1641
- (month unknown)
- A Spanish galleon founders near Oak Island during its homeward-bound voyage. [3.13]
1650
- (month unknown)
- (sometime in 1600s) An old man dying says he was a crew member of Captain William Kidd, had assisted in burying an enormous treasure on a secluded island east of Boston. This legend is widely spread, with searches conducted over 100 yesars. [4.2]
1665
- July
- Sir Robert Moray gives a lecture on use of charcoal-fired furnace to draw fresh air down to mine. (Charcoal is later found 30 feet down in the Money Pit, possibly used in a furnace to draw down fresh air to workers.) [3.26]
1687
- (month unknown)
- Sir William Phips of Boston is knighted by King James II of England for his success in locating the wreck of the 1641 Spanish ship. [3.13]
1688
- (month unknown)
- The returning expedition to the 1641 ship reports finding no treasure, but treasure may possibly have been recovered, buried on Oak Island for recovery after revolution in England. [3.13]
1759
- October 18
- The Shoreham Grant of 11.5 x 15.5 miles (100,000 acres) west of Halifax, including Oak Island, is a land transfer signed by Charles Lawrence, Esquire, Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of Nova Scotia. The grant is made to about 76 immigrants from New England. Seven handwritten pages, including a phrase excluding "Mines of Gold and Silver, Precious Stones and Lapis Lazuli in and upon the said Shares or Rights.". The unusual inclusion of jewels not generally native to the area indicates a reference to excluding treasure and that the government may have known of it, and had been unsuccessful in recovering it. [3.17] [4.7]
1762
- (month unknown)
- Oak Island is surveyed and subdivided into 32 lots of 4 acres each. [3.20]
- August 12
- The Spanish garrison at Havana surrenders to British ships. Many clues and pieces of evidence suggest some two million British pounds worth of gold and silver were transported to and buried on Oak Island, for later transport to England, after King George III gained greater power. [4.204]
1768
- March 8
- Edward Smith acquires Lot 19, next to the lot containing the Money Pit. (though likely not known at this time). [4.7]
1795
- June
- Daniel McInnis discovers on Oak Island a clearing in the forest, with many old oak stumps surrounding a huge single oak tree with sawed-off limb and tackle block hung from it, about 16 feet off the ground. Below limb is noticeable bowl-shaped depression 13 feet in diameter indicating something buried and settled. [1.190] [3.17] [4.2]
- (month unknown)
- (next day after discovery) Daniel McInnis returns to the island with friends John Smith (age 19) and Anthony Vaughan (age 16). They find remains of a road from the oak tree to the western end of the island. The three teenagers begin digging in the ground in the depression. At two feet down, a layer of flat stones is encountered. Digging below, they notice the sides of the shaft are hard clay, showing pick marks. At ten feet, a platform of oak logs is encountered, with ends embedded in the clay walls. Below the platform is a gap of two feet from soil settling. Another platform is encountered at twenty feet, with loose fill in between each platform. At 25 feet after several weeks digging, they quit work, refill the hole, and seek outside help. [1.190] [3.19] [4.3]
- June 26
- John Smith buys Lot 18, the site of the pit, and later buys lots 15, 16, 17, 19, and 20, and builds a house. (He lives on the island until death in 1857.) [1.190] [3.20] [4.5]
1803
- (month unknown)
- (or 1802) The three original diggers interest Simeon Lynds of Truro, related to Vaughan's father. Lynds forms the Onslow Company, appointing Colonel Robert Archibald director of operations. Investors include Sheriff Thomas Harris of Pictou and Captain David Archibald. [1.191] [3.20] [4.12]
1804
- (month unknown)
- (Summer) Searchers dig into the main shaft, finding oak platforms every ten feet. On some platforms is found charcoal, putty, beach stones, and coconut fibre. At the 90 foot level, a large stone slab weighing 175-500 pounds measuring 24-36 inches by 12-16 inches is found with an encoded inscription facing down. Also at 90 feet, water is slowly seeping through the clay. At the 93 foot level, the ground is probed with an iron bar. At 98 feet, it strikes a another wood platform, the first not at 10 foot spacing. The extent of the wood is bounded by the sides of the pit. Digging is halted for the day. (A university professor later supposedly deciphers the rock message as "forty feet below two million pounds lie buried". The stone disappears in the 1930s.) [1.31,191] [3.20,27] [4.13]
- Returning a day or two later after digging to 93 feet, water has filled to a height of 60 feet (33 feet below surface). Bailing night and day is ineffective. Colonel Archibald temporarily halts work. [1.191] [3.31] [4.16]
