Dan Blankenship from The Curse of Oak Island celebrated an incredible milestone birthday this week — when he turned 95!
A celebration at his home on Oak Island saw him surrounded by friends and family, who decked out his home with “Happy Birthday” signs and balloons.
Pictures of the birthday bash on Wednesday showed a smiling and healthy looking Dan posing by a table with a celebratory table cloth on.
Another showed a picture of his cake, which was decorated with balloons and the message “Happy 95th Birthday Dad.”
Happy birthday messages have poured in from fans paying tribute to the treasure-hunting legend.
Happy 95th birthday Dan Blankenship…one of the true treasures on #oakisland! #HappyBirthday @_HISTORYChannel #thecurseofoakisland @FriendsofOI @ldniven
— Karen Cook (@KarenCookPhotos) May 23, 2018
One said in a comment on a post from the Friends of Oak Island Society: “Happy Birthday! Thank you for the search you have done over the past 5o years or so and for letting all of us in on your adventures.”
Another added: “Had the pleasure of getting to meet Mr Blankenship on a tour with my son two years ago. Happy bday to a legend.”
Oak Island Tours Inc. posted a message saying: “All of us at Oak Island Tours, Inc. would like to wish Dan Blankenship a very happy 95th birthday today!! Cheers to one of the true treasures of Oak Island!”
One fan commented: “Happy birthday Mr. Blankenship. Hope you have a great day, and wishing you all the best and that all your research and treasure hunting pays off big!”
Another added: “Happiest of birthdays Dan. Your experiences, your stories, your joy all make you the incredible man you are today. Never forget you are one of the great treasures of Oak Island. Big hugs n’ lots a love!!”
Matty Blake, who hosts The Curse of Oak Island’s “Drilling Down” episodes, posted a message saying: “Happy bday to Dan The Man Blankenship. I cherish every conversation w/ this incredible man. Looking forward to more…soon!”
Happy bday to Dan The Man Blankenship. I cherish every conversation w/ this incredible man. Looking forward to more…soon! #curseofoakisland #history #treasurehunt #mystery pic.twitter.com/PMhgdYV2LP
— Matty Blake (@TheMattyBlake) May 24, 2018
Dan Blankenship first visited Oak Island in the hunt for treasure more than half a century ago, back in 1967, as the lead member of a syndicate including David Tobias, Robert Dunfield, and Fred Nolan. He later became part of the Triton Alliance which ran operations on the island until 2007 when Oak Island Tours Inc, including Rick and Marty Lagina, joined the quest.
The Curse of Oak Island is set to return for Season 6 in the fall, after a string of incredible discoveries were made during Season 5. They included a rhodolite garnet brooch and a medieval lead cross — which executive producer Kevin Burns recently told us appears to date from at least the 1300s or earlier.
He told us: “The cross that we found, which was extraordinary and we’re still doing testing on it — we can’t seem to find any evidence of a cross of that shape or construction that is any more recent than the 1300s or earlier.
“In other words, some have dated it to as old as 900 AD, some have said 1300 AD, and if it is in that neighborhood, it could very well have been left behind by a Templar and that might be some kind of evidence that they did come to North America years before Columbus.”
Other fascinating finds made on the show last season included human bones and pearlware pottery deep down in the island’s famous Money Pit area.