America Unearthed (2012–…): Season 1, Episode 8 - Chamber Hunting - full transcript
There are 800 very old, very mysterious, man-made stone sites in the Northeastern part of the United States. Forensic geologist Scott Wolter heads to rural Pennsylvania to investigate one of them - a meticulously crafted stone chamber buried underground in the woods. When he realizes it may have been a ritual bath chamber for a secret society, he embarks on a quest for answers as to who built it, when and why.
- AS YOU CAN SEE,
THE OPENING'S NOT TOO BIG.
- YOU KNOW, SERIOUSLY, THIS IS...
THIS IS A CRAZY, WEIRD CHAMBER,
AND IT'S IN
THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
- THESE THINGS ARE BIG.
THEY'RE APPROXIMATELY
30 INCHES WIDE
AND AT LEAST 3 FEET LONG.
- WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS?
THIS IS CRAZY.
- THE HISTORY THAT
WE WERE ALL TAUGHT GROWING UP
IS WRONG.
MY NAME IS SCOTT WOLTER,
AND I'M A FORENSIC GEOLOGIST.
THERE'S A HIDDEN HISTORY
IN THIS COUNTRY
THAT NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT.
THERE ARE PYRAMIDS HERE...
CHAMBERS, TOMBS, INSCRIPTIONS.
THEY'RE ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY.
WE'RE GOING TO INVESTIGATE
THESE ARTIFACTS AND SITES,
AND WE'RE GOING TO GET
TO THE TRUTH.
SOMETIMES HISTORY
ISN'T WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD.
AMERICA UNEARTHED - SEASON 1
EP - 8 - Chamber Hunting
- "SCOTT, MY BUDDY CHAD AND I
DISCOVERED SOMETHING WEIRD
"IN THE WOODS NEAR OUR HOMES
IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
"IT'S A HIDDEN STONE CHAMBER
BUILT INTO THE SIDE OF A HILL.
"LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY
WENT TO QUITE A BIT OF TROUBLE
"TO BUILD IT
AND TO BLOCK IT OFF.
"ONCE WE CRAWLED INTO
THE SMALL ENTRANCE,
"WE WALKED FOR SEVERAL FEET
"UNTIL THE ENTRY OPENED UP
TO A BIGGER SPACE.
"THERE WE FOUND A NATURAL STREAM
"RUNNING INTO A BASIN
ON THE GROUND.
"LIKE I SAID,
IT'S REALLY STRANGE,
"AND I CAN'T IMAGINE
WHAT IT WAS USED FOR.
"IT DOESN'T SEEM TO FIT.
"IT SEEMS OLD TOO.
"WE KNOW YOU INVESTIGATE
UNUSUAL PLACES,
"AND WE THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT THIS ONE.
"I'VE ATTACHED SOME PICTURES
AND ALSO SHOT SOME VIDEO.
"IF YOU'VE GOT ANY QUESTIONS
OR WANT TO COME SEE IT YOURSELF,
CALL ME."
- HELLO?
- RYAN, THIS IS SCOTT WOLTER.
I JUST GOT YOUR EMAIL,
AND THOSE PICTURES
OF THE CHAMBER ARE AMAZING.
- YOU MUST BE SCOTT.
- HEY, GUYS. CHAD?
- CHAD SNYDER.
- HOW ARE YOU DOING?
- PLEASED TO MEET YOU, SIR.
- RYAN.
- RYAN.
- PLEASED TO MEET YOU, SCOTT.
- I'M ANXIOUS TO HEAR MORE
ABOUT THIS INTERESTING CHAMBER,
THIS STRANGE SITE YOU FOUND.
- WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS
UNDERGROUND CHAMBER COULD BE.
WE KIND OF FIGURED YOU WERE
PROBABLY THE MAN TO TALK TO.
WE'VE HEARD THAT YOU
SPEND YOUR LIFE CRUISING AROUND
LOOKING FOR INTRIGUING SITES.
AND I THINK THAT'S
WHAT WE'VE COME ACROSS.
- I TELL YOU WHAT,
AS I LOOK AROUND HERE...
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL AREA,
BUT IT'S AWFUL REMOTE.
HOW DID YOU GUYS FIND THIS SITE?
- WE WERE SMALL GAME HUNTING,
AND WE ENDED UP COMING ACROSS
THE ENTRANCE TO...
TO THIS CHAMBER.
IT WAS KIND OF HALF-HIDDEN,
BUT IT WAS EXPOSED ENOUGH
THAT YOU COULD SEE IT WAS...
IT WAS DEFINITELY A VOID.
- WOW.
THAT MUST HAVE BEEN
PRETTY SURPRISING, HUH?
- IT WAS.
- YES.
- NOT AS SURPRISING
AS CLIMBING BACK IN THERE.
- WELL, I SAW SOME
OF THE PICTURES THAT YOU SENT,
AND IT LOOKS REALLY INTRIGUING.
- WE ACTUALLY TOOK
SOME MORE PICTURES FOR YOU.
- OH, YEAH.
- WANTED TO SEE
WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THESE.
- IS THIS AS YOU'RE COMING IN
THE ENTRANCE HERE?
- THIS IS COMING IN
THE PASSAGEWAY ON THE WAY IN,
WHICH IS ABOUT 24 INCHES WIDE,
AND THIS IS THE FIRST THING
YOU COME INTO
BEFORE YOU GET INTO THE CHAMBER.
- THIS IS WHERE THE SPRING
COMES OUT OF THE HILLSIDE,
SCOTT.
- OKAY.
- IT SNAKES AROUND
AND FALLS INTO THAT BASIN.
- SO IT SORT OF CURVES
A LITTLE HERE.
IS THE WATER FLOWING CONSTANTLY?
- YES.
- IT IS.
OKAY, SO IT IS A NATURAL SPRING.
THERE ARE CERTAIN PEOPLE
WHO HAVE A REVERENCE
FOR RITUAL BATHING.
MANY RELIGIOUS GROUPS
AND SECRET SOCIETIES
HAVE RITUALS
INVOLVING SITES LIKE THIS.
CHRISTIANS PRACTICE
RITUAL BATHING;
IT'S BAPTISM.
JEWISH PEOPLE ALSO PRACTICE IT...
CLEANSING IMPURITIES
FROM THEIR BODIES AND SOULS
IN BATHS CALLED MIKVAHS.
SECRET SOCIETIES
LIKE THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
AND THE FREEMASONS
WOULD USE RITUAL BATHING
AS PART OF SPIRITUAL CEREMONIES,
AND THAT MEANS THEY COULD HAVE
A CONNECTION TO THIS CHAMBER.
YOU MENTIONED THAT
YOU ALSO TOOK SOME VIDEO.
WERE YOU ABLE TO GET SOME?
- YES.
- ALL RIGHT,
SO THIS IS THE ENTRANCE HERE?
- YES, THIS IS THE HALLWAY
THAT HEADS BACK
TO THE MAIN CHAMBER PART.
- IT'S A GOOD... PROBABLY
20, 24 FEET BACK IN THERE
BEFORE YOU HIT THE ACTUAL FACE
OF THE BASIN.
AND THAT'S... THE BASIN REPRESENTS
THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAMBER.
- IT'S BIG. IT'S NOT SMALL.
- NO, THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM
TO BE COMFORTABLE IN THERE.
- I MEAN, THOSE STONES ARE HUGE.
WELL, I TELL YOU WHAT, I...
THE STONEWORK HERE
IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
I MEAN, WHOEVER DID THIS
WAS VERY SKILLED.
- THAT'S WHY
WE WANTED YOU TO SEE THIS
AND GET YOUR OPINION ON IT,
BECAUSE IT'S JUST...
WE'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THAT IN CONSTRUCTION.
- DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEA
WHAT THIS COULD BE?
ARE THERE ANY LOCAL LEGENDS
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT?
- WE'VE HEARD EVERYTHING FROM
IT COULD HAVE BEEN TIED
INTO THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
TO BOOTLEGGERS
COULD HAVE USED IT.
WE HAVE NO IDEA. - OKAY.
- WE ALSO THOUGHT
IT MIGHT BE A ROOT CELLAR,
BUT WITH THE WATER COMING IN,
IT DOESN'T SEEM TO MAKE
ANY SENSE.
- YOU KNOW,
THERE ARE OVER 800 STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST PART
OF NORTH AMERICA.
THESE SITES
STRETCH FROM MAINE TO VIRGINIA,
AND PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED
FINDING THEM
SINCE COLONIAL TIMES.
THAT SUGGESTS
AT LEAST SOME OF THEM WERE HERE
EVEN BEFORE
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS,
AND NATIVE AMERICANS
WEREN'T KNOWN
TO BUILD STRUCTURES LIKE THIS.
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING
THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS.
I MEAN, THE STONEWORK
IS SUCH A HIGH LEVEL.
IT'S VERY METICULOUS.
THE WORKMANSHIP
IS REALLY EXCELLENT,
AND WHOEVER DID THIS
HAD A PURPOSE,
AND THEY SPENT
A LOT OF TIME AND...
- WELL, SCOTT, HOW WOULD YOU
CARVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
- IT WOULD TAKE FOREVER,
WOULDN'T IT?
- WELL, ACTUALLY,
IT DEPENDS ON THE ROCK TYPE.
NOW, THIS LOOKS LIKE SANDSTONE,
AND THE CHAMBER IS...
IS RELATIVELY NEARBY, RIGHT?
- IT IS.
- YES.
- IF YOU GUYS ARE INTERESTED,
I DID BRING MY TOOLS ALONG.
I COULD SHOW YOU
HOW THEY DO THIS.
- ABSOLUTELY.
- I'D LOVE TO SEE IT.
- ALL RIGHT, LEAD THE WAY, GUYS.
- RIGHT OVER HERE.
- WELL, WE'RE LOOKING
FOR SANDSTONE.
WELL, THAT ROCK IS... IS GOOD.
THIS ONE HERE IS EXCELLENT.
YOU KNOW THOSE LINTEL STONES
ON THE ENTRANCE?
- RIGHT.
- THESE SLABS HERE
WOULD BE PERFECT FOR THAT.
I'M GONNA SEE IF I CAN SPLIT OFF
A PIECE OF THE ROCK.
