Ancient Iron Spike Unearthed – “Look at That!” (Season 12) | The Curse of Oak Island

NARRATOR:
In recent years, the Laginas and their team have discovered a number of astonishing man-made stone structures throughout the swamp that have been dated to between 1200 and 1750 AD.
But this year, after uncovering a number of wooden survey stakes and sections of a cobblestone pathway, they were stunned to uncover an empty slate and brick vault-like structure in the northern region.
Today, the team is searching just several yards to the north for more evidence of the cobblestone pathway in the hopes that it may lead to more hidden structures that still contain valuables.

KATYA:
I think we have another stake.

JACK:
Stake? Oh! Look at that. Oh, yeah. You got four cuts.

• Another stake.

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    oak island latest episode 2025 season 12 episode 8

• Maybe five.

JACK:
Well, that’s a different cut from all the rest.

TOM:
Yeah. This one is different.

NARRATOR:
Another axe-cut wooden survey stake?
Because the team has made a number of identical finds along the cobblestone pathway, could that mean that they are close to uncovering more sections of it?
And if so, could they also be close to an even more valuable discovery?

JACK:
We do need to find more.

KATYA:
All right. Here we go.

JACK:
Every time we get to search in the swamp, it seems like we find more and more things that were left behind and constructed with some type of a grand scheme.
We haven’t uncovered everything. I think we’re gonna have to dig around a little more to figure out what’s going on here.
I’m really hoping we find another vault-like feature.

KATYA:
Hey, guys. I think I got a hit.

OTHERS:

• Oh, in the ground over there?

• Yeah.

• Yeah. Ooh. Oh, yeah.

• What’s that?

• What is that?

JACK:
That’s really strange.

TOM:
Yeah. What is it?

JACK:
Maybe a spike of some sort?

NARRATOR:
Katya Drayton, Jack Begley, and Tom Nolan have just discovered a potentially important clue.

JACK:
Let’s see if there’s anything else.

(metal detector beeps)

KATYA:
There’s nothing left in that hole.

(metal detector beeping)

I think there’s something else right here. Right there, on that side.

JACK and KATYA:

• Ooh!

• That looks really old, too.

• Yeah, here. What’s that?

KATYA:
I don’t know, Tom.

OTHERS:

• Geez.

• Look at that tip.

TOM:
Yeah. Maybe it could be a chisel.

JACK:
Could be. Yeah. Someone was definitely doing some work around here.

NARRATOR:
An iron spike and possible chisel?
Could the team have uncovered evidence of an operation that may be related to the mysterious cobblestone pathway?
If so, could that mean they might be close to uncovering another vault-like structure that contains something of value?

OTHERS:

• Hi.

• Hey, Charles.

• Hi, guys.

• Hey, Rick.

• Hey.

• Good timing.

CHARLES:
What did you find?

TOM:
We found some stuff. I don’t know what you’ll make of it.

RICK:
Yeah, I love the fact that that looks hand-hammered.

OTHERS:

• Yeah.

• It’s strange metal, though. There’s no corrosion whatsoever.

• All of these are in such a small area, too.

• Okay. Well, why don’t we see what else there is?

RICK:
Sounds good.
Obviously, we’re looking for treasure, but we’re also looking for clues to the treasure.
And these items might be an important clue and highly relevant to many things.
Who was here? When was the work done? We need to follow those clues where they go.

KATYA:
I found leather.

OTHERS:

• What?

• Bottom of a shoe.

• (Jack laughs)

• Yeah. This is… That’s leather. Right there.

RICK:
It is a shoe.
This is what I would think would be like a work shoe.

OTHERS:

• This is thick.

• Yeah. It’s very thick.

RICK:
How does it look compared to the leather we found over there? Is it similar?

JACK:
It looks a lot like it, doesn’t it?

• Look at that.

• Yeah.

NARRATOR:
More pieces of leather shoes?
One week ago, the team made several nearly identical discoveries just a few yards from where they are currently digging.

OTHERS:

• Should be dateable, one would hope.

• Yeah.

NARRATOR:
Is it possible that, if the age of these leather artifacts can be determined, they might help the team identify just who may have been working in this area of the swamp?

RICK:
There’s some answers here, so, you know, congrats to everybody.
Let’s take our treasures back to the lab.

OTHERS:

• Agreed.

• Let’s do it.

• Okay. Sounds good.

CRAIG:
Hey, Joe.

OTHERS:

• Hey, Joe.

• Good to see you.

• Welcome back.

NARRATOR:
In the Oak Island Research Center, Rick Lagina, Craig Tester and other members of the Oak Island team meet with ancient documents and leather expert Joe Landry to have him examine the leather fragments that were found in the northern region of the swamp.

GARY:
This group was found first.

JOE:
Yeah, it’s definitely a sole of a boot.

OTHERS:

• A boot rather than a shoe?

• I think so.

RICK:
What gives you that information?

JOE:
Well, um, the weight of the leather. It’s probably an oak-tanned hide. And you can see the sewing here is quite, quite heavy. It’s a tough, tough leather. Wears well.

CRAIG:
When you say oak-tanned, what do you mean?

JOE:
Well, they make up a tanning solution from the bark.

OTHERS:

• Okay. That’s really cool.

• And the next set are these pieces.

JOE:
Oh, yes. Yeah, this is a finer piece of leather. Could be the toe of the boot.
This almost sort of gives the impression of being like a military boot.

OTHERS:

• Oh, really?

• Oh, wow.

CRAIG:
What date would you put these pieces to?

JOE:
We’re looking, probably, um, 1830 through 1900.

CRAIG:
It indicates, probably, Anthony Graves’s time period.
And they were found not far from the vault in the swamp.

OTHERS:

• Yeah.

• And maybe that’s where his coins came from.

• Yep.

NARRATOR:
There was some importance associated with the work there.
Might that vault have been discovered by Anthony Graves?
That’s exactly why we’re in the swamp and digging it out, looking for some of those silver coins that Anthony Graves was known to spend in Mahone Bay.
He’s a real mystery man.

In 1857, a farmer named Anthony Graves purchased most of Oak Island and built his homestead just north of the swamp.
And curiously, while he never took part in any searches for treasure in the Money Pit, after living on the island for several years, he reportedly began buying goods on the mainland with silver Spanish coins.

Could the team be right that perhaps the empty vault they uncovered in the swamp just a few yards to the south from where they found these leather artifacts might help explain the mysterious wealth of Mr. Graves?
And if so, could there be more hidden structures in the area that still contain buried riches?

RICK:
Anthony Graves certainly had proximity to the bog.
Maybe his precious items were found there.
And if that is the case, it leads me to believe that there is another vault somewhere else.
So, I look forward to some further discovery processes in the bog.
Each clue leads to another clue.
So, ultimately, hopefully, we’ll get a more complete understanding of the story of the bog.

GARY:
You’re gonna have to go find more.

Well, as you say, mate, “Eyes and boots.”
(chuckles): Eyes and boots.

GARY:
I’m hopeful that coins are gonna be following these.