The Oak Island mystery is a series of stories of buried treasure and unexplained objects found on

or near Oak Island in Nova Scotia. Since the 18th century, attempts have been made to find
treasure and artifacts. Theories about artifacts present on the island range from pirate treasure to
Shakespearean manuscripts to the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant, with the Grail and the
Ark having been buried there by the Knights Templar. Various items have surfaced over the years
that were found on the island, some of which have since been dated to be hundreds of years old.
Although these items can be considered treasure in their own right, no significant main treasure
site has ever been found. The site consists of digs by numerous individuals and groups of people.
The original shaft, the location of which is unknown today, was dug by early explorers, and is
known as "the money pit". The earliest known story of a treasure found by a settler named
Daniel McGinnis in 1857. It then took another five years before one of the alleged original
diggers gave a statement regarding the original story along with subsequent Onslow and Truro
Company activities. According to the most widely held discovery story, Daniel McGinnis found
a depression in the ground around 1799 while he was looking for a location for a farm.
McGinnis, who believed that the depression was consistent with the Captain Kidd story, sought
help with digging. With the assistance of two men identified only as John Smith and Anthony
Vaughn, he excavated the depression and discovered a layer of flagstones two feet (61 cm)
below. According to later accounts, oak platforms were discovered every 10 feet (3.0 m);
however, the earliest accounts simply mention "marks" of some type at these intervals. The
accounts also mentioned "tool marks" or pick scrapes on the walls of the pit. The earth was
noticeably loose, not as hard-packed as the surrounding soil. The three men reportedly
abandoned the excavation at 30 feet (9.1 m) due to "superstitious dread".
According to the Oak Island Society, an ownership group consisting of the Lagina brothers and
some partners own 78 percent of Oak Island, including the Money Pit. The remaining 22 percent
of the island is owned by its few inhabitants, who live there seasonally in cottages. There are two
permanent homes on the island as well.