AND WHAT I'M GONNA DO
IS FOLLOW THE NATURAL FRACTURING
OR PARTING PLANES IN THE ROCK.
AND THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN
BASICALLY THE SAME TOOL KIT
THAT WAS USED
BACK 1,000 YEARS AGO.
AH, IT'S PRETTY TOUGH, ISN'T IT?
ALL RIGHT, GUYS.
- THERE YOU GO.
- WORK THE EDGES, YOU KNOW?
YOU GET A NICE CLEAN EDGE.
THIS PIECE HERE COULD HAVE
BEEN USED RIGHT IN THAT WALL.
YOU CAN SEE THAT
THERE'S A LOT OF WORK
THAT GOES INTO THIS.
WHOEVER MADE THIS CHAMBER
PUT A LOT OF TIME.
THIS WASN'T DAYS;
THIS WAS WEEKS OR MONTHS,
PROBABLY AT LEAST
TWO OR THREE STONEMASONS
WORKING ON THIS.
AND I TELL YOU WHAT,
I... I'M DYING
TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT,
SO WHAT DO YOU SAY WE HEAD OUT?
- WE'D LOVE TO BE ABLE
TO TAKE YOU UP THERE,
BUT WE'VE BEEN INFORMED
THE LANDOWNER DOES NOT WANT YOU
ON THEIR PROPERTY.
- ME SPECIFICALLY?
- YES.
- REALLY?
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?
- THEY ALLOW PUBLIC HUNTING,
BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT
TO GIVE PERMISSION TO YOU.
- YOU KNOW, THIS KIND OF
HAS HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE.
AND THE FACT THAT
THEY WON'T LET ME ON
MEANS EITHER
THEY'RE HIDING SOMETHING
OR THEY'RE AFRAID TO KNOW
WHAT THE TRUTH IS,
AND, YOU KNOW,
IT'S REALLY DISAPPOINTING.
- UM...
- DAMN IT.
YOU KNOW, PLACES LIKE THIS,
THEY NEED TO BE STUDIED,
NOT HIDDEN AWAY.
AND I'LL TELL YOU WHAT,
IF I CAN'T DO IT,
WOULD YOU MIND
GOING BACK IN THERE
AND DOING SOME WORK?
- NO.
- I'LL TELL YOU EXACTLY
WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
SO THAT I CAN GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF THIS THING,
SO I CAN TELL YOU WHO BUILT IT,
WHEN THEY BUILT IT, AND WHY.
- THERE ARE 800
MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
THROUGHOUT THE NORTHEAST,
BUT THE ONE I'M INVESTIGATING
IN PENNSYLVANIA
IS ONE OF THE MOST
METICULOUSLY CRAFTED ONES
I'VE EVER SEEN.
THE MASONRY SUGGESTS
IT WAS BUILT
BY EXPERT STONEMASONS,
AND THE RITUAL BATH BASIN
TELLS ME THIS CHAMBER HAD
A MYSTICAL, SPIRITUAL PURPOSE.
I HAVE A HUNCH
THERE'S SOMETHING UNIQUE
THAT CONNECTS ALL THE CHAMBERS
IN THE NORTHEAST.
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER,
I'M GOING TO GET WHAT I NEED
TO FIGURE OUT IF I'M RIGHT.
- WE'D LOVE TO TAKE YOU THERE,
T THERE'S A PROBLEM
WITH THE LANDOWNER OVER THERE.
THEY ALLOW PUBLIC HUNTING,
BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT
TO GIVE PERMISSION TO YOU.
- ME SPECIFICALLY?
- YES.
- REALLY?
WELL, THIS IS MORE BULL.
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN THROUGH
THIS CRAP BEFORE.
THEN YOU GO IN.
AND ONCE I GET THAT INFORMATION,
I'LL TELL YOU
WHO BUILT THIS THING,
WHEN THEY BUILT IT, AND WHY.
- ALL RIGHT.
- READY TO ROLL, HUH?
- YES, SIR.
- WELL, THIS MIGHT NOT BE
THE TYPE OF HUNTING
THAT YOU EXPECTED,
BUT THIS IS REALLY GONNA BE
IMPORTANT STUFF
YOU'RE GONNA DO HERE.
I NEED FOR YOU TO GO IN
AND GET SOME REALLY PRECISE
DIMENSIONS.
- OKAY.
- THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
THIS IS A BRUNTON COMPASS.
IT'S A VERY SPECIAL KIND
OF COMPASS USED BY GEOLOGISTS.
THE MOST CRITICAL MEASUREMENT
RIGHT NOW FOR ME
IS GONNA BE THE ORIENTATION...
IN OTHER WORDS,
THE LONG AXIS OF THE ENTRANCE.
SEE THAT LITTLE BUBBLE
RIGHT THERE?
- MM-HMM.
- OKAY.
YOU WANT TO GET THAT
IN THE MIDDLE.
WRITE DOWN THAT NUMBER. - OKAY.
- OKAY, SO THAT'S THE NUMBER
I NEED.
THAT'S YOUR ORIENTATION.
- THAT'S AN IMPORTANT NUMBER.
- THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT
NUMBER.
THE OTHER THING I NEED IS,
I WANT THE ANGLE OF THE HILL
WHERE THE CHAMBER IS.
IF MY HUNCH IS RIGHT
AND THE MEASUREMENTS
THAT CHAD IS GETTING LINE UP,
I'LL BE ABLE TO SEE
IF THIS WATER BASIN FEATURE
WAS USED FOR SOME SORT OF RITUAL
ON A SPECIFIC DAY OF THE YEAR
AND IF THIS SITE IS CONNECTED
TO HUNDREDS OF OTHER STONE SITES
IN THE U.S.
AND EVEN AROUND THE WORLD.
YOU KNOW WHAT
MY THINKING IS HERE?
THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE
A REALLY IMPORTANT
PRE-COLUMBIAN SITE.
THAT RITUAL BATHING ASPECT
OF THAT BASIN
REALLY INTRIGUES ME.
THE OTHER POSSIBILITY,
TO BE QUITE HONEST WITH YOU, IS,
IT MAY BE MODERN.
BUT THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT COULD
POSSIBLY BE ASSOCIATED
WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
IN MY OPINION...
AND THAT'S SOME SECT
OF FREEMASONS,
PROBABLY IN THE LATE 1700s.
FREEMASONRY IS A FRATERNAL,
INVITE-ONLY SOCIETY
THAT MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE
EVOLVED FROM THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
AFTER THE CHURCH
ABOLISHED THE ORDER.
THE TWO GROUPS
SHARE THE SAME SYMBOLS,
LIKE THE CROSS OF LORRAINE
AND THE HOOKED "X."
THEY ALSO SHARE IDEOLOGIES
LIKE DUALISM...
A BELIEF THAT UNIONS
LIKE MALE AND FEMALE
AND HEAVEN AND EARTH
HAVE SPIRITUAL IMPORTANCE.
IT'S UP TO YOU NEXT, PAL.
- ALL RIGHT.
- AND HERE'S YOUR BRUNTON.
DON'T LOSE THIS.
- BRUNTON COMPASS, CHECK.
IT DOESN'T LOOK CHEAP.
- ALL RIGHT. TAPE MEASURE.
- TAPE MEASURE, CHECK.
- GOOD LUCK, CHAD.
- SCOTT, I SURE WISH YOU COULD,
YOU KNOW, SEE THIS THING.
- IT'S REALLY DISAPPOINTING.
I'VE HAD THINGS LIKE THIS
HAPPEN BEFORE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD A SITUATION
DOWN IN GEORGIA
WHERE I WANTED TO GO
VISIT THIS SITE
THAT WAS ON FEDERAL LAND,
AND THEY WOULDN'T LET ME IN.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, RYAN?
WE ACTUALLY USED A PLANE
AND WERE ABLE TO USE
LIDAR TECHNOLOGY
TO GET THE INFORMATION
WE NEEDED.
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER WAY
TO GET THE INFORMATION
THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE
TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.
- I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND
WHY PEOPLE
DON'T WANT TO KNOW
THE TRUTH, THOUGH.
- WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF...
A LOT OF REASONS
WHY PEOPLE FEEL THAT WAY.
SOME PEOPLE JUST WANT
TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO.
SOME PEOPLE
ARE PROTECTING THINGS.
THE KEY THING THAT REALLY
INTRIGUES ME ABOUT THIS CHAMBER
IS THIS BASIN.
WHY WOULD THEY WANT
TO BUILD UP THIS WATER,
THIS SPRINGWATER
COMING OUT OF MOTHER EARTH,
AND WHAT WERE THEY DOING
WITH IT?
TO ME, THE ONLY THING
I CAN THINK OF
IS SOME TYPE OF RITUAL BATHING,
AND IF THAT'S GOING ON,
THAT ABSOLUTELY POINTS
TO SPECIFIC GROUPS
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
HEY, CHAD.
- HEY, GUYS.
- ALL RIGHT.
- HOW ARE YA?
- HOW'D IT GO?
- IT WENT GREAT.
- SO DO YOU HAVE THE NOTEBOOK?
- I GOT YOUR MEASUREMENTS
FOR YOU, BUD.
- ALL RIGHT.
- HERE YOU GO.
- THIS IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
RIGHT HERE.
300 DEGREES. EXCELLENT.
- 300 DEGREES.
- THAT'S PERFECT.
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.
YOU KNOW WHY?
HAVE YOU GUYS EVER HEARD
OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY?
NO.
- OKAY, WELL, ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
IS SOMETHING THAT
ANCIENT CULTURES HAVE BEEN DOING
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
BASICALLY WHAT THEY WOULD DO
IS ALIGN THE STRUCTURES
THAT THEY BUILT
TO ALIGN IN VARIOUS WAYS
TO CAPTURE EITHER
THE LIGHT OF THE SUN, THE MOON,
OR THE PLANET VENUS.
IT WAS VERY SACRED
TO THESE ANCIENT CULTURES.
AND THIS USE OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
HAS GONE ALL THE WAY
THROUGH TIME
INTO MODERN FREEMASONRY.
I DIDN'T WANT TO SAY IT BEFORE
BECAUSE IT... I WAS...
