About This Structure
The U-shaped wooden structure is a large formation of logs in the tidal zone at Smith's Cove, first discovered by Dan Blankenship in 1970-1971 and fully excavated by the Lagina team during Season 6. It measures approximately sixty-five feet across its leading edge. The logs bear Roman numeral marriage marks, including the numerals III, IV, VII, XI, and XII carved into the uprights. The beams are joined with hand-cut wooden pegs rather than metal fasteners, and Blankenship told Rick Lagina the timbers exceeded twenty-four inches in diameter. Archaeologist Laird Niven confirmed he had never encountered anything like it in Nova Scotia.
Dendrochronologist Dr. Colin Laroque analysed wood from the structure and determined the trees were felled in 1769, predating the discovery of the Money Pit by twenty-six years. When Dan Blankenship was informed of the result, he expressed surprise, noting he had never determined whether the Smith's Cove structures were built before or after 1795. The dendrochronology date provides the first scientific confirmation that significant construction at the cove took place well before anyone is known to have searched for treasure on the island. Geologist Terry Matheson noted that blue clay packed against the exterior of the structure matched the clay-rich till found above fifty feet in the Money Pit, suggesting both sites may share the same builders.
The structure's purpose has been debated since its discovery. Proposed interpretations include a slipway for launching or receiving vessels, the base of a crane or wharf used to handle heavy cargo, and a cofferdam built to allow construction work below the tide line. Blankenship's first attempt to fully expose it in the 1970s ended when violent storms destroyed his earth-filled cofferdam. The Lagina team's steel cofferdam, stretching 525 feet and using interlocking steel sheets driven twenty-five feet into the seabed, allowed the first complete excavation of the feature. Inside the structure, Niven uncovered a previously unknown wooden wall of thick offset timbers built for strength, along with stacked rocks and blue clay consistent with a French drain system.
Historical Context
Dan Blankenship 1971; Lagina team excavation
Where It Was Found
Found at Smith's Cove, tidal zone — the north shore of Oak Island where the flood tunnel system was discovered.
