, ▁some ▁of ▁which ▁have ▁since ▁been ▁carbon - dated ▁and ▁found ▁to ▁be ▁hundreds ▁of ▁years ▁old . ▁Although ▁these ▁items ▁can ▁be ▁considered ▁tre asure ▁in ▁their ▁own ▁right , ▁no ▁significant ▁main ▁tre asure ▁site ▁has ▁ever ▁been ▁found . ▁The ▁site ▁consists ▁of ▁dig s ▁by ▁numerous ▁people ▁and ▁groups ▁of ▁people . ▁The ▁original ▁sh aft , ▁in ▁an ▁unknown ▁location ▁today , ▁was ▁d ug ▁by ▁early ▁expl or ers ▁and ▁known ▁as ▁" the ▁money ▁pit ". ▁" The ▁cur se " ▁is ▁said ▁to ▁have ▁origin ated ▁more ▁than ▁a ▁century ▁ago ▁and ▁states ▁that ▁seven ▁men ▁will ▁die ▁in ▁the ▁search ▁for ▁the ▁tre asure ▁before ▁it ▁is ▁found . ▁To ▁date , ▁six ▁men ▁have ▁died ▁in ▁their ▁efforts ▁to ▁find ▁the ▁tre asure . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁Early ▁accounts ▁( 1 7 9 0 s – 1 8 5 7 ) ▁Very ▁little ▁verified ▁information ▁is ▁known ▁about ▁early ▁tre asure - related ▁activities ▁on ▁Oak ▁Island , ▁thus ▁the ▁following ▁accounts ▁are ▁word ▁of ▁mouth ▁stories ▁going ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁late ▁eigh teenth ▁century . ▁It ▁wasn ' t ▁until ▁dec ades ▁later ▁that ▁publish ers ▁began ▁to ▁pay ▁attention ▁to ▁such ▁activity ▁and ▁investig ated ▁the ▁stories ▁involved . ▁The ▁earliest ▁known ▁story ▁of ▁a ▁tre asure ▁found ▁by ▁a ▁sett ler ▁named ▁Daniel ▁McG inn is ▁appeared ▁in ▁print ▁in ▁ 1 8 5 7 . ▁It ▁then ▁took ▁another ▁five ▁years ▁before ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁alleg ed ▁original