About This Artifact
Multiple iron ox shoes recovered from locations across Oak Island over several seasons. Ox shoes differ from horseshoes in their characteristic two-part design, with each half covering one side of the cloven hoof, and their presence on the island indicates that draft oxen were used to haul heavy loads at various points in its history.
During Season 8, Gary Drayton and Jack Begley recovered two ox shoes on Lot 15 while metal detecting toward the swamp. Jack observed that a line drawn through both finds would intersect the paved area in the swamp and the Lot 15 stone structure. Alex Lagina and Jack brought the shoes to blacksmithing expert Carmen Legge in Centreville, who identified the first as a British winter shoe for the left front hoof of a draft ox, dating it to 1650 to 1750 and noting it could be military in origin. The second was a winter shoe by the same blacksmith for a smaller ox. Carmen concluded both animals were shod by the same person, indicating they worked as a team, and the winter designation meant they were used during cold months when the ground was frozen.
Additional ox shoes were recovered on Lots 7, 8, and 24 across multiple seasons. On Lot 8, Marty Lagina and Gary Drayton found an ox shoe near the stone feature where the garnet brooch had been discovered, suggesting a hauling operation in the area. Carmen Legge's dating of the Lot 15 shoes to as early as 1650 placed the use of draft animals on the island well before the Money Pit's discovery in 1795, consistent with the growing body of evidence for organized labor and construction activity during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Historical Context
Lagina team
Where It Was Found
Found Along stone pathway / swamp area — the triangle-shaped swamp on Oak Island's southeastern quadrant.
