RECAP: Season 7 Episode 1

“The Torch Is Passed”

• 2 Hour Season Premiere – quick preview shows us:

• Ship in the swamp? Some platform in swamp?

• Opens with Rick, Craig, Alex driving in and stopping to discuss the loss of Dan Blankenship

• Loss of a friend, difficult drive up the causeway

• The Man of Oak Island

• War Room: Marty and Jack call in from TC; Dan B. moment of silence, Rick wants a breakthrough for the Giant, Mr. Dan Blankenship

• Steve Guptill introduces, using the seismic data from the Blasters, a ship image in swamp? Using a GPS stick or marking tool of some kind

• They Mention a possible Spanish Galleon in swamp? but drill in or excavate swamp?

• Begin discussion on Slipway at Smith’s Cove, cauffer damn sealed out ocean, U shaped structure

• Items drop at slipway?

• Possible 2 decades before the Money Pit?

• (BARKHOUSE HAT IN THEIR FACE WITH TEMPLAR CROSS)

• OFF TO THE SWAMP: Steve Guptill Surveyor and Tony Sampson, Diver

• Tony found 18 ft long wooden plank @ 400 years old previously

• Guptill looks at 200 ft long anomaly

• Tony notes 3 places deep enough to bring a vessel in, needed depth

• Fred Nolan worked this area, in 1969 convinced swamp had keys to unlock mystery

  • • Once 2 islands from Fred Nolan theory? Sink a ship theory?

• Gary & Charles @ Isaac’s Point detecting: FIRST OF THE SEASON!!

• Gary is giving lessons in metal detecting and Barkhouse better appreciate that

• First Hit: A COIN…A…no wait…a 12 gauge shot gun shell

• Next Hit: A BUTTON! “it’s a bobby dazzler of a button” “a dandy button”

• 1650- 1750 guess, silver, sunburst, dated from shank on button

  • • entire catalogs identifying buttons by their shank

• Back to swamp: taking dingy out, Tony probing in swamp, a path? Rocks? Road buried?

• Tony says I GOT SOMETHING! (how many times has that been said on Island) and it’s a flat stone

• Starts dropping buoys and end up in a straight line

• Drain it is said at this point, drain the swamp

• To Research Center: sharing top pocket find, microscope on site now, up to 2000x size

• Laird! Button by hand, 1720-1770s

• Marty finally on island

• Doug Crowell reviewing a wharf in swamp? Previous action in this area? Working platform? Marty wants to explore

• Bore Hole It!

• (HOW ARE THEY GOING TO DRILL IN THE SWAMP?)

• Here come big rigs on causeway bringing swamp exploring material with Tom Nolan on site!

• 5 ton sonic drill rig, high frequency drilling, will be floating on a barge in swamp

• This assembly set up with a 40 ton crane

• Tom noted here: Dad was secretive! About swamp clues

• First time in ½ Century all land owners working together..except 1! Lot #5

• Back to research center for button discussion

• Kelley Bourassa conservator of artifacts, notes Humes? Book of Colonial Artifacts book to ID button, shanks, ends up being type 7 or 8.. 1726- 1776 button, military?

• Gary and Alex to Isaacs Point to detect

• Hand mirror? Discovered. Low tide at beach, off to beach (Alex facial reactions, ugh)

• Iron Spike discovered, not pitted, could be old off Galleon or a ship in swamp? Thick spike

• Smiths Cove- discussing 50 ft bump out of cauffer dam? More ground to explore! Box drains?

• Back to research center for spike sharing, Gary is just off limits, Alex stealing the show not letting Gary touch a thing..

• Off to Carmen Legge blacksmith for id help on spike(Carmen ID the hinge last year)

• Not a ship item, it’s a hand point for rock detail carving, with wooden mallet

• Carmen: pre 1800s..possibly 1400s

• Many Mason symbols around the island and area?

• Mug and Anchor meeting to review hand point

• Marty says: A Friend of The Cross (Drayton Cross discovery) -- both OLD

• Artifacts getting older and older also noted

• Swamp ends the opener- core samples with 20 ton drill barge guided with ropes tied to backhoes and trees

• Dave Blankenship and Tom Nolan- together in Swamp!

• Some of the basics and what the original depositors might have employed.

• Sonic Drilling

• Dendroarchaeology

• Cracking the Shakespeare Code

• Part 1 of the documentary

• Part 2

• Part 3

• Fred's map

• His son, Tom, comes aboard

• Fred Nolan never spent a night on the island. He left the island every night at dusk, because he was skeptical of what happens on the island at dark with paranormal activity

• Button clubs are out there , The National Button Society! The Blue Book guide

• Really awesome Smithsonian Site with Waterbury Buttons Identified, so much good info on the Smithsonian Site