This week on The Curse of Oak Island, the team uncovers an ancient artifact that gives the team renewed hope as they hone in on the Chappell Vault and, hopefully, untold riches.
After the disappointment of last week, when the first excavation shaft, known as TF1, came to an abrupt end with the hammer grab hitting bedrock, the team has quickly bounced back with shaft number two.
And it appears that the shaft 2 might have gotten off to a good start. From a preview, Craig Tester is seen examining a cut piece of stone slab, and Marty Lagina says, “That’s incredible that that’s down there.”
There’s renewed hope on The Curse of Oak Island
But perhaps TF1 does have more clues to yield. The team continues to run the spoils from that dig through the wash plant in the hope they’ll pick up some artifacts that were initially missed by Gary Drayton’s metal detector.
Within those spoils, Jack Begley has apparently found an “explosive clue that renews hope.” He thinks it’s a piece of parchment; he says: “… looks like parchment, but it’s got something shiny on it.”
The guys took the artifact for some expert analysis and a study of its chemical composition because a preview also shows two laboratory expert types explaining to Rick Lagina and Craig Tester that the piece could have writing on it. One of the experts also tells them that iron was used to make “older inks.”
We then see expert chemist Dr. Christa Brosseau make another return to the War Room; she explains, “that’s pre-1840s iron and has been known since the 1500s.” Presumably, she is talking about the same artifact. Her analysis places it well before the original discovery of the Money Pit in 1795 and possibly right back to the end of the medieval period.
Oak Island parchment may point to the Chappell Vault
This all ties in with the History Channels episode descriptor, which reads:
“The team discovers an artifact which leads them to believe they are about to intercept the legendary Chappell Vault.”
The Chappell Vault is named after a dig conducted in the Money Pit area in the 1930s by William Chappell. The vault is thought to contain untold ancient riches, including gold and silver, but also ancient Christian relics from Jerusalem.
Jack’s little piece of parchment may lead the guys to suspect that they’re on the same path as William Chappell. Fingers crossed, they have more luck in uncovering the treasure.
The Curse of Oak Island airs at 9/8c on History.