Dr. Taylor yielded
no results.
The William Phips Theory: The 17th Century Theory That Just Might Solve The Mystery
According to this theory - which is unique in the way that it is actually backed by hard
evidence - the treasure is tied to King James II, who came into power in 1685.
This Catholic King was despised by the English protestant majority, including political leaders
and members of the upper echelons of society.
Since he was so unliked, a plot arose to overthrow him.
One of the hated king's enemies made a journey to Holland when King James II came into power.
He then convinced the protestant King William III of the Netherlands to unite with the English
to overthrow King James II.
The only thing that King William III needed to help make this happen was to provide money
to fund the coup.
Successful 17th-century explorer William Phips, who was funded by the English aristocrats,
had at one point found a Spanish shipwreck full of treasure.
He and his mates recovered about $4 million worth of loot in that wreck.
Once they had made their way back to England, the protestants who were plotting their deposal
of the King managed to convince Phips to return to the site of the wreckage with a crew from
Holland to bring back more treasure to help fund the war against the loathed monarch.
Phips had his own qualms with the king, who refused to let the colony of Massachusetts
self-govern even though he had showered James II with vast stockpiles of treasure and gifts.
So, Phips agreed to go back and loot the ship for a second time.
After they had fetched the treasure, they returned back to the Netherlands with enough
silver to successfully fund the toppling of King James in 1688.
That's when Phips and his crew went to hide the remainder of the treasure on Oak Island.
Once there, they dug the notorious Money Pit.
According to legend, an underground cave gave way while they were digging, thus filling
the pit with water and making the treasure irretrievable.
Phips and his crew then sealed up the Money Pit and went to England to inform the British
Crown of their serious problem.
Clandestine operations were subsequently carried out in order to attempt to retrieve the treasure,
but none were successful.
By the 1750s, The Brits decided that if they couldn't have the treasure, then no one should,
so they booby-trapped the island, constructing a series of shafts and flood tunnels that
explorers today have since found.
But no one to date has discovered the whereabouts of the hidden treasure - if it ever really
existed.
Other modern-day discoveries appear to back up this theory further, however.
For one, a 17th-century pickax, which has been confirmed to be from England, was found.
And then there was the finding of several pieces of wood discovered on the island, which
all date back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
In season 5 of The Curse of Oak Island, two human bones were also discovered on the island
– both of which date back to the late 1600s to the mid-1700s.
Furthermore, core samples taken from the island's swamp indicate that human activity must have
taken place on the island somewhere between 1674 and 1700.
Which Oak Island Theory do you subscribe to?
And do you believe the alleged treasure hidden on the island actually is cursed, as some
people say?
Let us know your thoughts down below in the comments.
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