Unbelievable Find of Human-Made Structures | The Curse of Oak Island

Contracting limited to rebuild an approximately 100 ft deep 18th century structure known as the garden shaft if this is original depositor I swamp because we don’t have a hard target that’s the problem that’s the chorus we don’t have a hard target they want to know how deep how big how wide how much disruption a stone path where no road should be a hidden structure buried for centuries and a mystery that refuses to stay buried.

Rick and Marty Lena Craig Tester and their team are standing at the edge of something big. They’ve spent years digging, searching, and chasing leads, but this—this feels different. Up in the northern part of the triangle-shaped swamp, the crew has uncovered something that shouldn’t be there: a man-made stone pathway carefully laid out, and next to it, something even stranger—a small vault-like structure hidden beneath layers of earth and water.

Who built it? Why here? And could it be connected to the legendary treasure that has kept people coming back to Oak Island for over 200 years?

The Anthony Graves mystery. A hidden treasure on Oak Island. Some people spend their whole lives searching for treasure; others might just find it by chance. That might be the case with Anthony Graves, the farmer who bought most of Oak Island in 1857. Unlike many who came before him, he wasn’t known as a treasure hunter. He didn’t dig deep shafts or finance major excavations, but whispers of his name have echoed through history, tied to one of Oak Island’s most intriguing mysteries.

Graves wasn’t wealthy when he arrived, yet over time, something changed. He began using Spanish silver coins to pay for goods—coins that were not common in Canada at the time. Most people used British or newly minted Canadian money, yet Graves had Spanish currency. No one knows exactly where he got them, but the most popular theory is that he found them right on his property.

The timing raises some serious questions. In the late 1700s, Spanish ships transported massive amounts of silver from the Americas, and some of those shipments mysteriously disappeared. It’s well documented that Spanish treasure vanished—some due to shipwrecks, others under circumstances lost to history. If part of that missing wealth made its way to Oak Island, then Graves may have been the first to uncover it.

This brings us to a new discovery just north of the swamp, in the exact area where Graves once lived. The Oak Island team has uncovered something unexpected: two man-made features buried beneath the muck and water. The first is a carefully constructed stone pathway leading to an unknown destination. The second is even more mysterious: a vault-like structure hidden deep in the swamp. It’s built with precision, unlike anything naturally formed in the area.

Artifacts pulled from the site date back to the late 1700s, which means this structure was there long before Graves ever set foot on the island. That alone is enough to raise eyebrows. If Graves really did find Spanish silver, was it buried here? Did he discover this hidden vault and take what he could, leaving the rest behind? Or was he aware of something even bigger—something he never spoke about?

For years, people dismissed the story of Anthony Graves as just another legend, but now, standing over a structure that was never meant to be found, the Oak Island team has real evidence suggesting there could be truth to the rumor.

If Graves found treasure, why did he never admit it? How much did he take? And the biggest question of all: if this vault held Spanish silver once, is there more still waiting to be found?

The team has one option: dig deeper. They’ve come too far to stop now. If the vault was meant to store something valuable, then someone—maybe even Graves himself—went to great lengths to keep it hidden. But now, for the first time in over a century, that secret may finally be on the verge of being exposed.

First major discovery—revealing the stone pathway and vault. Discovery like this doesn’t happen every day. As the team stands over the swamp, staring at what’s emerging from the mud, there’s no mistaking it: this isn’t just another pile of rocks. The stones are carefully arranged, laid out in a way that suggests intention, planning, and purpose. This isn’t natural; someone put them here. But who, and why?

The first thing that catches their attention is the stone pathway. It stretches through the swamp, its edges straight, its rocks uniform in size. There’s no gravel, no random scatter of stones like you’d expect from a natural deposit. Every piece seems deliberately placed—almost as if it was once a road, a walkway, or part of something bigger that’s been lost to time.

The team agrees this was built by human hands, but by who? The second discovery is even stranger. Just beyond the stone path, something unusual starts to take shape. The excavation reveals a structure buried beneath the muck, square in form, solid with an almost vault-like appearance. This wasn’t just thrown together—it was built. But for what? Was it a storage area, a hidden entrance to something deeper, or a place to conceal something valuable?

