About This Artifact
Fred Nolan told Crooker that he had dug a hole near the north shore at Joudrey's Cove to a depth of about six feet and found pieces of dishes and cutlery, including knives and forks. Joudrey's Cove is where Anthony Graves built his house and barns after acquiring the island's largest holding in the late 1850s, and where the Sellers family, Graves's heirs, later lived. Domestic refuse from that household is the obvious candidate for the finds, and nothing in Crooker's account contradicts it. The material is worth recording for two reasons. First, Crooker suggests the lock with the cross-shaped keyhole may have come from the same hole. Second, Nolan separately reported knives and forks beneath Cone B of the cross formation, under a boulder he believed had been placed deliberately, and the two deposits of cutlery invite comparison. No description of the ceramics, no maker's marks, and no dating are recorded, and the material was not examined by a specialist.
Historical Context
William S. Crooker, Oak Island Gold (1993), chapter 23
Where It Was Found
Found at A hole dug near the north shore at Joudrey's Cove, about six feet deep. Location: Oak Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
