Our series will investigate the possibility that a stone found in 2018 is the original 90FT Stone that was removed from John Smith’s chimney/fireplace and discarded on Oak Island.
The Curse of Oak Island - The History Channel
In 2018, Gyro Survey Expert Tory Martin was near the Money Pit, in the hollow by the old well, when he saw a stone next to a tree. He noticed strange markings on the stone because it was wet. It piqued Tory’s interest enough that he let the Oak Island team know about it, and it was nicknamed the “Tory Stone”. A CX laser scan indicated that the stone’s carvings produced an apparent script. Doug Crowell commented that it resembled a runic script called Futhark, or Elder Futhark. The Tory Stone was presented to Dr. Lila Kopár of The Catholic University and her opinion was that the script was not runic. She suggested it was another type of script perhaps Gothic and could be a piece of architecture. It was noted that the Tory Stone looked broken, and another piece may still be on Oak Island.
The Curse of Oak Island - The History Channel
In reviewing extensive information regarding the Tory Stone, it occurred to us that the stone looks like something that may have come out of John Smith’s fireplace/chimney, which would make it the original 90FT Stone. During our research, this hypothesis has become more and more likely. What attracted our attention to the Tory Stone are the unusual deep markings and unique pattern that resembled the original description of the 90FT Stone. It should be noted that several geologists have looked at the Tory Stone and suspect that its markings were made naturally. This led the Compendium to start researching the story of the original 90FT Stone to try to understand its history, legitimacy and possible whereabouts.
Nova Scotia Archives
In the October 1862 Liverpool Transcript, the 90FT. Stone was mentioned. J.B. (Jotham Blanchard) McCully, of the Oak Island Association, wrote a response to an article that was critical of their treasure hunting efforts on Oak Island. That article was entitled “The Oak Island Folly” by someone identified as Patrick the Digger. McCully related the events regarding the first operation by the Onslow Company in 1802. He stated, “…they commenced where the first left off, and sunk the pit 93 feet, finding a mark every ten feet. Some of them were charcoal, some putty, and one at 80 feet was a stone cut square, two feet long and about a foot thick, with several characters on it." It is unclear if this was an exact measurement or approximation, but it became the standard description for the 90 FT Stone’s size over time.
University of New Brunswick Library
About a year later, it was reported that the stone was found in the chimney of a house on Oak Island. The anonymous January 1864 article in the British Colonist stated that the 1802 operation discovered, “a flag stone about two feet long and one (foot) wide, with a number of rudely cut letters and figures upon it. They were in hopes the inscription would throw some valuable light on their search, but unfortunately they could not decipher it, as it was either too badly cut or did not appear to be in their own vernacular…This remarkable stone was pretty far down in the pit, laying in the centre with the engraved side down. As it was preserved in the family of Mr. Smith it may be seen by the curious at the present day.”
John Hunter Duvar - Hernewood Estate
This article sparked the curiosity of John Hunter-Duvar of the Historical Society of Nova Scotia. In January 1864, Hunter-Duvar wrote to George Cooke, who wrote the previous anonymous story. Cooke was a member of the Oak Island Association, which was working on the island at the time. Hunter-Duvar wrote:
“Sir, An interesting sketch of the Oak Island enterprise appears in the “Colonist” newspaper of this morning, and of which I believe you are the author. You mention a flagstone bearing an inscription was found and it was preserved in the family of Mr. Smith ‘It may be seen by the curious at the present day.’ May I beg, in the name of the society, to be favored with the name of the person in whose possession the stone is, as, if authentic, it cannot fail to be important as a historical object. I have the honor to be Sir, Your most obedient servant.
J Hunter Duvar Corr. Sec.”
Cooke replied that John Smith told him that around 1824, he built a new house near the Money Pit area and he put the 90FT Stone in the back corner of his chimney. No operations had gone on in nearly 20 years and the stone was put in with the carved side out for all to see. Cooke wrote that Smith showed him the stone in 1849/1850 during the first Truro Company operation. Cooke stated that the house was currently being rented by the Oak Island Association from Anthony Graves during their operation. He said that the fireplace/chimney had become boxed around by wood forming a staircase and the stone was not visible anymore. This would have happened sometime between 1850 and 1857, when Smith passed away.
The Curse of Oak Island - The History Channel
More importantly, this letter written by Cooke gave a firsthand eyewitness report of the 90FT Stone, not a second or third hand like previous reports. Cooke goes on to say, “At the time I saw the stone I noticed that there were some rudely cut letters, figures or characters upon it. I cannot recollect which, but they appear as if they had been scraped out by a blunt instrument, rather than cut with a sharp one.” This provides a better description of the carvings. He doesn’t mention any dimensions, presumably because it was built into the fireplace. The description of the script looking like it had been scraped out by a blunt instrument, rather than cut with a sharp one, made the Compendium think of the Tory Stone because the description seems to apply perfectly to it.
The Curse of Oak Island - The History Channel
In The Oak Island Mystery, R.V. Harris writes, “…About 1865-1866 the stone was removed and taken to Halifax. Among those who worked to remove the stone was one Jefferson W. MacDonald, who told Mr. F. L. Blair, in 1894, that the inscription was easily traced, but that no person present could decipher it. Apparently no photograph or rubbing was ever made.”…“The stone was brought to Halifax by either A.O. or Herbert Creighton of A. & H. Creighton, bookbinders, 64 Upper Water Street, Halifax,... and it was exhibited in the shop window when the company was endeavoring to sell shares. It is said that James Liechti, a Professor of Languages (1866-1906) at Dalhousie College, expressed his opinion that the inscription meant “Ten feet below two million pounds lie buried” but most people were skeptical respecting this version, because of the concurrent efforts being made to sell stock.” Did MacDonald leave the real stone in the hollow by the well after it was removed from John Smith’s fireplace?
James Creighton - Wikimedia Commons
In 1864, The Oak Island Association was undergoing money problems. The Money Pit had degraded so badly that it was deemed unsafe and work was suspended. The Oak Island Association ended in 1865 and the Oak Island Eldorado Company was formed in 1866. Augustus Oliver (A.O.) Creighton was involved with both companies. James Lietchi was a tutor in Foreign Languages at Dalhousie College in Halifax beginning in 1865. He was promoted to Professor in 1883. Lietchi taught French and German. One of Lietchi’s prized students in 1865-1868 was James Aylwin Creighton, who was a cousin of A.O. and Herbert Creighton. According to Doug Crowell, Lietchi also taught members of the Pitblado family who were also involved with the Oak Island Mystery. Was Professor Lietchi referred to the Creightons by their cousin James?
The Lives of Dalhousie University
Based on our research, Compendium Investigations believes it’s extremely likely that Lietchi was involved with creating a cipher inscription that was put on a new stone and displayed in the window at Creighton’s bookbinders. Why would the Compendium entertain such an idea? If the Oak Island Association was aware of the possibility of the original stone having natural markings, they may have panicked when the stone became the center of attention of the Historical Society of Nova Scotia. If the carvings were determined to be natural, it would not be in the best interest of the Association to make that publicly known. It’s very possible that it was decided that the original stone needed to be discarded and another stone with a more discernible cipher inscription being used for treasure hunting and investor attracting purposes. The Compendium will reveal more evidence to support this idea during the course of our investigation. Join us next week for Part 2.
Good day from the Compendium!