I WANTED TO WAIT
AND SEE THE NUMBERS.
BUT THIS 300 DEGREES
IS GOING TO BE
ABOUT 30 DEGREES NORTH OF WEST
WHEN THE SUN SETS
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE.
AND IF I'M RIGHT,
THAT LONG ENTRANCE
INTO THE CHAMBER
WILL ALLOW THE SETTING SUN
ON THE SOLSTICE...
THE SUMMER SOLSTICE...
TO COME ALL THE WAY THROUGH
INTO THAT CHAMBER.
WE HAVE TO FIND OUT
IF THAT LIGHT
DOES COME THROUGH THAT CHAMBER,
BECAUSE IT'S CRITICAL.
SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS,
I HAVE TO REPLICATE
AND HAVE SOMEBODY BUILD
A CHAMBER USING YOUR DIMENSIONS.
AND THESE NUMBERS
LOOK REALLY GOOD.
I THINK YOU GOT EVERYTHING,
DIDN'T YOU?
- I GOT EVERYTHING
YOU ASKED FOR.
- YEAH, WE ARE IN GREAT SHAPE.
I WISH I COULD HAVE
DONE IT MYSELF, BUT...
- I WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOO.
- MORE THAN ONE WAY
TO SKIN A CAT,
AND WE'RE GONNA SKIN IT.
- THERE'S A MYSTERIOUS
STONE CHAMBER
BUILT INTO THE SIDE OF A HILL
IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
THERE'S ONE FEATURE
THAT STRIKES ME,
A BASIN THAT COULD BE USED
FOR SOME SORT OF BATHING RITUAL.
BUT THE OWNERS
REFUSE TO LET ME SEE IT.
I BELIEVE IT COULD BE PART
OF A NETWORK OF 800 STONE SITES
ACROSS THE U.S.,
SOME OFF-LIMITS TO THE PUBLIC.
I SENT SOMEONE ELSE IN
TO GET MEASUREMENTS
TO TEST A THEORY I HAVE.
I THINK THE CHAMBER
MIGHT LIGHT UP
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE...
EVIDENCE OF SOME GROUP'S
ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING
OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
AND THE MOVEMENT OF THE SUN
ACROSS THE SKY.
IF I'M RIGHT, THE SECRET CHAMBER
COULD CONNECT US
TO OTHER EARLY CIVILIZATIONS.
AND I'VE GOT A PLAN
TO TEST MY THEORY.
- THIS IS CARI.
- HEY, CARI.
THIS IS SCOTT WOLTER.
I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT
A MYSTERIOUS UNDERGROUND
STONE CHAMBER IN PENNSYLVANIA.
AND I'M WONDERING
IF YOU COULD HELP ME OUT
BY BUILDING A MODEL.
- YES, I CAN DO THAT.
- I WASN'T ABLE TO GO IN THERE
AND LOOK AT IT MYSELF,
BUT I DO HAVE PICTURES.
I'VE GOT SOME VIDEO,
AND I HAVE DIMENSIONS
THAT WERE SKETCHED OUT.
I ALSO THINK THAT THERE MIGHT BE
A SOLAR ILLUMINATION
GOING ON INSIDE THERE,
AND THAT'S WHY YOUR MODEL
WILL REALLY COME IN HANDY.
IF WE CAN PROVE THAT,
WE'VE REALLY GOT SOMETHING.
SO YOU UP TO THE TASK?
- YES, DEFINITELY.
- WHILE CARI GETS TO WORK
ON THE MODEL OF
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER,
I'M GOING TO CHECK OUT
ONE OF THE OTHER
800 MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST
LOOKING FOR CONNECTIONS.
UNLIKE THE STONE CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA,
THE OWNER OF THIS SITE
ISN'T DENYING ME ACCESS.
HEY. - SCOTT, HOW YOU DOING?
- GOOD, STEVE.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED
TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SITE
TODAY.
- WELL, THERE'S ABOUT 800
DIFFERENT MYSTERIOUS SITES
IN NEW ENGLAND.
THIS IS ONE
OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES...
WITH STONE WALLS
AND STANDING STONES
AND MEGALITHIC CHAMBERS.
- I WAS HERE A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS POURING,
AND WE GOT CHASED OUT
BY THE WEATHER,
AND SO I WAS REALLY ANXIOUS
TO COME BACK.
- OKAY, GREAT. LET'S GET STARED.
- OKAY.
GUNGYWAMP IS A SITE
WITH 21 STONE STRUCTURES,
SOME DATING BACK TO 2000 B.C.,
LONG BEFORE THE FIRST COLONISTS
WERE HERE.
SOME OF THE STRUCTURES
ALIGN WITH THE SUN
ON IMPORTANT DAYS OF THE YEAR,
BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHO BUILT THEM.
WELL, WHO DO YOU THINK WAS HERE?
- VERY POSSIBLY
EARLY IRISH SAILORS,
LATER IRISH, VIKINGS.
THEY ALL KNEW ABOUT THE AREA.
- OKAY, SO YOU'RE SAYING
THAT THIS SECRET LAND
WAS KNOWN WITHIN CERTAIN GROUPS,
AND OVER TIME,
DIFFERENT GROUPS CAME OVER HERE,
JUST ONE AFTER THE OTHER.
- EXACTLY,
WITHIN A LARGER GROUP,
THERE'S ALWAYS
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PEOPLE
THAT WERE THE INITIATE,
AND THESE WERE THE PEOPLE
THAT KIND OF
PASSED THE KNOWLEDGE
FROM ONE GROUP TO ANOTHER.
THE CALENDAR CHAMBER
IS JUST AHEAD.
- GUNGYWAMP IS WELL-KNOWN
FOR ITS CALENDAR CHAMBER.
IT'S A WORKING CALENDAR,
LIKE SIMILAR STRUCTURES
FOUND ALL OVER THE WORLD.
WHETHER THEY'RE TEMPLES,
STANDING STONES, OR CHAMBERS,
THESE CALENDARS
WERE USED BY ANCIENT PEOPLE
TO TRACK IMPORTANT
ASTRONOMICAL DAYS OF THE YEAR.
- THIS IS IT.
THIS IS THE CALENDAR CHAMBER.
THEY CALL IT THAT
BECAUSE, TWICE A YEAR,
IT MEASURES THE EQUINOX...
ONCE IN THE SPRING
AND ONCE IN THE FALL.
YOU CAN SEE
WAY IN THE BACK THERE,
THERE'S A HOLE ADMITTING LIGHT,
AND THIS LIGHT BOX
REFLECTS ONTO A WALL DOWN HERE.
- SO THE LIGHT
WOULD COME IN HERE
ON THE EQUINOX
IN THE FALL AND THE SPRING,
WHICH WOULD BE
AN IMPORTANT TIME TO DOCUMENT...
PLANTING IN THE SPRING,
HARVEST IN THE FALL.
SO CERTAINLY THAT WOULD BE
IMPORTANT, IF NOT SACRED.
HOW BIG IS THIS THING?
- CHAMBER'S ABOUT 18 FEET LONG,
ABOUT 5 1/2 FEET HIGH.
ONCE YOU CRAWL THROUGH THERE,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY SIT UP.
- OKAY, WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
LOOK AT THIS HERE...
THAT LIGHT PROBABLY COMES IN
AND HITS THIS WALL RIGHT HERE,
SO THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON
IN HERE.
AND LOOK AT THOSE.
BOY, THAT'S A BIG STONE THERE.
AND THAT'S PROBABLY ABOUT
3 1/2, 4 FEET.
YOU COULD EASILY SIT IN THERE.
LET'S COME OUT OF HERE.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN
THIS ALIGNMENT HERE?
- I HAVEN'T SEEN THE ALIGNMENT.
YOU HAVE TO BE HERE
FOR THE EQUINOX TO SEE THAT.
- I TELL YOU WHAT.
DO YOU THINK
WE COULD RE-CREATE IT?
- ALL WE NEED IS A FLASHLIGHT.
- I THINK WE COULD DO IT.
WHAT I THINK MIGHT HAPPEN
IN THE CHAMBER IS,
THE SUN'S LIGHT
WILL SHINE THROUGH THE OPENING
DIRECTLY INTO THE NICHE.
ANCIENT ALIGNMENTS
WERE ABOUT MARKING THINGS
LIKE THE PLANTING SEASON
BUT WERE ALSO SPIRITUAL
IN NATURE.
MAYBE THE COLLECTION OF THE SUN
IN THIS NICHE
IS SYMBOLIC OF FERTILIZATION,
MEANT TO USHER IN
A PROSPEROUS GROWING SEASON.
SO WE NEED TO SET UP
AN EAST-WEST LINE
FOR OUR EQUINOX LINE.
BOY, THAT'S EAST-WEST.
RIGHT ON.
I THINK THIS IS A GOOD LINE
RIGHT HERE.
BUT I THINK YOU'RE GONNA
HAVE TO HOLD IT UP
AND ANGLE IT DOWN THERE.
I MEAN, JUST... IF YOU STAY
LINED UP WITH THOSE LINES
AND KEEP IT LOW,
I THINK IT SHOULD BE GOOD
RIGHT ABOUT THERE.
I'LL GIVE YOU THE OKAY
IN JUST A SEC.
- OKAY.
- IF THE BEAM OF LIGHT
AT A PRECISE ANGLE
HITS SOME SORT OF
STONE CHAMBER MARKER,
THEN WE KNOW
IT WAS PROBABLY BUILT
WITH SOME CALENDAR PURPOSE.
ALL RIGHT, STEVE, GO AHEAD.
TURN IT ON.
- HERE IT GOES.
- HO-HO!
- HOLY!
LOOK AT THAT.
- IT WORKS, SCOTT?
- IT WORKS!
WE DEFINITELY HAVE
THE EAST-WEST EQUINOX ALIGNMENT.
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
- WE KNOW IT'S CERTAINLY
A CALENDAR CHAMBER.
MY NUMBER ONE SUSPECT
IS THAT THE IRISH BUILT IT.
THE IRISH HAVE BEEN BUILDING
MONUMENTS FROM 3500 B.C.
THE GREATEST ONE IS STILL
IN IRELAND... NEWGRANGE.
