Property owner shares artifacts online
Coins, cricket badge among items found on Oak Island property
Oak Island property owner Robert Young has launched a website offering a look at the historic artifacts he has found on his lot.
The website, www. oakislandlotfive.com, features background on Young’s experience since he bought the famed Nova Scotia property in 1996 and conducted his own searches on his land. It also provides a wealth of photos of the pieces he’s found.
“I was surprised at just how much I’ve found, truthfully,” Young said in a telephone interview.
“I thought I’d find the odd pocket-knife or whatever, but it just was wonderful. I never knew from day-to-day what I would find.”
The dozens of photos he has shared on the website include a range of items, including buttons, a musket ball, decorative badges and hard currency.
“There’s a couple of objects that really stand out,” Young said.
“A few of the coins, the one in particular, the 1781 silver half-real, that is very special because of its condition. And the cricket badge, how on Earth that ended up on Lot 5 and where it originally came from, I couldn’t tell you.
“I’m a one-man operation. And when I was doing this work, I didn’t even have a computer to access the internet, so I would have to go downtown to the library and try and found out all about cricket badges or whatever. I really didn’t get very far. So, there’s still lots to be answered as far as what is this cricket badge all about, where did it come from or how did a coin from Mexico end up on Oak Island in uncirculated condition?”
The website is intended to offer viewers an insight into the historic island, Young said.
“I always look at this website as kind of my gift to the people of Nova Scotia, a thank you for letting me live here … and just to basically say I was here, this is what I did, and it’s now for you guys to figure what ... it all means.”
Young is not actively looking for artifacts anymore. He did not renew his Treasure Trove licence application in 2008 because he was nervous that associated stipulations might lead to his property being designated a Special Place.
“That just freaked me out because it basically prevents me from doing anything with the property. I can’t build on it and couldn’t sell it, so I backed off.”
The 63-year-old, semi-retired man used to run the Oak Island Oak Company art gallery near the Oak Island Inn. He still earns a little bit by selling fine Canadian artwork.
In the long term, the Upper Tantallon resident would like to build a cottage on it someday, although that will be difficult, as he can only gain access to the property by boat.
Young is not affiliated with the group running the popular “Curse of Oak Island” television series. In fact, he said he has been unable to reach an agreement with treasure-hunting brothers Rick and Marty Lagina to use their man-made causeway to access the island.
He says the television series might have pushed others like himself and his finds off to the side.
“I disagree strongly with what’s been going on there the last few years. I think they’ve kind of abused the island. My whole theme is to keep it as original as possible.”
Jonathan Fowler, a professor with Saint Mary’s University’s anthropology department, took a look at the website last week. He found the gallery of the finds interesting. He judged there was likely an occupation there from the late 1700s to early 1800s.
“I think that, in general, there is a real archeological story to Oak Island that stands in some distinction from the more adventurous narrative of popular speculative history and so it’s useful to see some of this,” Fowler said.