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The FBI either lied to a federal judge about having video of its secretive 2018 dig for Civil War-era gold, or illegally destroyed the video to prevent a father-son team of treasure hunters from gaining access to it, an attorney for the duo asserted in new legal filings that allege a government cover-up. The FBI has long insisted its agents recovered nothing of value when they went looking for the fabled gold cache. But Finders Keepers, a treasure-hunting company that led agents to the remote woodland site in Pennsylvania in hopes of getting a finder’s fee, suspect the FBI found...

A scientific analysis commissioned by the FBI shortly before agents went digging for buried treasure suggested a huge quantity of gold could be below the surface, according to newly released government documents and photos that deepen the mystery of the 2018 excavation in remote western Pennsylvania. The report, by a geophysicist who performed microgravity testing at the site, hinted at an underground object with a mass of up to 9 tons and a density consistent with gold. The FBI used the consultant's work to obtain a warrant to seize the gold - if there was any to be found. The...

The government has long claimed its dig was a bust. But a father-son pair of treasure hunters who spent years hunting for the fabled Civil War-era gold — and who led agents to the woodland site, hoping for a finder's fee — suspect the FBI double-crossed them and made off with a cache that could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The newly revealed geophysical survey was part of a court-ordered release of government records on the FBI's treasure hunt at Dent's Run, about 135 miles (220 kilometers) northeast of Pittsburgh, where legend says an 1863 shipment of Union...

The FBI might not have found any Civil War-era gold at a remote woodland site in Pennsylvania - but it's definitely got records of the agency's 2018 dig, and will soon have to turn them over to a father-son pair of treasure hunters. A federal judge has ordered the FBI to speed up the release of records about the search for the legendary gold, ruling Monday in favor of Finders Keepers, the treasure hunting outfit that led FBI agents to the remote site. The group accuses the Justice Department of slow-walking their request for information. The FBI must turn over...

There are some historical mysteries that may never be solved, from the date that Jesus was born to the identity of Jack the Ripper to the location of Cleopatra's tomb. Sometimes, that's because the relevant excavated material has been lost or an archaeological site has been destroyed. Other times, it's because new evidence is unlikely to come forward or the surviving evidence is too vague to lead scholars to a consensus. The lack of answers only makes these enigmas more intriguing. Here, Live Science takes a look at 14 of these historical questions that may never have definitive explanations. WAS...

The bedrock under the east side of Oak Island, where the money pit is located, is made up of Windsor Group limestone and gypsum. "Given the right conditions, such as temperature, pressure, poor fluid composition, quite often these minerals, especially gypsum, they're prone to dissolution," Aitken said. What you're left with is essentially a cavity in the bedrock, or a kind of cave. At the money pit, Aitken said the geological evidence suggests the roof of the cave collapsed. He said there are also other sinkholes nearby, which further shows the so-called tunnels and pits are not engineered, as the...

The treasure hunt threatens to cause landslides. Excavations by treasure hunters searching for a hoard of gold in the Philippines, said to have been hidden by a Japanese World War II general, are threatening to cause landslides in a remote village. The search for fabled buried treasure is inspired by centuries-old Filipino folktales, according to an anthropologist. The treasure seems to be just that — a fable — as historians say it probably doesn't even exist. "People [are] spending a lot of money and a lot of time and effort looking for stuff that is probably not there," said Piers...

Charles Barkhouse, an Oak Island historian and family friend, described Mr. Blankenship as a “living legend.” “I mean, how often do you get to meet a treasure hunter?” Mr. Barkhouse chuckled. “In truth he was much more than just a treasure hunter. He had a very full life.” Mr. Barkhouse said Mr. Blankenship was a U.S. Army veteran who had a successful contracting business in Miami, Fla., when he got hooked on the Oak Island mystery after reading a Reader’s Digest story in 1965. “He’s poured his blood, sweat and tears into that island trying to solve this mystery,” Mr....

