About This Artifact
A piece of iron recovered by metal detection expert Gary Drayton and David Fornetti along the stone pathway near the northeastern border of the triangle-shaped swamp during Season 8 Episode 21, aired 6 April 2021. The team identified the piece as a possible fire grate associated with the nearby burn feature, the stone foundation with charcoal and reddened soil that archaeologist Miriam Amirault and David Fornetti had excavated in the preceding episode.
The fragment surfaced during the same metal detection session that produced a military-style cuff button dated 1750 to 1850, a fragment of French transfer print pottery from the early 1760s, and a possible musket gunflint dating to the early 1600s. No formal dating, laboratory analysis, or expert identification of the grate itself was documented in the episode, and the piece is currently held alongside the other pathway finds for further examination.
Fire grates were standard components of hearths, forges, and kilns from the medieval period through the nineteenth century, used to support burning fuel and allow air to circulate beneath. The field identification of the fragment as a fire grate was consistent with the hearth interpretation Dr. Aaron Taylor and Dr. Ian Spooner had advanced for the nearby foundation, and added weight to the case for working hearth activity at the swamp's northeastern border during the colonial period.
Historical Context
Gary Drayton and David Fornetti recovery; The Curse of Oak Island Season 8 Episode 21 "Off the Railing" (6 April 2021)
Where It Was Found
Found at Stone pathway corner, northeastern border of swamp — the triangle-shaped swamp on Oak Island's southeastern quadrant.
