THE MONEY PIT
As told by Anthony Vaughn Jr. in his later years.
1795 Folklore tells us that three young friends, Daniel McInnis, John Smith and Anthony Vaughn Jr. row to Oak Island to explore, after hearing a 30-year old story about two local men that went to investigate mysterious lights on the island and were never seen again.
The three friends discover a block and tackle suspended from an oak branch, hanging over a depression in the ground. The friends dig but can't get past 30 feet. Stories of Captain William Kidd’s treasure are well-known at the time. Could this be his pirate treasure?
The story of The Money Pit on Oak Island, Lot 18, begins.
Depending on which version of the story you adhere to, The “Money Pit” or Shaft 1 was discovered the same year John Smith bought Lot 18 in 1795 and the island was neither deserted, nor were all the co-discovers considered boys. John Smith was 19, research indicates Donald Daniel McInnis was 38 and Anthony Vaughan Jr. was 13. Alternate accounts include island resident and farmer, Samuel Ball, as a co-discoverer, in place of John Smith.
Samuel Ball was a Black Loyalist who bought his first lot in 1787.
1795 Folklore tells us that three young friends, Daniel McInnis, John Smith and Anthony Vaughn Jr. row to Oak Island to explore, after hearing a 30-year old story about two local men that went to investigate mysterious lights on the island and were never seen again.
The three friends discover a block and tackle suspended from an oak branch, hanging over a depression in the ground. The friends dig but can't get past 30 feet. Stories of Captain William Kidd’s treasure are well-known at the time. Could this be his pirate treasure?
The story of The Money Pit on Oak Island, Lot 18, begins.
Depending on which version of the story you adhere to, The “Money Pit” or Shaft 1 was discovered the same year John Smith bought Lot 18 in 1795 and the island was neither deserted, nor were all the co-discovers considered boys. John Smith was 19, research indicates Donald Daniel McInnis was 38 and Anthony Vaughan Jr. was 13. Alternate accounts include island resident and farmer, Samuel Ball, as a co-discoverer, in place of John Smith.
Samuel Ball was a Black Loyalist who bought his first lot in 1787.
Event Number: 1
Contributor: Paul Troutman
Original Finders, Start of The Money Pit On Oak Island
Individuals: Daniel McInnis, John Smith, Anthony Vaughan, [by some accounts, - Samuel Ball]
From: Chester and Western Shore, Nova Scotia
Year on Oak Island: Summer of 1795
Summary of Activity:
In the summer of 1795, the story of the Money Pit on Oak Island begins, when Daniel McInnis rowed out from the mainland to explore Oak Island. He found a clearing with Red Clover and other plants foreign to the soil, growing around and below a large Oak Tree with strange symbols carved on its trunk, and with a limb sawed off. (By some accounts, an old wooden “block and tackle” pulley system was tied to the limb of the tree). Just below this limb, a large circular bowl-shaped depression was sunken into the ground about 13 feet in diameter. Daniel was aware that Pirates and Privateers were known to frequent Mahone Bay at the time, and knew the persistent rumors that Captain William Kidd buried his treasure somewhere in Nova Scotia. Daniel returned to the mainland, and reported this to his friends, Anthony Vaughan, and John Smith. The next day, all three rowed out to the island with spades and pickaxes, and they began digging in this spot. This will become known as SHAFT #1, “The Money Pit” on Oak Island
Digging two feet down, they encountered a layer of flagstones. After removing the stones, they continued to dig for the next few days. They noticed the sides of the pit were of tough clay, and had previous pick marks visible on the walls where they dug. At 10 feet down, they encountered a row of old and rotten oak logs covering the pit and embedded into the clay walls. Prying these logs up, they continued to dig down to 20 feet, when they encountered another row of oak logs embedded into the walls. Just as before, they continued to dig down to 30 feet when, yet again, they encountered another row of oak logs. At this point, they realized the project they had undertaken was beyond them, and they would need some help. They abandoned the digging in the pit and placed wooden stakes down at the end of the pit where they had ceased digging.
Key Events:
[Summer of 1795]:
Contributor: Paul Troutman
Original Finders, Start of The Money Pit On Oak Island
Individuals: Daniel McInnis, John Smith, Anthony Vaughan, [by some accounts, - Samuel Ball]
From: Chester and Western Shore, Nova Scotia
Year on Oak Island: Summer of 1795
Summary of Activity:
In the summer of 1795, the story of the Money Pit on Oak Island begins, when Daniel McInnis rowed out from the mainland to explore Oak Island. He found a clearing with Red Clover and other plants foreign to the soil, growing around and below a large Oak Tree with strange symbols carved on its trunk, and with a limb sawed off. (By some accounts, an old wooden “block and tackle” pulley system was tied to the limb of the tree). Just below this limb, a large circular bowl-shaped depression was sunken into the ground about 13 feet in diameter. Daniel was aware that Pirates and Privateers were known to frequent Mahone Bay at the time, and knew the persistent rumors that Captain William Kidd buried his treasure somewhere in Nova Scotia. Daniel returned to the mainland, and reported this to his friends, Anthony Vaughan, and John Smith. The next day, all three rowed out to the island with spades and pickaxes, and they began digging in this spot. This will become known as SHAFT #1, “The Money Pit” on Oak Island
Digging two feet down, they encountered a layer of flagstones. After removing the stones, they continued to dig for the next few days. They noticed the sides of the pit were of tough clay, and had previous pick marks visible on the walls where they dug. At 10 feet down, they encountered a row of old and rotten oak logs covering the pit and embedded into the clay walls. Prying these logs up, they continued to dig down to 20 feet, when they encountered another row of oak logs embedded into the walls. Just as before, they continued to dig down to 30 feet when, yet again, they encountered another row of oak logs. At this point, they realized the project they had undertaken was beyond them, and they would need some help. They abandoned the digging in the pit and placed wooden stakes down at the end of the pit where they had ceased digging.
Key Events:
[Summer of 1795]:
- 3 young men McInnis, Smith and Vaughan row to Oak Island and find the circular depression in the ground below an old oak tree, which will become known as the “The Money Pit”.
- Digging begins to a depth of 30 feet, discovering rows of oak logs buried every 10 feet.
- Wooden stakes were left at the 30 foot mark, when they finished digging.