- NEWGRANGE FEATURES ONE OF
THE GREATEST SOLAR ILLUMINATIONS
AND EXAMPLES OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
IN THE WORLD.
THE WHITE QUARTZ STRUCTURE
HAS A LIGHT BOX OVER
A STRATEGICALLY PLACED DOORWAY.
WHEN THE SUN SHINES THROUGH
THE LIGHT BOX ON DECEMBER 21ST...
THE WINTER SOLSTICE...
IT CASTS A BEAM OF LIGHT
90 FEET INTO THE STRUCTURE,
ILLUMINATING THE CHAMBER.
SO YOU THINK THOSE PEOPLE
MAY HAVE COME OVER HERE
AND BUILT THIS?
- I DEFINITELY DO.
I DEFINITELY THINK
THERE'S AN UNBROKEN
STREAM OF KNOWLEDGE
THAT WAS PASSED DOWN
FROM 3500 B.C.
ALL THE WAY TO, SAY,
THE IRISH MONKS
THAT CAME OVER
AROUND 500, 600, 700 A.D.
- I'VE HEARD OF THE LEGEND
OF THE FAMOUS IRISH MONK
SAINT BRENDAN THE NAVIGATOR.
THE STORY GOES THAT HE SAILED
TO THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED...
WHAT SOME PEOPLE THINK
IS AMERICA...
IN THE SIXTH CENTURY.
WELL, I TELL YOU WHAT.
IF THERE IS AN IRISH CONNECTION
THAT DATES BACK THAT FAR HERE,
THIS IS HUGE.
I'M NOT CONVINCED
THE PENNSYLVANIA
AND THE GUNGYWAMP CHAMBERS
WERE BUILT BY THE SAME PEOPLE.
I NEED TO DO MORE RESEARCH.
SINCE THE EARLY IRISH
ARE CANDIDATES FOR CONSTRUCTION,
I NEED TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT TWO THINGS:
SAINT BRENDAN AND NEWGRANGE.
LEARNING MORE ABOUT BOTH
WILL HELP ME DETERMINE
WHETHER AMERICA'S MYSTERIOUS
STONE SITES IN THE NORTHEAST
ARE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER,
TO THE IRISH,
OR TO SOMEONE ELSE.
I ALSO NEED TO SEE
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER MODEL
MY FRIEND CARI IS MAKING.
WHAT MATTERS ABOUT THIS MODEL
ISN'T THE SIZE;
IT'S WHAT THE ANGLES REVEAL.
AND THANKS TO CHAD,
I HAVE THOSE EXACT MEASUREMENTS.
IT WILL HELP ME FIGURE OUT
IF THE SECRET ROOM
DOES INDEED HAVE
A SUMMER SOLSTICE ILLUMINATION
AND A CONNECTION
TO ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
LIKE SOME OF
THESE OTHER CHAMBER SITES.
MY THEORY IS COMING TOGETHER.
I THINK THESE SITES
ARE CONNECTED.
I THINK I KNOW
WHO MIGHT HAVE BUILT THEM
AND EVEN HOW THEY DID IT.
I STILL CAN'T EXPLAIN
THE RITUAL BASIN
IN THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER,
BUT I KNOW WHERE I MIGHT FIND
THE ANSWERS I NEED:
IRELAND.
- I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHO BUILT WHAT LOOKS LIKE
A RITUAL BATH CHAMBER
IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE PENNSYLVANIA WOODS.
THIS SITE IS ACTUALLY JUST ONE
OF ABOUT 800
MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
HIDDEN THROUGHOUT THE NORTHEAST.
I THINK THERE'S
A SOLAR ALIGNMENT
INCORPORATED
INTO THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE.
AND I'M HAVING A MODEL BUILT
TO PROVE IT.
THE USE OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
WOULD BE SIMILAR
TO WHAT I SAW IN A CHAMBER
IN GROTON, CONNECTICUT,
WHICH PEOPLE LIKE STEVE SORA
CONNECT TO THE IRISH.
THE ANCIENT IRISH WERE MASTERS
OF SOLAR ALIGNMENTS,
BUT THEY WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES.
IF THE IRISH DID COME
TO THE NEW WORLD
AND HELPED BUILD A NETWORK
OF STONE CALENDAR CHAMBERS,
THERE'S ONE MAN WHO CAN TELL ME
HOW THE HELL
THEY MAY HAVE GOTTEN THERE.
TIM? SCOTT WOLTER.
TIM SEVERIN IS AN ADVENTURER
AND EXPERT
ON ANCIENT NAUTICAL VOYAGES.
- I THOUGHT, WHY NOT RE-CREATE
THE SORT OF BOAT AT THE TIME,
USING THE RIGHT MATERIALS,
AND JUST SEE
IF IT COULD BE DONE?
BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO TEST
WHETHER IRISH MONKS
HAD ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE
TO GET TO NORTH AMERICA.
- WE HAVE HUNDREDS
OF STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST PART
OF NORTH AMERICA
THAT MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE
WERE BUILT BY THE IRISH.
COULD THIS SAINT BRENDAN
AND THE LEGEND OF HIM
BE SOMEHOW CONNECTED
TO THOSE CHAMBERS?
- THERE WAS THIS NOTION GREW UP
THAT SAINT BRENDAN AND HIS MONKS
HAD VISITED THE BLESSED LAND
IN THE WEST.
I THOUGHT, LET'S PUT THIS
TO A PRACTICAL TEST
AND SEE IF THE VOYAGE
COULD HAVE BEEN MADE.
BUILD A BOAT
TO THE SPECIFICATIONS,
SET OUT.
- MORE THAN THREE DECADES AGO,
TIM SEVERIN SAILED FROM IRELAND
TO THE NEW WORLD
THE WAY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE
DONE IT IN THE SIXTH CENTURY.
- SAINT BRENDAN'S STORY
GOT WRITTEN DOWN
IN A LATIN TEXT
CALLED THE NAVIGATIO,
"THE VOYAGE OF SAINT BRENDAN."
IT REALLY TALKS ABOUT A VOYAGE,
OR VOYAGES,
TAKING PART IN THE 500s.
HE'S THE HERO FIGURE
AND THE PATRON SAINT
OF NAVIGATORS.
- YOU KNOW, TIM, IN MY RESEARCH
INTO THESE MYSTERIOUS
ARTIFACTS AND SITES,
ONE OF THE THINGS I HEAR
ALL THE TIME
FROM THE SKEPTICS IS,
"WELL, THEY COULDN'T
HAVE GOT HERE."
- THERE'S
A STEPPING-STONE ROUTE...
YOU START FROM THE WEST COAST
OF IRELAND,
ISLANDS OF SCOTLAND, FAROES,
ICELAND, GREENLAND,
AND YOU LAND IN NEWFOUNDLAND.
THESE PEOPLE,
THEY WEREN'T STUPID.
THEY WERE AS CLEVER
AND AS INNOVATIVE
AS YOURSELF OR MYSELF.
THE BOATS CAN MAKE IT.
THEY DON'T FALL APART.
THAT IS WHAT
WE CONCLUSIVELY SHOWED.
I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO SEE
WHAT THE CONDITIONS WERE LIKE.
THIS GIVES YOU SOME IDEA
HOW UNSTABLE THE BOAT WAS.
- IT'S JUST ROCKING
BACK AND FORTH, I MEAN...
- ALL THE WATER
THAT'S FLYING IN THE WHOLE TIME.
- THESE ROPES,
WHAT ARE THE ROPES DOING THERE?
- THEY ARE ACTING AS BRAKES,
BECAUSE WHEN
YOU'RE IN VERY BAD WEATHER,
YOU HAVE TO JUST RUN DOWNWIND.
AND IF YOU ARE AT THE SAME SPEED
AS A WAVE,
IT'LL PITCHPOLE YOU;
IT'LL SEND...
MAKE A SOMERSAULT.
- SO AT THE END OF THE DAY,
YOU MADE IT.
- WE DID.
- OKAY.
AND WHAT THIS TELLS ME
IS THAT THE EARLY IRISH
COULD ALSO HAVE MADE IT.
- ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT
THAT THEY HAD
THE TECHNICAL ABILITY
TO GET THERE.
THEY HAD THE SEA SKILLS.
AND THEY HAD
THE TECHNICAL SKILLS
IN THAT THEY BUILT BOATS
FULLY CAPABLE OF THAT JOURNEY.
- TIM SEVERIN'S LEATHER BOAT
ISN'T PROOF
SAINT BRENDAN AND HIS CREW
MADE IT TO AMERICA,
BUT IT'S EVIDENCE
THAT THEY COULD HAVE.
AND IF THEY MADE IT,
THE IRISH COULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE STONE CHAMBERS
I'M INVESTIGATING.
I'M HOPING THERE ARE MORE CLUES
AT THE ANCIENT STONE SITE
CALLED NEWGRANGE.
NEWGRANGE IS A LOT BIGGER
THAN THE SINGLE STONE CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA
OR THE STRUCTURES AT GUNGYWAMP.
BUT ONE THING ALL THREE PLACES
HAVE IN COMMON:
UNIQUE CONSTRUCTION TO SHOWCASE
IMPORTANT DAYS OF THE YEAR.
I'M MEETING UP WITH ALAN BUTLER,
AN OLD FRIEND
AND COLLEAGUE OF MINE.
WELL, STRANGER.
- HOW YOU DOING, MATE?
- GOOD TO SEE YOU, ALAN.
I'M TRYING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF WHO BUILT
THESE 800 MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST PART
OF NORTH AMERICA.
AND I THINK THERE'S
A POSSIBILITY
THE IRISH COULD BE INVOLVED,
SO THAT'S WHY I'M HERE
AT NEWGRANGE.
- THIS PLACE DATES BACK
TO 3200 B.C....
- REALLY?
- WHICH IS NEARLY 1,000 YEARS
BEFORE THE PYRAMIDS.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK
WAS ITS PURPOSE?
WHY DID THEY BUILD NEWGRANGE?
- WELL, IT'S ACTUALLY CALLED
A PASSAGE GRAVE,
OR A PASSAGE TOMB,
BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS,
BUT I DON'T REALLY THINK
TO CALL IT A TOMB OF ANY KIND
DOES IT JUSTICE.
