Oak Island Treasure Review of 2009

Reflecting on 2009 from Oak Island Treasure HQ in London, I've thoroughly enjoyed keeping you all updated with all the news, updates, videos and photos over the past year. It's been wonderful to receive your emails, chat with you online and of course, hear your theories about what you think is in the Money Pit.

I thought it would be interesting to take a retrospective look on all the excitement of the past twelve months, and give you an insight into some of the projects the website has been involved in, while keeping true to our mission to bring the Oak Island mystery to the world.

I hope the following summary provides you with examples of the growing number of individuals, media channels and essentially international curiosity that exists for the latest news and research about Oak Island.

In the past twelve months we've seen Oak Island feature in computer games, documentaries, travel guides, countless magazines, be battered by the elements and even catch on fire! So without further a do, here follows a month by month overview of the past year...

January
A cold and icy January evening in England provided me with the opportunity to finally meet with Norwegian Oak Island researcher, Petter Amundsen in Hertfordshire, UK. He took time out of his busy filming schedule to meet me for dinner and introduce me to the crew.

Petter has been researching Oak Island for a number of years, with particular focus on a series of codes contained within Shakespeare's manuscripts. As unbelievable as this may seem, Petter has deciphered these hidden messages and applied them to locations on Oak Island with fascinating results. You can read more on Petter's theories and his suggestion that geometry on Oak Island is aligned with the Tree of Life.

February
During February, Oak Island Treasure was approached by a team of British producers to act as a consultant for a documentary proposal.

This was a great opportunity to be involved with a project from the early concept stage, and feed into the creative process, to be sure that justice was done bringing the Oak Island story to the world. This is an ongoing project, so watch this space for more developments in 2010!

Oak Island in the news:

March
With the arrival of March, came a very interesting email from a writer researching for Bradt Travel Guides. Keen to include a feature on Oak Island, I was more than happy to answer his questions and provide some context on the world's greatest treasure hunt. The edition is set to be published later in 2010.

The Oak Island mystery has all the elements of those exciting stories which captured our imagination as children, and in a world where everything is so certain, it’s compelling to ponder one of the very few remaining mysteries. Oak Island remains a tale of fortitude, passion and intrigue and for that reason, I believe it would be a worthy tourist destination.

April
April saw the starts of Oak Island's debut feature in its very first dedicated computer game. The boys at Cerebral Vortex Games were keen for the Money Pit mystery to be portrayed as accurately possible within the game structure, and once again, we were at the end of the phone for some fascinating discussions of how Oak Island could move into the virtual world.

May
In May, a new channel, Oak Island Exclusive appeared on You Tube - featuring videos shot by Oak Island inhabitant Chelsea, whose family owns a holiday home on the island. These videos show Chelsea touring the Oak Island shoreline, offering views of locations previously unseen on Explore Oak Island Day tours. Thanks Chelsea, we look forward to seeing more.



June
The soaring temperatures in June did not come without risk. We heard that the treasure hunting group, Oak Island Tours Inc had been clearing large areas of brush, we can only assume in anticipation of exploratory work. It didn't take much for the dry vegetation to catch light in the heat, and a large section of land went up in flames like a tinderbox.

A local news station was able to capture the moment when a helicopter was deployed to quench the flames on Oak Island.



Later in June, fans of Oak Island from all over the world journeyed to Nova Scotia for the Oak Island Tourism Society's annual event - Explore Oak Island Days. This was a chance to tour Oak Island, view artifacts connected to the excavations which have been taking place over the past two hundred years and meet with a wide range of experts.



Oak Island in the news:
Explore Oak Island Days
Here's how to solve the Oak Island mystery
Province urged to overhaul Treasure Trove Act

July
The article Treasure hunting vacations went to press in July, featured on the Forbes Traveler magazine website homepage.

Later in the month, the Oak Island computer game from Cerebral Vortex Games launched, bringing a new channel for people to interact with the mystery, proving especially popular in Japan.

August
It was in August that the Oak Island Treasure website celebrated eight long years of providing you with news, opinion, theories and research on Oak Island. We had our annual meeting at The Captain Kidd pub on the banks of the River Thames in London with a couple of dedicated supporters.



Hurricane Bill hit the Atlantic Coast of Northern America, and Oak Island was no exception. It's funny to think of the island actually on fire only a few months previously, but this video shows the extent of this freak weather. Treasure enthusiasts were hopeful the elements may have dislodged the odd chest of gold along the shoreline, but they were to be disappointed!

September
Oak Island writer Steve Sora was interviewed for a History Channel documentary, Holy Grail in America which aired on US TV in September. The show featured Steve talking about the Templar connection to the Oak Island mystery stood right in front of our very own Money Pit.

It is probably worth mentioning that after this documentary aired, Oak Island Treasure received a record number of enquiries, emails and saw many more members join our Facebook group.

October
It was in October that I found myself in New England and arranged a social gathering for Oak Island enthusiasts in Portland, Maine, USA. It was wonderful to see some old friends, and meet some great new faces too, showing how far and wide fans of Oak Island are spread.

