I don’t think I’ve seen a full war room like this for a long time, meaning it’s going to be quite exciting. Rick Lagina has called an important meeting with the team in the war room.

“We have to follow where the clues lead us, and the clues come from the research.”

After the recent discovery of the mysterious empty vault-like structure in the swamp, Rick asks team members Doug Crowell and Judy Rudebusch, along with historian Terry Deveau, to search through different archives known to contain previous searcher records connected to the Oak Island mystery.

Terry and Doug went down to the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History. It was Rick’s hope that they might uncover clues that could help prove Fred Nolan’s theory regarding multiple treasures being buried on Oak Island.

“So Doug, I’ll turn it over to you.”

“Well, this Oak Island material that we found in Connecticut really is due to the work of Terry Deveau, and amongst the things that he was researching down there, he noted this particular individual whose face I think you should be able to see on the screen now — William B. Goodwin.”

In the early 1930s, Connecticut-based businessman and historian William B. Goodwin began researching the various treasure hunts that had taken place on Oak Island since the Money Pit’s discovery in 1795.

Throughout his life, Goodwin amassed a collection of documents pertaining to the mystery, especially records connected to Frederick Blair — the man who first reported the existence of the so-called Chapel Vault 153 feet deep in the Money Pit back in 1897.

“So we found several letters in 26 boxes of Goodwin’s collection that had to do with Oak Island, and Judy and I have spent some time trying to determine what it all means. And one of the things here we found in his notes on Oak Island is—Goodwin calls it the Blair treasure map.”

“Oh yeah? Blair had in his possession a treasure map? Goodwin saw that map during his time here, and this is his diagram and notations.”

So this isn’t the original Blair map — we don’t know where that might be, because nobody’s ever been aware of it.

There were three original notations on the map — three stones that were indicated — and from what we can gather from William Goodwin’s notations, he was trying to figure out if this map meant there were three separate treasure caches associated with the west end of the island.

“Gary, have you hammered this area?”

“No, I haven’t, Marty, because it’s so rough. It’s as rough as a badger butt out there — I mean, there’s all Illy mounds that—”

“Roy, I would say the stone on the beach, that seems to be the place to start. Did we go looking for these landmarks? Find the stones that are the original landmarks on the original map and try to find out whether there’s any treasure caches nearby.”

“This is good work. This is excellent work. It may lead us to something.”

Marty’s right. We follow the clues as we have currently interpreted them.

“So I say we get after it. Let’s go look.”

“All right, let’s see if we can find the treasure.”

The Goodwin map delineates several boulders on Lot One. It’s a treasure map. It has an X marks the spot.

“I mean, it’s classic. Let’s look in this direction.”

“Okay, we’ll check out this way.”

“Okay mate, we’re looking for a big flat stone. It’s supposed to have a big X on it. We need to find a really good clue — something old, a coin with an intriguing date, anything like that.”

“We’re going to see if there’s anything really actually special about these boulders.”

“Well, there’s a flat rock right there.”

“Oh — and it does have a big X on it!”

“Oh yeah, yeah, look—oh it really does. And no mistaking that — this is in the right spot.”

A carved X on a flat boulder — just as the believed treasure map indicated.

“Hey guys, check this out.”

Could that mean that the team may be on the verge of a major discovery?

“Look at that — a very prominent X.”

“Yeah. Right, let’s see if there’s anything around it and see if there’s any metals under it as well. Because if there was something under it, I’d detect it with this.”

“Right. Well, we’ll stand back and give you [Music] room.”

“No — nothing underneath it made of [Music] metal. No, there’s no metals around it or underneath it — not that I can detect.”

“According to the notes, this next stone had an X and square shapes on it, and I think we found it.”

“Really?”

“Yes — lead us to it.”

“Okay, look at here guys — seams and squares. Look at this. The original description said that it had an X on the stone in the center of it. There’s a seam of an X here — so this has got to be the stone.”

“But we ain’t going anywhere till we metal detect that.”

“Look at the treasure. That’s a treasure map.”

“I go around it, and then on top of it. Here — we have a point on a treasure map that truly exists. These are real landmarks.”

“What does it all mean? We have to work to find that out.”

“I’m not getting any hits unfortunately. But this might be markers sending us somewhere else to find the treasure. And that’s the thing — the map, the way they were interpreting it, off this rock is supposed to be 91 feet back inland, parallel to Center Road.”

“So we run a tape in that way. There should be a kidney-shaped rock. So if that kidney rock’s here — we’re in business.”

“We’re aiming to try and keep the same bearing as the road.”

“And what shape is the stone?”

“It’s kidney shaped. Doug, hold up — that’s it! 91 feet!”

“So at 91 feet, there’s one stone here — look how it comes in like that way, like a kidney bean.”

“Yeah, this is more kidney bean-ish.”

“If you’re using natural stones as markers, then that’s the most fitting description of the shape of this stone.”

“Well, bloody H mate, we’re three for three now!”

“Well, what’s got me excited is the landmarks seem to be proving true.”

“Yeah, the fact that we found every single landmark that’s on the map — it shows the map as completely valid for me.”

“Time for some metal detecting. I can’t wait to see where this leads us.”

“There we go.”

“Maybe the positions of the rocks are important. And maybe the positions of the rocks will help solve the mystery.”

“I haven’t got any metals around the rock or on top of the rock, but you’ve seen the area. Billy’s guys have got to do some serious clearing in this area.”

“But we’ve got one more major landmark to find. What’s the description of that boulder, Judy?”

“It has a top cleaved off, like lightning hit it.”

“Let’s go to that fourth one and hopefully hit the jackpot. Let’s see if we can find it.”

“Oh — that’s what we’re talking about.”

“Yeah — no mistaking, this one looks like it was cleaved in half by lightning. I can see both sides right there, and it looks like it was blasted apart.”

“Oh yeah, look at that.”

“Let’s see — ringing loud and clear, that be pinpointed.”

“Oh! Oh! Singing loud and clear — rapid vibration.”

“Wow — look at that pin!”

“Yeah, that’s not rubber. This is an old and forged piece of iron. If I was putting a date on this, I’d say you’re in the 1700s — or a lot older.”

“Really? Wow — and that came from right underneath the boulder?”

“Yeah — it sure looks like some kind of cribbing spike that you would use for tunneling.”

“Okay, weren’t the swages found nearby?”

“Yeah — they were a stone’s throw away over there. Maybe someone was tunneling. Who knows?”

Is it possible that the team has just found another critical clue to help prove the authenticity of this treasure map?

If so, could that mean that something of great value is actually buried in this area?

“You know what it does for me? It takes this from a rock on a map to a place where there’s been human intervention — someone’s been looking here, or depositing something.”

“I think what we got to do is go back and inform the guys of what we found in regards to this map. It is a top pocket find as far as I’m concerned.”

“But unless you guys are paying me laundry bill, it’s going in the bag.”

“Fantastic Oak Island day.”