I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE LIKELY
TERMED A TEMPLE.
- SO, ALAN, WHO BUILT NEWGRANGE?
- OH, IT'S QUITE
NATURALLY ACCEPTED
THAT THIS PLACE WAS BUILT
BY ORDINARY IRISH FARMERS,
VERY CLEVER ONES,
BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE
BACK IN LATE STONE AGE.
- SO IS THERE ANYBODY WHO THINKS
THAT THIS COULD BE CONNECTED
TO THE LEGEND OF SAINT BRENDAN
THE NAVIGATOR?
- WELL,
THERE'S A BIG GAP IN TIME
BETWEEN THE SIXTH CENTURY A.D.
AND 3200 B.C.
SO AT FIRST SIGHT, NO,
BUT YET THERE IS A CONNECTION,
BECAUSE BRENDAN IS FAMOUS
FOR HIS OCEANIC
AND SEA NAVIGATION.
THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THIS PLACE
BACK IN THE NEW STONE AGE
WERE GREAT SAILORS AS WELL.
ALL THE ROCKS
WE SEE AROUND HERE,
BIG AS SOME OF THEM ARE,
WERE BROUGHT HERE BY WATER.
- LOOK AT THOSE SPIRALS.
I'VE SEEN THOSE BEFORE.
BOTH IN ARIZONA AND GEORGIA,
I SAW SPIRALS EXACTLY LIKE THAT
CARVED ON ROCK.
AND ONE OF THEM WAS, IN FACT,
A MOUND
THAT WAS SHAPED LIKE A SPIRAL.
AND WE KNOW THAT THEY...
THEY DID IT AT THOSE SITES
INCORPORATING ARCHAEOASTRONOMY.
THERE'S GOT TO BE A CONNECTION
HERE AS WELL.
- WHOEVER MADE THEM
HAD A REALLY GOOD UNDERSTANDING
OF GEOMETRY.
MOST EXPERTS ARE PRETTY SURE
THAT SPIRALS
HAVE SOMETHING TO DO
WITH THEIR COMPREHENSION
OF THE PASSAGE OF TIME.
WE KNOW NOW
THAT THEY MEASURED IT
BY THE MOVING PLANETS AND STARS.
SO IT AMOUNTS TO THE SAME THING.
- THE PASSAGE OF TIME,
MATHEMATICS,
AND ALL OF THIS
IS ALL TIED TOGETHER.
THE EARLY IRISH PEOPLE'S
UNDERSTANDING
OF THE UNIVERSE AS DEMONSTRATED
BY THESE SPIRALS IS IMPORTANT.
IT'S WHAT COULD CONNECT
THIS SACRED PLACE TO GUNGYWAMP,
TO THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER,
AND TO OTHER
FORBIDDEN STONE SITES
IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND THE ILLUMINATION
THAT TAKES PLACE HERE
ON AN IMPORTANT DAY OF THE YEAR,
THE WINTER SOLSTICE,
FASCINATES NOT JUST ME
BUT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
- IT'S OF SUCH MASSIVE INTEREST
THAT AT LEAST 35,000 PEOPLE
EACH YEAR WOULD LIKE TO VIEW IT.
SO THEY HAVE A LOTTERY,
AND THE 100 WINNING PEOPLE
GET TO SEE IT.
- SO ONLY A 100 OUT OF 35,000?
- I'M AFRAID SO.
- AFTER WALKING THROUGH THE SITE
WITH ALAN,
I LEARNED
THAT ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE,
THE RISING SUN
ENTERS A LIGHT BOX
OVER A DOORWAY AT NEWGRANGE.
ITS BEAM OF LIGHT
RUNS DOWN A PASSAGE
AND EVENTUALLY ILLUMINATES
THE FLOOR OF THE CHAMBER.
THIS SOLSTICE EVENT
IS INCREDIBLY PRECISE.
TODAY, THE LIGHT ENTERS
AT FOUR MINUTES AFTER SUNRISE.
5,000 YEARS AGO,
THE LIGHT WOULD HAVE ENTERED
EXACTLY AT SUNRISE.
IT'S THE SAME KIND
OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
I THINK MIGHT BE IN PLAY
IN PENNSYLVANIA.
I DIDN'T SEE IT MYSELF,
BUT THERE'S A CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA
THAT SOME FRIENDS OF MINE
HAVE DOCUMENTED
ALL THE DIMENSIONS,
ALL THE PARAMETERS OF IT
IN DETAIL,
AND I'M GOING TO RE-CREATE
THAT CHAMBER.
THE WAY IT'S ORIENTED,
IT LOOKS LIKE, TO ME,
WE MAY HAVE A SIMILAR EVENT
THAT HAPPENS THERE
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE
AS THE SUN SETS IN THE WEST.
I'M WONDERING
IF THERE COULD BE A CONNECTION
BETWEEN THIS TRADITION
OF BUILDING THESE CHAMBERS,
THESE ANCIENT SACRED SITES,
WITH THE PEOPLE THAT BUILT
THIS MYSTERIOUS CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA.
I CAME TO IRELAND TO FIND OUT
IF IRISH MONKS COULD HAVE BUILT
SOME OF THE 800 MYSTERIOUS
STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER
OF THE UNITED STATES.
AFTER SEEING TIM SEVERIN'S BOAT
AND LEARNING ABOUT
THE ILLUMINATION AT NEWGRANGE,
I HAVE NO DOUBT THE EARLY IRISH
COULD HAVE MADE IT TO AMERICA
AND BROUGHT THEIR KNOWLEDGE
OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY WITH THEM
AND PERHAPS COULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE CHAMBER
I'M INVESTIGATING
IN PENNSYLVANIA
OR SOME OF THE OTHER
MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
DOTTING THE NORTHEAST.
CARI'S DONE WITH
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER MODEL.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO GET ME
ONE STEP CLOSER
TO FIGURING OUT WHO BUILT
THAT SITE IN THE WOODS
AND IF ONE, OR MORE THAN ONE,
ANCIENT CULTURE
WITH AN ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING
OF THE SUN AND STARS
ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR AMERICA'S NETWORK
OF MYSTERIOUS
STONE CHAMBER SITES.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK?
- BASED ON THE PICTURES
THAT I'VE SEEN
AND THE DIMENSIONS,
EVERYTHING LOOKS GREAT.
THIS IS AMAZING.
- WELL, I JUST GOT BACK
FROM NEWGRANGE IN IRELAND,
AND IT WAS FANTASTIC.
THERE'S ILLUMINATION EVENTS
ON THE SOLSTICE.
AND, OF COURSE, THAT MAKES ME
FRUSTRATED ALL OVER AGAIN
THAT I WASN'T ALLOWED
TO GO ON THE PROPERTY
TO SEE THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA.
BUT SINCE HUNTING IS ALLOWED,
OUR FRIEND CHAD,
WHO TOLD US
ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBER,
HE WENT BACK, GOT THE DIMENSIONS
AND ALL THE DATA FOR US.
HOW DID THAT WORK OUT FOR YA?
- YEAH, IT WORKED GREAT.
THIS GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA
OF A CROSS SECTION OF THE HILL
AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
- YES, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
LOOK AT THAT.
- AND THEN I ALSO BUILT
THIS PIECE SO IT COMES OFF,
SO YOU CAN GET A LITTLE BIT MORE
OF, LIKE, THE UPPER STRUCTURE.
TOOK YOUR PHOTOS
AND THE SPECS YOU GAVE ME
AND KIND OF PIECED IT
ALL TOGETHER.
- BASED ON THE PICTURES
THAT I'VE SEEN
AND THE DIMENSIONS,
EVERYTHING LOOKS GREAT.
HOW LONG DID THIS TAKE YOU?
- PROBABLY TOOK, LIKE, A WEEK.
- IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL.
THERE'S OVER 800
MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST PART
OF THE COUNTRY.
MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT
THESE THINGS MIGHT BE CONNECTED,
AND I'M INVESTIGATING
WHETHER THEY COULD BE CONNECTED,
WHO BUILT THEM,
AND, OF COURSE, WHY.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE THINKING
THAT THE IRISH
COULD BE INVOLVED IN THESE,
AND THE IRISH DO MAKE SENSE
IN PLACES LIKE GUNGYWAMP.
THIS DOESN'T SEEM
TO BE IRISH TO ME.
BECAUSE OF THE INVOLVEMENT
OF THE WATER,
I THINK MAYBE
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
WOULD BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
THEY WERE INTO RITUAL BATHING.
OR IT COULD BE SOMEBODY
MORE MODERN,
SOMEBODY LIKE A SECRET SOCIETY,
MAYBE A FREEMASON GROUP,
THAT WAS INTO THIS
RITUAL BATHING TYPE OF THING.
YOU KNOW,
THE WATER'S THE WILD CARD
WITH A CHAMBER LIKE THIS.
- MM-HMM,
WELL, SPEAKING OF THE WATER,
CHECK THIS OUT.
- LOOK AT THAT.
THE WATER'S COMING DOWN.
AND IT'S FLOWING INTO THE BASIN.
THAT'S GONNA FILL UP.
AND IT'S GONNA OVERFLOW.
CHAD SAID IT JUST FLOWS
INTO THE GROUND
AND THEN COMES OUT IN A RAVINE
FARTHER DOWN THE HILL.
I TELL YOU WHAT. I'M IMPRESSED.
WELL, CARI, THIS LOOKS GREAT.
BUT THERE'S ONE MORE PIECE.
WE NEED TO SEE IF THE LIGHT
COMES THROUGH INTO THE CHAMBER
AND GOES BACK THERE,
'CAUSE I THINK IT JUST MIGHT.
WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO
IS POSITION THE LIGHT
SO IT EXACTLY MATCHES WHERE
THE SUN WOULD BE IN THE SKY
OUTSIDE THE CHAMBER
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE.
THEN WE'RE GOING TO MOVE
THE LIGHT
TO REPLICATE THE SUN'S MOVEMENT
ACROSS THE SKY
TO SEE IF IT ILLUMINATES
THE SPRING.
THE SUN'S POSITION
IS WELL-DOCUMENTED.
THANKS TO CHAD'S
PRECISE MEASUREMENTS,
I KNOW IT LINES UP
WITH THE CHAMBER.