- The Onslow Company pays Mr. Mosher 80 pounds to run a water pump, but it bursts before any water is pumped out. Work is stopped for the year. [4.16]
1805
- (month unknown)
- (Summer) Onslow Company workers dig a new shaft 14 feet south-east of the main shaft, down to 110 feet, then start on a horizonal tunnel toward the main pit. After 12 feet, water floods in, raising water level to 65 feet in both pits. With funds exhausted, the company abandons the treasure hunt. [1.191] [3.34] [4.18]
1810
- (month unknown)
- (year unknown) John Smith puts the engraved stone in his house as part of the fireplace. [4.20]
1845
- (month unknown)
- A new company is formed, the Truro Company, including Anthony Vaughan, Dr. David Barnes Lynds, John Gammel, Adam Tupper, and Robert Creelman. Manager is Jotham McCully and foreman is James Pitblado. [3.35] (formed in 1849 [4.25])
1849
- (month unknown)
- The Truro Company begins operations, clearing out the main pit. Over two weeks they get down to 86 feet. Next day water has filled about 60 feet; bailing is useless. [3.37] [4.26]
- Drilling down the main pit, a platform is encountered at 96-98 feet, 5-6 inches thick of spruce, then a 12 inch gap, then 4 inches of oak, 20-22 inches in pieces of metal, 8 inches of oak, 20-22 inches loose metal, 4 inches oak, 6 inches spruce, finally 7 feet of clay. The drill auger comes up with three pieces of gold resembling links of watch chain. Another drill past 98 feet drops 18 inches then hits a platform at 104 feet. From the gap is recovered oak splinters and birch hoop or coconut husk, perhaps the side of a cask. From the fifth drilling, foreman James Pitblado likely put something in his pocket, not showing it to others. He leaves the island immediately. [1.191] [3.37] [4.26]
- August 1
- James Pitblado and Charles Archibald apply to the Province of Nova Scotia for a license to dig for treasure on the island. They receive it, but only for "ungranted and unoccupied lands". They try to purchase the lot containing the Money Pit, without success. [3.37] [4.29]
1850
- (month unknown)
- (Summer) Truro Company workers dig another shaft (No. 3) down to 109 feet, then dig horizontally to the Money Pit. Water breaks through again, filling 45 feet in 20 minutes. Bailing done with two pumping gins powered by two horses, night and day for a week, only partially effective. Workers notice for the first time that the water is salty, and the level rises and falls with the tide. This indicates there is a channel from the sea to the pit. [1.92] [3.39] [4.29]
- While excavating the Smith's Cove beach area, they find that the beach was artificially created. They find 6-7 inch deep matting of coconut fiber and eel grass over a 145 foot wide area, covering 4-5 feet of beach rocks. [1.193] [3.39] [4.31]
- A cofferdam of rock and clay is built at Smith's Cove to hold back the seawater while excavating the beach area. During construction, they notice remains of an old dam. When the area is drained, they dig just inside the dam, finding that the clay was removed and replaced by beach stones. Under the rocks are five 8-inch wide drains of flat stones over pairs of parallel lines of stones converging to a single larger drain at the high tide line, leading inland. As the drains are excavated, they are found to slope down toward the shore. Halfway to the shore, a high tide overflows the dam and destroys it. [1.193] [3.39] [4.31]
- At 140 feet inland of the drain converging point, workers dug down to 75 feet, but do not find the water channel. [1.194] [4.32]
- A new shaft is dug 12 feet south of the 75 foot shaft, and salt water is hit at 35 feet under a large boulder. Timbers are driven down to try to block the channel. But pumping of the Money Pit is still useless. [1.194] [3.40] [4.32]
- At 20 feet south of the Money Pit, workers dig another shaft (5A) down to 112-118 feet, then dig horizontally to the Money Pit, making a tunnel 4 feet high. At 18 feet toward the Pit, water breaks through again. The sole worker underground grabs the end of a painted yellow keg among water and timbers from the Money Pit. The company discontinues operations. [1.194] [3.43] [4.32]
1851
- (month unknown)
- The Truro Company tries to raise additional fund, but is unsuccessful, and the company closes down. [4.32]
1857
- September 29
- John Smith, island resident, dies. He had lived on the island for 71 years. His property is taken over by Anthony Graves, now largest land owner of Oak Island. [3.43] [4.7]
1859
- (month unknown)
- The Truro Syndicate re-groups, resumes excavating with steam-operated pumps. But the pumping fails, with too much water remaining in the main Pit. [3.45]
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