The team starts putting the pieces together. If Anthony Graves really did find Spanish silver on his property, could this vault have been his hiding place? Did he build it to store treasure he found, or was it already here long before Graves ever arrived? They need evidence—something that can tell them more about what they’re looking at.

That’s where metal detection comes in. As they scan the area, signals start coming fast. The first find is a large chunk of iron buried just beneath the surface. Then comes something even more interesting: a pipe, old and rusted but clearly part of something mechanical. And then a small but important clue emerges: a crank handle. Its design, unlike anything modern, catches the attention of archaeologists.

The handle has a square hole—the kind used to turn or operate something larger. The iron structure suggests it could date back to the late 1700s or early 1800s—that’s before Anthony Graves ever owned the land. The discoveries raise more questions than answers. If the vault isn’t Graves’ work, then who built it?

The artifacts suggest someone was actively using this space in the 1700s. But for what? Was this a storage site, a concealed entry to something deeper, or could it be linked to a much larger operation that was happening long before Graves’ time?

As the team processes what they found, one thing is clear: they can’t stop now. Now, the structure is solid, still mostly buried, and whatever is hidden inside has remained untouched for centuries. They’re on the edge of something big, and the only way to find out the truth is to dig deeper.

Investigating the vault. What lies beneath? The deeper the team digs, the stranger this vault-like structure becomes. It’s unlike anything they’ve found on Oak Island before: solidly built, partially submerged in the swamp, and completely hidden from view until now.

This wasn’t a random pile of stones or a collapsed foundation—it was constructed with purpose. But what was that purpose? As they carefully remove layers of mud and debris, something unexpected emerges: a small rusted object buried in the thick swamp soil. It doesn’t look like much at first—just another piece of iron—but as it’s pulled from the ground, the shape becomes clear. It’s a handle—not just any handle, but one that appears to have been attached to something: a chest, a strong box, maybe even a door.

The discovery sends a jolt of excitement through the team. A handle like this could mean only one thing: someone built this vault to store something important. Was this once part of a treasure chest, a locked container meant to keep something safe? And if so, what happened to the rest of it?

Immediately, one name comes to mind: Anthony Graves. If the stories are true, Graves didn’t just find a few scattered coins—he supposedly uncovered a stash of Spanish silver. But no one ever knew where. No documented dig sites, no records of how he came across them, just a quiet farmer who, for some reason, had Spanish coins in a time and place where they had no business being used.

Could this vault be the missing link to his fortune?

The team examines the surrounding area for more clues. The vault is right where Graves’ property once stood. The newly discovered stone pathway leads directly to it. The iron artifacts found nearby date back to the late 1700s—decades before Graves even set foot on Oak Island. It’s starting to make sense. If the vault was built before Graves’ time, that means he didn’t create it—he found it. He may have stumbled upon this very structure and realized what it was: a hiding place, a location carefully chosen and hidden to keep something valuable out of sight.

If Graves got to it first, there’s a real possibility that he took what he could carry and left the rest behind. The only way to be sure is to keep digging.

The discovery of the handle changes everything. The team decides to fully excavate the vault to see what else is buried beneath the swamp. If there was once a chest here, there could be more pieces of it waiting to be found. If the vault was used to store treasure, that could still be coins, artifacts, or historical documents hidden inside.

Linen steps in to develop a careful excavation plan. The vault appears solid, but its foundation is still buried. They need to determine how deep it goes and whether it connects to any tunnels or additional structures. This could be more than just a single chamber—it could be part of something even bigger.

Clagginina sums up the situation best: This wasn’t just some random structure. It was built to keep something safe, and whatever that was, it was valuable enough to be hidden this well.

As the sun sets, the team steps back, taking in what they’ve uncovered so far. The chest handle is just the first clue. The real answers still lie below, buried in the mud, waiting to be found. Tomorrow, the digging continues, and if history is right, they might not be far from something truly incredible.

Lab analysis: Stating the artifacts back in the Oak Island Laboratory, and anticipation is high. The artifacts pulled from the vault are laid out on the table, rusted, worn, and covered in layers of age-old grime. But beneath the dirt and corrosion, they hold answers.