ALL RIGHT.
- IT COMES...
- SO... NOW, THERE.
OKAY, STOP RIGHT THERE.
THERE'S A BEAM OF LIGHT
RIGHT HERE.
SO KEEP GOING, KEEP GOING,
AND SET IT INTO PLACE
SO IT'S MOVING
ALONG THE BACK WALL HERE.
BASED ON CHAD'S MEASUREMENTS,
LIKE THE 300-DEGREE ORIENTATION
HE FOUND,
IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I EXPECTED.
IT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK.
AND IT GOES BACK.
THAT'S WHERE THE WATER COMES OUT
OF THE CRACK IN THE GROUND,
THE SPRING.
THE LIGHT GOES
ALL THE WAY BACK THERE.
THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
TO ME,
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CHAMBER
IS A CLEAR EXAMPLE OF DUALISM.
AND THAT'S THE BIGGEST CLUE
TO WHO MAY HAVE BUILT
THIS PARTICULAR CHAMBER.
IT'S A CONCEPT EMBRACED
BY BOTH THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
AND THE FREEMASONS
TO REPRESENT THE SPIRITUAL
AND PHYSICAL IMPORTANCE
OF THE UNION OF OPPOSITES:
MALE/FEMALE, GOOD/EVIL,
HEAVEN AND EARTH.
IN THIS CASE,
WE HAVE THE SUNBEAM,
AN ANCIENT, ALLEGORICAL SYMBOL
OF THE FERTILIZATION
BY THE MALE.
IT PIERCES MOTHER EARTH,
THE CREVICE IN THE EARTH
WHERE THE SPRING FLOWS FROM.
TOGETHER,
THIS UNION OF THE SUN AND EARTH
PRODUCES SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
AND SACRED
TO THE ANCIENT ARCHITECTS
OF THIS CHAMBER.
KNOWING THE TYPE OF MASONRY
USED TO BUILD IT
AND FIGURING IN
THE RITUAL BATHING COMPONENTS,
I HAVE TO THINK THE FREEMASONS
WERE INVOLVED IN THIS CHAMBER,
WHICH PROBABLY DATES BACK
TO COLONIAL TIMES.
EVEN THOUGH WE WEREN'T INSIDE
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE,
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
WITH YOUR MODEL HERE
AND THIS DEMONSTRATION,
WE'VE PROVEN
WHAT HAPPENS ON THAT DAY.
I TOLD CHAD AND RYAN
THAT I BELIEVE THE MODEL WORKED.
AND I TOLD THEM TO GO BACK
TO THE CHAMBER
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE
AND TO DOCUMENT WHAT THEY SAW.
JUST LIKE OUR MODEL,
THE SUN'S LIGHT
GOES DEEP INTO THE CHAMBER,
ILLUMINATING THE EXACT SPOT
WHERE THE WATER ENTERS.
THERE ARE 800 MYSTERIOUS
STONE SITES IN THE NORTHEAST.
EARLY IRISH
MAY HAVE BUILT SOME OF THEM.
AND WE KNOW THEY COULD HAVE
MADE IT HERE
LONG BEFORE COLUMBUS.
AS FOR THE SECRET SITE HIDDEN
IN A PENNSYLVANIA HILLSIDE,
I BELIEVE FREEMASONS
DESERVE CREDIT FOR THAT
BECAUSE OF THE STYLE OF MASONRY
AND INCORPORATION OF DUALISM
INTO ITS DESIGN.
ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
TIES MANY CULTURES TOGETHER
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
PEOPLE LIKE THE MAYANS,
THE CELTS,
THE IRISH, THE TEMPLARS,
AND THE FREEMASONS,
ALL HAVE MYSTERIES OF THEIR OWN,
WHICH I'M JUST NOW
STARTING TO UNRAVEL.
Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk
THE OPENING'S NOT TOO BIG.
- YOU KNOW, SERIOUSLY, THIS IS...
THIS IS A CRAZY, WEIRD CHAMBER,
AND IT'S IN
THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
- THESE THINGS ARE BIG.
THEY'RE APPROXIMATELY
30 INCHES WIDE
AND AT LEAST 3 FEET LONG.
- WHAT IN THE HELL IS THIS?
THIS IS CRAZY.
- THE HISTORY THAT
WE WERE ALL TAUGHT GROWING UP
IS WRONG.
MY NAME IS SCOTT WOLTER,
AND I'M A FORENSIC GEOLOGIST.
THERE'S A HIDDEN HISTORY
IN THIS COUNTRY
THAT NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT.
THERE ARE PYRAMIDS HERE...
CHAMBERS, TOMBS, INSCRIPTIONS.
THEY'RE ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY.
WE'RE GOING TO INVESTIGATE
THESE ARTIFACTS AND SITES,
AND WE'RE GOING TO GET
TO THE TRUTH.
SOMETIMES HISTORY
ISN'T WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD.
AMERICA UNEARTHED - SEASON 1
EP - 8 - Chamber Hunting
- "SCOTT, MY BUDDY CHAD AND I
DISCOVERED SOMETHING WEIRD
"IN THE WOODS NEAR OUR HOMES
IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
"IT'S A HIDDEN STONE CHAMBER
BUILT INTO THE SIDE OF A HILL.
"LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY
WENT TO QUITE A BIT OF TROUBLE
"TO BUILD IT
AND TO BLOCK IT OFF.
"ONCE WE CRAWLED INTO
THE SMALL ENTRANCE,
"WE WALKED FOR SEVERAL FEET
"UNTIL THE ENTRY OPENED UP
TO A BIGGER SPACE.
"THERE WE FOUND A NATURAL STREAM
"RUNNING INTO A BASIN
ON THE GROUND.
"LIKE I SAID,
IT'S REALLY STRANGE,
"AND I CAN'T IMAGINE
WHAT IT WAS USED FOR.
"IT DOESN'T SEEM TO FIT.
"IT SEEMS OLD TOO.
"WE KNOW YOU INVESTIGATE
UNUSUAL PLACES,
"AND WE THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT THIS ONE.
"I'VE ATTACHED SOME PICTURES
AND ALSO SHOT SOME VIDEO.
"IF YOU'VE GOT ANY QUESTIONS
OR WANT TO COME SEE IT YOURSELF,
CALL ME."
- HELLO?
- RYAN, THIS IS SCOTT WOLTER.
I JUST GOT YOUR EMAIL,
AND THOSE PICTURES
OF THE CHAMBER ARE AMAZING.
- YOU MUST BE SCOTT.
- HEY, GUYS. CHAD?
- CHAD SNYDER.
- HOW ARE YOU DOING?
- PLEASED TO MEET YOU, SIR.
- RYAN.
- RYAN.
- PLEASED TO MEET YOU, SCOTT.
- I'M ANXIOUS TO HEAR MORE
ABOUT THIS INTERESTING CHAMBER,
THIS STRANGE SITE YOU FOUND.
- WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS
UNDERGROUND CHAMBER COULD BE.
WE KIND OF FIGURED YOU WERE
PROBABLY THE MAN TO TALK TO.
WE'VE HEARD THAT YOU
SPEND YOUR LIFE CRUISING AROUND
LOOKING FOR INTRIGUING SITES.
AND I THINK THAT'S
WHAT WE'VE COME ACROSS.
- I TELL YOU WHAT,
AS I LOOK AROUND HERE...
WHAT A BEAUTIFUL AREA,
BUT IT'S AWFUL REMOTE.
HOW DID YOU GUYS FIND THIS SITE?
- WE WERE SMALL GAME HUNTING,
AND WE ENDED UP COMING ACROSS
THE ENTRANCE TO...
TO THIS CHAMBER.
IT WAS KIND OF HALF-HIDDEN,
BUT IT WAS EXPOSED ENOUGH
THAT YOU COULD SEE IT WAS...
IT WAS DEFINITELY A VOID.
- WOW.
THAT MUST HAVE BEEN
PRETTY SURPRISING, HUH?
- IT WAS.
- YES.
- NOT AS SURPRISING
AS CLIMBING BACK IN THERE.
- WELL, I SAW SOME
OF THE PICTURES THAT YOU SENT,
AND IT LOOKS REALLY INTRIGUING.
- WE ACTUALLY TOOK
SOME MORE PICTURES FOR YOU.
- OH, YEAH.
- WANTED TO SEE
WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THESE.
- IS THIS AS YOU'RE COMING IN
THE ENTRANCE HERE?
- THIS IS COMING IN
THE PASSAGEWAY ON THE WAY IN,
WHICH IS ABOUT 24 INCHES WIDE,
AND THIS IS THE FIRST THING
YOU COME INTO
BEFORE YOU GET INTO THE CHAMBER.
- THIS IS WHERE THE SPRING
COMES OUT OF THE HILLSIDE,
SCOTT.
- OKAY.
- IT SNAKES AROUND
AND FALLS INTO THAT BASIN.
- SO IT SORT OF CURVES
A LITTLE HERE.
IS THE WATER FLOWING CONSTANTLY?
- YES.
- IT IS.
OKAY, SO IT IS A NATURAL SPRING.
THERE ARE CERTAIN PEOPLE
WHO HAVE A REVERENCE
FOR RITUAL BATHING.
MANY RELIGIOUS GROUPS
AND SECRET SOCIETIES
HAVE RITUALS
INVOLVING SITES LIKE THIS.
CHRISTIANS PRACTICE
RITUAL BATHING;
IT'S BAPTISM.
JEWISH PEOPLE ALSO PRACTICE IT...
CLEANSING IMPURITIES
FROM THEIR BODIES AND SOULS
IN BATHS CALLED MIKVAHS.
SECRET SOCIETIES
LIKE THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
AND THE FREEMASONS
WOULD USE RITUAL BATHING
AS PART OF SPIRITUAL CEREMONIES,
AND THAT MEANS THEY COULD HAVE
A CONNECTION TO THIS CHAMBER.
YOU MENTIONED THAT
YOU ALSO TOOK SOME VIDEO.
WERE YOU ABLE TO GET SOME?
- YES.
- ALL RIGHT,
SO THIS IS THE ENTRANCE HERE?
- YES, THIS IS THE HALLWAY
THAT HEADS BACK
TO THE MAIN CHAMBER PART.
- IT'S A GOOD... PROBABLY
20, 24 FEET BACK IN THERE
BEFORE YOU HIT THE ACTUAL FACE
OF THE BASIN.
AND THAT'S... THE BASIN REPRESENTS
THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAMBER.
- IT'S BIG. IT'S NOT SMALL.
- NO, THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM
TO BE COMFORTABLE IN THERE.
- I MEAN, THOSE STONES ARE HUGE.
WELL, I TELL YOU WHAT, I...
THE STONEWORK HERE
IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
I MEAN, WHOEVER DID THIS
WAS VERY SKILLED.
- THAT'S WHY
WE WANTED YOU TO SEE THIS
AND GET YOUR OPINION ON IT,
BECAUSE IT'S JUST...
WE'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING
LIKE THAT IN CONSTRUCTION.
- DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEA
WHAT THIS COULD BE?
ARE THERE ANY LOCAL LEGENDS
OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT?
- WE'VE HEARD EVERYTHING FROM
IT COULD HAVE BEEN TIED
INTO THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
TO BOOTLEGGERS
COULD HAVE USED IT.
WE HAVE NO IDEA. - OKAY.
- WE ALSO THOUGHT
IT MIGHT BE A ROOT CELLAR,
BUT WITH THE WATER COMING IN,
IT DOESN'T SEEM TO MAKE
ANY SENSE.
- YOU KNOW,
THERE ARE OVER 800 STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST PART
OF NORTH AMERICA.
THESE SITES
STRETCH FROM MAINE TO VIRGINIA,
AND PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED
FINDING THEM
SINCE COLONIAL TIMES.
THAT SUGGESTS
AT LEAST SOME OF THEM WERE HERE
EVEN BEFORE
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS,
AND NATIVE AMERICANS
WEREN'T KNOWN
TO BUILD STRUCTURES LIKE THIS.
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING
THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS.
I MEAN, THE STONEWORK
IS SUCH A HIGH LEVEL.
IT'S VERY METICULOUS.
THE WORKMANSHIP
IS REALLY EXCELLENT,
AND WHOEVER DID THIS
HAD A PURPOSE,
AND THEY SPENT
A LOT OF TIME AND...
- WELL, SCOTT, HOW WOULD YOU
CARVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT?
- IT WOULD TAKE FOREVER,
WOULDN'T IT?
- WELL, ACTUALLY,
IT DEPENDS ON THE ROCK TYPE.
NOW, THIS LOOKS LIKE SANDSTONE,
AND THE CHAMBER IS...
IS RELATIVELY NEARBY, RIGHT?
- IT IS.
- YES.
- IF YOU GUYS ARE INTERESTED,
I DID BRING MY TOOLS ALONG.
I COULD SHOW YOU
HOW THEY DO THIS.
- ABSOLUTELY.
- I'D LOVE TO SEE IT.
- ALL RIGHT, LEAD THE WAY, GUYS.
- RIGHT OVER HERE.
- WELL, WE'RE LOOKING
FOR SANDSTONE.
WELL, THAT ROCK IS... IS GOOD.
THIS ONE HERE IS EXCELLENT.
YOU KNOW THOSE LINTEL STONES
ON THE ENTRANCE?
- RIGHT.
- THESE SLABS HERE
WOULD BE PERFECT FOR THAT.
I'M GONNA SEE IF I CAN SPLIT OFF
A PIECE OF THE ROCK.
AND WHAT I'M GONNA DO
IS FOLLOW THE NATURAL FRACTURING
OR PARTING PLANES IN THE ROCK.
AND THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN
BASICALLY THE SAME TOOL KIT
THAT WAS USED
BACK 1,000 YEARS AGO.
AH, IT'S PRETTY TOUGH, ISN'T IT?
ALL RIGHT, GUYS.
- THERE YOU GO.
- WORK THE EDGES, YOU KNOW?
YOU GET A NICE CLEAN EDGE.
THIS PIECE HERE COULD HAVE
BEEN USED RIGHT IN THAT WALL.
YOU CAN SEE THAT
THERE'S A LOT OF WORK
THAT GOES INTO THIS.
WHOEVER MADE THIS CHAMBER
PUT A LOT OF TIME.
THIS WASN'T DAYS;
THIS WAS WEEKS OR MONTHS,
PROBABLY AT LEAST
TWO OR THREE STONEMASONS
WORKING ON THIS.
AND I TELL YOU WHAT,
I... I'M DYING
TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT,
SO WHAT DO YOU SAY WE HEAD OUT?
- WE'D LOVE TO BE ABLE
TO TAKE YOU UP THERE,
BUT WE'VE BEEN INFORMED
THE LANDOWNER DOES NOT WANT YOU
ON THEIR PROPERTY.
- ME SPECIFICALLY?
- YES.
- REALLY?
WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?
- THEY ALLOW PUBLIC HUNTING,
BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT
TO GIVE PERMISSION TO YOU.
- YOU KNOW, THIS KIND OF
HAS HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE.
AND THE FACT THAT
THEY WON'T LET ME ON
MEANS EITHER
THEY'RE HIDING SOMETHING
OR THEY'RE AFRAID TO KNOW
WHAT THE TRUTH IS,
AND, YOU KNOW,
IT'S REALLY DISAPPOINTING.
- UM...
- DAMN IT.
YOU KNOW, PLACES LIKE THIS,
THEY NEED TO BE STUDIED,
NOT HIDDEN AWAY.
AND I'LL TELL YOU WHAT,
IF I CAN'T DO IT,
WOULD YOU MIND
GOING BACK IN THERE
AND DOING SOME WORK?
- NO.
- I'LL TELL YOU EXACTLY
WHAT I NEED TO KNOW
SO THAT I CAN GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF THIS THING,
SO I CAN TELL YOU WHO BUILT IT,
WHEN THEY BUILT IT, AND WHY.
- THERE ARE 800
MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
THROUGHOUT THE NORTHEAST,
BUT THE ONE I'M INVESTIGATING
IN PENNSYLVANIA
IS ONE OF THE MOST
METICULOUSLY CRAFTED ONES
I'VE EVER SEEN.
THE MASONRY SUGGESTS
IT WAS BUILT
BY EXPERT STONEMASONS,
AND THE RITUAL BATH BASIN
TELLS ME THIS CHAMBER HAD
A MYSTICAL, SPIRITUAL PURPOSE.
I HAVE A HUNCH
THERE'S SOMETHING UNIQUE
THAT CONNECTS ALL THE CHAMBERS
IN THE NORTHEAST.
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER,
I'M GOING TO GET WHAT I NEED
TO FIGURE OUT IF I'M RIGHT.
- WE'D LOVE TO TAKE YOU THERE,
T THERE'S A PROBLEM
WITH THE LANDOWNER OVER THERE.
THEY ALLOW PUBLIC HUNTING,
BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT
TO GIVE PERMISSION TO YOU.
- ME SPECIFICALLY?
- YES.
- REALLY?
WELL, THIS IS MORE BULL.
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN THROUGH
THIS CRAP BEFORE.
THEN YOU GO IN.
AND ONCE I GET THAT INFORMATION,
I'LL TELL YOU
WHO BUILT THIS THING,
WHEN THEY BUILT IT, AND WHY.
- ALL RIGHT.
- READY TO ROLL, HUH?
- YES, SIR.
- WELL, THIS MIGHT NOT BE
THE TYPE OF HUNTING
THAT YOU EXPECTED,
BUT THIS IS REALLY GONNA BE
IMPORTANT STUFF
YOU'RE GONNA DO HERE.
I NEED FOR YOU TO GO IN
AND GET SOME REALLY PRECISE
DIMENSIONS.
- OKAY.
- THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
THIS IS A BRUNTON COMPASS.
IT'S A VERY SPECIAL KIND
OF COMPASS USED BY GEOLOGISTS.
THE MOST CRITICAL MEASUREMENT
RIGHT NOW FOR ME
IS GONNA BE THE ORIENTATION...
IN OTHER WORDS,
THE LONG AXIS OF THE ENTRANCE.
SEE THAT LITTLE BUBBLE
RIGHT THERE?
- MM-HMM.
- OKAY.
YOU WANT TO GET THAT
IN THE MIDDLE.
WRITE DOWN THAT NUMBER. - OKAY.
- OKAY, SO THAT'S THE NUMBER
I NEED.
THAT'S YOUR ORIENTATION.
- THAT'S AN IMPORTANT NUMBER.
- THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT
NUMBER.
THE OTHER THING I NEED IS,
I WANT THE ANGLE OF THE HILL
WHERE THE CHAMBER IS.
IF MY HUNCH IS RIGHT
AND THE MEASUREMENTS
THAT CHAD IS GETTING LINE UP,
I'LL BE ABLE TO SEE
IF THIS WATER BASIN FEATURE
WAS USED FOR SOME SORT OF RITUAL
ON A SPECIFIC DAY OF THE YEAR
AND IF THIS SITE IS CONNECTED
TO HUNDREDS OF OTHER STONE SITES
IN THE U.S.
AND EVEN AROUND THE WORLD.
YOU KNOW WHAT
MY THINKING IS HERE?
THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE
A REALLY IMPORTANT
PRE-COLUMBIAN SITE.
THAT RITUAL BATHING ASPECT
OF THAT BASIN
REALLY INTRIGUES ME.
THE OTHER POSSIBILITY,
TO BE QUITE HONEST WITH YOU, IS,
IT MAY BE MODERN.
BUT THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT COULD
POSSIBLY BE ASSOCIATED
WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
IN MY OPINION...
AND THAT'S SOME SECT
OF FREEMASONS,
PROBABLY IN THE LATE 1700s.
FREEMASONRY IS A FRATERNAL,
INVITE-ONLY SOCIETY
THAT MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE
EVOLVED FROM THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
AFTER THE CHURCH
ABOLISHED THE ORDER.
THE TWO GROUPS
SHARE THE SAME SYMBOLS,
LIKE THE CROSS OF LORRAINE
AND THE HOOKED "X."
THEY ALSO SHARE IDEOLOGIES
LIKE DUALISM...
A BELIEF THAT UNIONS
LIKE MALE AND FEMALE
AND HEAVEN AND EARTH
HAVE SPIRITUAL IMPORTANCE.