Pretty much any subject, stupid humor is fine, general stupidity not so much, and please no snarking, that's directed at you snarky SOBs. Someone used to do a thread like this every year, but, alas, he got banned. The good news (for me, anyway) is I just noticed that a really big butthole (not the same FReeper) got banned for NeverTrumping back in 2016, and I hadn't missed the ******* at all. That got me thinking, because the predictions thread guy also got booted for NeverTrumpism, if memory serves (not sure, I think I'd already been kicked out for something...

While vacationing at Holden Beach in North Carolina last week, 42-year-old Brent Garlington spotted what is thought to be a wrecked Civil War-era steamer. Garlington, of Fayetteville, flew a drone over the Lockwood Folly Inlet, which is located between Holden Beach and Oak Island. The tide was low because of the full moon, Garlington told Fox News on Tuesday. This prompted him to take a walk on the beach sandbar and ultimately capture the footage using a drone. While Garlington didn’t discover the vessel, he believes "this is the first time it has been seen from this perspective." (snip) A...

Researchers, led by Jovan Hutton Pulitzer, claim they have evidence that Roman ships visited North America 'during the first century or earlier.' Their theory centers on the discovery of what they believe to be a Roman sword on Oak Island, off Nova Scotia.

The researchers are basing their claims on a number of Roman discoveries in Oak Island... As well as the stone, they found carved stones on Oak Island also 'possess a language from the ancient Levant' according to Pulitzer. Other findings include a Roman legionnaire's whistle found on Oak Island in 1901, a Roman shield 'boss' and a small Roman head sculpture found in Mexico City in 1933. Another clue, in his report, is the presence of an invasive species of plant which was once used by Romans... 'The ceremonial sword came out of that shipwreck,' he told The Boston Standard....

Oak Island News Release NEW READING OF MYSTERIOUS OAK ISLAND INSCRIPTION Theory points to possible connection with nearby Birch Island FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE HALIFAX, Nova Scotia: Wednesday, July 12th, 2006 - - For the past two centuries, the tunnels of Nova Scotia’s Oak Island have piqued the imagination of historians and treasure hunters alike. Now, a new theory by First Nations researcher Keith Ranville may add fresh speculation to the mystery. Based on a unique reading of an inscription once found in the “Money Pit,” Mr. Ranville believes that the answer to the riddle may be found on nearby Birch...

It may look like a fixer-upper at first glance, but what is buried beneath scrubby little Oak Island might just make its estimated $7 million price tag worth the investment. Oak Island, in Nova Scotia, is famous for its Money Pit, a mystery that has endured two centuries, claimed six lives and swallowed up millions in life savings. The Pit was discovered in 1795 by a local boy named Daniel McGinnis who, spotting an unusual clearing in the earth under one of the island's oak trees, was prompted to start digging. The discovery of layered planks, mysterious stone slabs, and...

Oak Island's lords of the ring Frozen circle of dirt could solve mystery, say treasure hunters By BEVERLEY WARE / South Shore Bureau WESTERN SHORE - A frozen ring could finally solve the mystery of Oak Island. But this ring is no precious gem - it's a mass of frozen dirt. That's the premise of a plan devised by two geotechnical engineers intent on determining once and for all whether there's buried treasure on the 56-hectare island. "This is a good plan with a high chance of success in solving the mystery," said Les MacPhie, vice-president of SNC Lavalin subsidiary...

Mysterious Oak Island up for sale French crown jewels, pirate treasure chests said to be buried there The Canadian Press Thursday, December 26, 2002 WESTERN SHORE, N.S. -- Oak Island's famous modern-day treasure hunters, Dan Blankenship and David Tobias, say they're willing to sell their Nova Scotia island properties and help inject millions of dollars into the tourism industry. But their asking price is too high for the Oak Island Tourism Association, which has asked the principal landowners whether they'd sell their land or open it up for public access. Mr. Blankenship and Mr. Tobias, both in their late seventies,...

What lies at the bottom of the Money Pit? Imagine yourself walking through the trees of a wooded island rumored to hide buried pirate treasure. Suddenly you come across a depression in the ground. It's roughly circular and there's a tree standing above it with a branch that has been cut and appears to have been used as a pulley. Your imagination is fired and hope soars. You run off to get your friends and digging equipment. You and two friends return the next day, shovels in hand, ready to claim your prize. The digging is easy. The dirt...