November
News began to grow that the Oak Island Tourism Society would be voting on the decision whether to close, due to a number of hurdles they had faced in their time of promoting Oak Island as a tourist destination.

Oak island in the news:
Oak Island Tourism Society to dissolve

December
With the arrival of December came the news that the Oak Island Tourism Society would be closing for good. The decision to do so caused much friction within the Oak Island community, so it will be an interesting couple of months to see how Oak Island and tourism may develop in the future.

More significant perhaps, was an illuminating interview with Dan Blankenship that was published in The Chronicle Herald, in which he appears deflated, yet determined.

We leave 2009 pondering what the future may hold for the Oak Island Treasure hunt, where one man's lifelong dream finds itself tethered by red tape, and if he will ever get his final opportunity to recover the Oak Island treasure.

The future

In 2010, we will remain committed to providing the latest Oak Island news, features and opinion not to mention archive material with great thanks to those kind enough to share their personal collections with us. Do check out the growing Archive and see the vast bredth of information available for you to download for free.

Despite the differences of opinion that have become apparent between Oak Island groups this past year, Oak Island Treasure promises to serve all enthusiasts of the mystery, whatever their affiliation. Whether completing a school project, researching a book or story boarding a documentary, we are always happy to help!

I would like to thank everyone who supported the website in 2009. Perhaps you did so my browsing the site, emailing us, joining our growing Facebook group, following the latest news on Twitter, saying hello in person, contributing to discussions online or watching our videos.

We remain a non profit site run solely out of enthusiasm for the Oak Island treasure hunt and will never tire of bringing together Oak Island fans from all over the world, so thank you for your support!

A very Merry Christmas to all Oak Island fans, and here's wishing you a happy and healthy 2010.

Oak Island Treasure & the closure of the Oak Island Tourism Society: some questions

It's been a hot topic in the Oak Island community these past few weeks. Ever since it was announced the Oak Island Tourism Society would be dissolving, many enthusiasts of the mystery are asking questions, such to what will happen to to artifacts and where does this leave public access to the island? 

At Oak Island Treasure HQ, we have not been left out of the fray and have been contacted by local press for our view on the situation.

Here follow some interview questions recently asked by Halifax's paper, The Chronicle Herald which will provide you with our view on this news.

Q 1. Well, first off, do you live on the South Shore? I'm wondering how you got interested in Oak Island and what the allure is for you.

I actually live a little further afield than the South Shore - I'm in London, England. I first read about Oak Island when I was a child and my fascination with the mystery has never left me. For that reason, back in 2001 I set up a website, www.oakislandtreasure.co.uk with the intent of bringing together Oak Island fans from all over the world. Around 500 individuals visit my website every day, keen to find out information on the Oak Island mystery.

I have crossed the Atlantic four times for the annual Explore Oak Island Days event, organised by the OITS and it's been wonderful to meet fans of the mystery from all over on Oak Island.

Believe it or not, there is actually a small UK based contingent of Oak Island fans who get together each summer in London and discuss our favourite theories in the Captain Kidd pub on the River Thames.

Q 2. How long have you been involved with the society?

I recall being a member of the Society, pretty much around the same time as setting up my website back in 2001.

Q 3. What do you think of its closure?

Although it is sad to see the Tourism Society close, I feel that there is enough interest and public spirit to carry the vision forward. Whether this will be a local historical society, or a group of Oak Island enthusiasts, I firmly believe that Oak Island has the potential to attract many visitors to the area.

The Oak Island mystery has all the elements of those exciting stories which captured our imagination as children, and in a world where everything is so certain, it's compelling to ponder one of the very few remaining mysteries. Oak Island remains a tale of fortitude, passion and intrigue. For this reason I believe, treasure or no treasure, it would be a worthy tourist destination for visitors to Nova Scotia.

Q 4. What impact will that have on the search and what will happen with the information and the artefacts that have been recovered?

I don't believe the closure of the OITS will have an impact on the search for treasure on Oak Island - the reason being that the excavation relies on the Province issuing the Treasure Trove Licence. There is currently considerable hold up around processing this document, which has resulted in the search for treasure grinding to a halt. In the past when no excavations have been taking place, international interest has remained, so there is certainly a public appetite for information on the Money Pit mystery, despite little or no activity.

As I understand it, those artefacts which have been recovered over the past two centuries remain in the hands of the groups who funded the excavations, such Dan Blankenship who has an impressive collection of items.

As excavations on Oak Island have been privately funded, those owners of such items are by no means obliged to share their findings, but I hope that any group can look forward to a fruitful relationship with those directly involved in the treasure hunt.

Q 5. Do you think this means interest in the mystery is waning or do you think there's potential for others to pick up the gauntlet?

I don't think that interest in Oak Island is waning at all! Every month I hear from people the world over including journalists, documentary producers, publishers and even school teachers, all eager to learn the latest news on what has become known as the World's greatest treasure hunt.