About This Artifact
A large boulder with iron embedded in its surface on Lot 13, at the eastern border of the swamp. Metal detection expert Gary Drayton located the iron signal while searching the area with Rick Lagina and geoscientist Dr. Ian Spooner for evidence of the stone pathway's direction. Tom Nolan, son of the late Fred Nolan, identified the boulder as one of the original ring bolt rocks his father located in the swamp area in 1969, noting that Fred had removed the upper portion of the bolt for photographs at the time. The show's account of Fred Nolan's original find is inconsistent on the total number of stones.
One Season 8 episode describes two ringbolts found on the eastern edge of the swamp after Nolan purchased eight lots across the island's center, while another describes a separate Season 8 find as possibly one of three ringbolts Nolan discovered in the 1960s. This Lot 13 boulder is confirmed as one of the originals, without a definitive total count established on screen. Dr. Spooner observed that the stone pathway appeared to angle uphill toward the Money Pit at this point, and Tom suggested that if someone wanted to move cargo unobserved, the center of the island would offer a concealed route.
Historical Context
S8E18 "Cannon Fodder"; count discrepancy per S8E13 "The Fellowship of the Ringbolt" and S8E14 "A Bend in the Road"
Where It Was Found
Found at Lot 13, eastern border of the swamp — the triangle-shaped swamp on Oak Island's southeastern quadrant.
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