How old are these objects? Who left them behind? And most importantly, what were they used for? To get definitive answers, archaeologist Eln and archaeologist Emma Culligan begin analyzing the metal artifacts. The first step: a CT scan. This high-resolution imaging allows them to see beyond the rust, revealing details about the object’s construction, materials, and possible wear patterns.

The first artifact to be examined is the iron crank handle, a tool that at first glance appears simple, but the scan shows something interesting. The grain structure of the iron suggests a rare composition, meaning it was likely forged before the 19th century. The handle also has a square hole, which would have been used to turn something mechanical. But what? A winch, a chest lock, some kind of hidden mechanism?

Next, the hoop-like object undergoes testing. Its manganese content is examined—a key factor in determining its age. The results suggest it dates back to the early to mid-1800s, aligning with the time Anthony Graves lived on the island. If he used this hook, what was he securing?

Then comes the biggest question mark of all: the mysterious pipe. It doesn’t resemble modern plumbing, nor does it seem like a simple piece of old farm equipment. It’s thicker than expected, built with iron that predates Graves’ ownership. The metallurgy results suggest it was manufactured in the late 1700s, long before Graves arrived on Oak Island.

This is where things get interesting. If these artifacts are from the late 1700s, then Anthony Graves wasn’t the one who originally built the vault. That changes everything. If Graves didn’t construct it, then who did?

The team debates the possibilities. One theory is that the vault was a hidden deposit box meant to store something valuable—possibly the same Spanish silver coins Graves was rumored to have found. But if so, was it originally placed there by pirates, privateers, or even the Spanish themselves? Could it have been a storage site for something that was later removed?

Another theory suggests the vault may have been part of a larger structure, possibly a secret tunnel system or a hidden underground chamber. If that’s true, then the artifacts found so far are just pieces of a much bigger puzzle.

Craig Tester points out another possibility. If these items were placed here before Graves and he somehow found them, then there’s a good chance that more was left behind—maybe something still buried deeper in the vault.

The conflicting dates raise new questions. Why would someone in the 1700s build this vault and leave behind tools, mechanisms, and possibly even treasure? Was it abandoned in a hurry? Did someone take what they needed and never return?

One thing is certain: this vault predates Graves, and that means whatever its original purpose was, it was a secret long before he set foot on Oak Island. The lab results have turned a simple discovery into a much bigger mystery. The artifacts are real. The history is undeniable.

Now, the only question left is: what else is waiting to be found?

The mystery deepens. What comes next? The deeper the team digs, the more the mystery grows. The artifacts don’t match Anthony Graves’ timeline. The vault wasn’t his creation, and yet his name remains tied to Spanish silver coins of fortune he supposedly found but never admitted to.

If the vault wasn’t built by him, then who did build it? And more importantly, what was inside?

The evidence uncovered so far suggests one thing: someone went to great lengths to hide something here. The stone pathway, the buried vault, and the iron artifacts all point to an operation that existed long before Graves ever set foot on Oak Island.

Was this structure built as a treasure storage site, a secret hiding place, or part of something even bigger, like an underground network still waiting to be uncovered?

The discovery of the chest handle inside the vault has only fueled more speculation. If there was a chest, what happened to it? Was it removed centuries ago, or could something still be buried beneath the remaining layers of swampy earth?

The lab results confirmed the artifacts predate Graves, but they still don’t explain why the vault was abandoned or what its builders were trying to protect.

One thing is clear: the team can’t stop now. The next step is obvious: they have to go deeper. Full excavation of the vault is now a top priority. The team will need to carefully remove more layers of mud and stone to expose the entire structure of the vault to determine its true size, its purpose, and whether more artifacts or even treasure are still inside.

At the same time, experts will continue analyzing the objects they’ve already found: the crank handle, the pipe, the iron hook. Every piece could hold more clues about who built the vault and when.

The deeper the investigation goes, the closer they get to the truth. For years, people dismissed the Anthony Graves story as nothing more than a legend. But standing over a man-made vault surrounded by artifacts that don’t match any recorded history of the island, the team is starting to believe that there’s more to his story than anyone ever realized.

And the biggest question of all still remains: if this vault once held treasure, could some of it still be there, waiting to be found?

The vault, the artifacts, and the unanswered questions. Oak Island’s mystery just got even bigger. If this was a hiding place for treasure, could more still be buried inside? The team is closer than ever to uncovering the truth.