IT'S UP TO YOU NEXT, PAL.
- ALL RIGHT.
- AND HERE'S YOUR BRUNTON.
DON'T LOSE THIS.
- BRUNTON COMPASS, CHECK.
IT DOESN'T LOOK CHEAP.
- ALL RIGHT. TAPE MEASURE.
- TAPE MEASURE, CHECK.
- GOOD LUCK, CHAD.
- SCOTT, I SURE WISH YOU COULD,
YOU KNOW, SEE THIS THING.
- IT'S REALLY DISAPPOINTING.
I'VE HAD THINGS LIKE THIS
HAPPEN BEFORE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAD A SITUATION
DOWN IN GEORGIA
WHERE I WANTED TO GO
VISIT THIS SITE
THAT WAS ON FEDERAL LAND,
AND THEY WOULDN'T LET ME IN.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, RYAN?
WE ACTUALLY USED A PLANE
AND WERE ABLE TO USE
LIDAR TECHNOLOGY
TO GET THE INFORMATION
WE NEEDED.
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER WAY
TO GET THE INFORMATION
THAT WE HAVE TO HAVE
TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.
- I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND
WHY PEOPLE
DON'T WANT TO KNOW
THE TRUTH, THOUGH.
- WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF...
A LOT OF REASONS
WHY PEOPLE FEEL THAT WAY.
SOME PEOPLE JUST WANT
TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO.
SOME PEOPLE
ARE PROTECTING THINGS.
THE KEY THING THAT REALLY
INTRIGUES ME ABOUT THIS CHAMBER
IS THIS BASIN.
WHY WOULD THEY WANT
TO BUILD UP THIS WATER,
THIS SPRINGWATER
COMING OUT OF MOTHER EARTH,
AND WHAT WERE THEY DOING
WITH IT?
TO ME, THE ONLY THING
I CAN THINK OF
IS SOME TYPE OF RITUAL BATHING,
AND IF THAT'S GOING ON,
THAT ABSOLUTELY POINTS
TO SPECIFIC GROUPS
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
HEY, CHAD.
- HEY, GUYS.
- ALL RIGHT.
- HOW ARE YA?
- HOW'D IT GO?
- IT WENT GREAT.
- SO DO YOU HAVE THE NOTEBOOK?
- I GOT YOUR MEASUREMENTS
FOR YOU, BUD.
- ALL RIGHT.
- HERE YOU GO.
- THIS IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
RIGHT HERE.
300 DEGREES. EXCELLENT.
- 300 DEGREES.
- THAT'S PERFECT.
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.
YOU KNOW WHY?
HAVE YOU GUYS EVER HEARD
OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY?
NO.
- OKAY, WELL, ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
IS SOMETHING THAT
ANCIENT CULTURES HAVE BEEN DOING
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
BASICALLY WHAT THEY WOULD DO
IS ALIGN THE STRUCTURES
THAT THEY BUILT
TO ALIGN IN VARIOUS WAYS
TO CAPTURE EITHER
THE LIGHT OF THE SUN, THE MOON,
OR THE PLANET VENUS.
IT WAS VERY SACRED
TO THESE ANCIENT CULTURES.
AND THIS USE OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
HAS GONE ALL THE WAY
THROUGH TIME
INTO MODERN FREEMASONRY.
I DIDN'T WANT TO SAY IT BEFORE
BECAUSE IT... I WAS...
I WANTED TO WAIT
AND SEE THE NUMBERS.
BUT THIS 300 DEGREES
IS GOING TO BE
ABOUT 30 DEGREES NORTH OF WEST
WHEN THE SUN SETS
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE.
AND IF I'M RIGHT,
THAT LONG ENTRANCE
INTO THE CHAMBER
WILL ALLOW THE SETTING SUN
ON THE SOLSTICE...
THE SUMMER SOLSTICE...
TO COME ALL THE WAY THROUGH
INTO THAT CHAMBER.
WE HAVE TO FIND OUT
IF THAT LIGHT
DOES COME THROUGH THAT CHAMBER,
BECAUSE IT'S CRITICAL.
SO WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS,
I HAVE TO REPLICATE
AND HAVE SOMEBODY BUILD
A CHAMBER USING YOUR DIMENSIONS.
AND THESE NUMBERS
LOOK REALLY GOOD.
I THINK YOU GOT EVERYTHING,
DIDN'T YOU?
- I GOT EVERYTHING
YOU ASKED FOR.
- YEAH, WE ARE IN GREAT SHAPE.
I WISH I COULD HAVE
DONE IT MYSELF, BUT...
- I WISH YOU COULD HAVE TOO.
- MORE THAN ONE WAY
TO SKIN A CAT,
AND WE'RE GONNA SKIN IT.
- THERE'S A MYSTERIOUS
STONE CHAMBER
BUILT INTO THE SIDE OF A HILL
IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
THERE'S ONE FEATURE
THAT STRIKES ME,
A BASIN THAT COULD BE USED
FOR SOME SORT OF BATHING RITUAL.
BUT THE OWNERS
REFUSE TO LET ME SEE IT.
I BELIEVE IT COULD BE PART
OF A NETWORK OF 800 STONE SITES
ACROSS THE U.S.,
SOME OFF-LIMITS TO THE PUBLIC.
I SENT SOMEONE ELSE IN
TO GET MEASUREMENTS
TO TEST A THEORY I HAVE.
I THINK THE CHAMBER
MIGHT LIGHT UP
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE...
EVIDENCE OF SOME GROUP'S
ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING
OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
AND THE MOVEMENT OF THE SUN
ACROSS THE SKY.
IF I'M RIGHT, THE SECRET CHAMBER
COULD CONNECT US
TO OTHER EARLY CIVILIZATIONS.
AND I'VE GOT A PLAN
TO TEST MY THEORY.
- THIS IS CARI.
- HEY, CARI.
THIS IS SCOTT WOLTER.
I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT
A MYSTERIOUS UNDERGROUND
STONE CHAMBER IN PENNSYLVANIA.
AND I'M WONDERING
IF YOU COULD HELP ME OUT
BY BUILDING A MODEL.
- YES, I CAN DO THAT.
- I WASN'T ABLE TO GO IN THERE
AND LOOK AT IT MYSELF,
BUT I DO HAVE PICTURES.
I'VE GOT SOME VIDEO,
AND I HAVE DIMENSIONS
THAT WERE SKETCHED OUT.
I ALSO THINK THAT THERE MIGHT BE
A SOLAR ILLUMINATION
GOING ON INSIDE THERE,
AND THAT'S WHY YOUR MODEL
WILL REALLY COME IN HANDY.
IF WE CAN PROVE THAT,
WE'VE REALLY GOT SOMETHING.
SO YOU UP TO THE TASK?
- YES, DEFINITELY.
- WHILE CARI GETS TO WORK
ON THE MODEL OF
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER,
I'M GOING TO CHECK OUT
ONE OF THE OTHER
800 MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST
LOOKING FOR CONNECTIONS.
UNLIKE THE STONE CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA,
THE OWNER OF THIS SITE
ISN'T DENYING ME ACCESS.
HEY. - SCOTT, HOW YOU DOING?
- GOOD, STEVE.
SO I'M REALLY EXCITED
TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SITE
TODAY.
- WELL, THERE'S ABOUT 800
DIFFERENT MYSTERIOUS SITES
IN NEW ENGLAND.
THIS IS ONE
OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES...
WITH STONE WALLS
AND STANDING STONES
AND MEGALITHIC CHAMBERS.
- I WAS HERE A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS POURING,
AND WE GOT CHASED OUT
BY THE WEATHER,
AND SO I WAS REALLY ANXIOUS
TO COME BACK.
- OKAY, GREAT. LET'S GET STARED.
- OKAY.
GUNGYWAMP IS A SITE
WITH 21 STONE STRUCTURES,
SOME DATING BACK TO 2000 B.C.,
LONG BEFORE THE FIRST COLONISTS
WERE HERE.
SOME OF THE STRUCTURES
ALIGN WITH THE SUN
ON IMPORTANT DAYS OF THE YEAR,
BUT NO ONE KNOWS WHO BUILT THEM.
WELL, WHO DO YOU THINK WAS HERE?
- VERY POSSIBLY
EARLY IRISH SAILORS,
LATER IRISH, VIKINGS.
THEY ALL KNEW ABOUT THE AREA.
- OKAY, SO YOU'RE SAYING
THAT THIS SECRET LAND
WAS KNOWN WITHIN CERTAIN GROUPS,
AND OVER TIME,
DIFFERENT GROUPS CAME OVER HERE,
JUST ONE AFTER THE OTHER.
- EXACTLY,
WITHIN A LARGER GROUP,
THERE'S ALWAYS
A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF PEOPLE
THAT WERE THE INITIATE,
AND THESE WERE THE PEOPLE
THAT KIND OF
PASSED THE KNOWLEDGE
FROM ONE GROUP TO ANOTHER.
THE CALENDAR CHAMBER
IS JUST AHEAD.
- GUNGYWAMP IS WELL-KNOWN
FOR ITS CALENDAR CHAMBER.
IT'S A WORKING CALENDAR,
LIKE SIMILAR STRUCTURES
FOUND ALL OVER THE WORLD.
WHETHER THEY'RE TEMPLES,
STANDING STONES, OR CHAMBERS,
THESE CALENDARS
WERE USED BY ANCIENT PEOPLE
TO TRACK IMPORTANT
ASTRONOMICAL DAYS OF THE YEAR.
- THIS IS IT.
THIS IS THE CALENDAR CHAMBER.
THEY CALL IT THAT
BECAUSE, TWICE A YEAR,
IT MEASURES THE EQUINOX...
ONCE IN THE SPRING
AND ONCE IN THE FALL.
YOU CAN SEE
WAY IN THE BACK THERE,
THERE'S A HOLE ADMITTING LIGHT,
AND THIS LIGHT BOX
REFLECTS ONTO A WALL DOWN HERE.
- SO THE LIGHT
WOULD COME IN HERE
ON THE EQUINOX
IN THE FALL AND THE SPRING,
WHICH WOULD BE
AN IMPORTANT TIME TO DOCUMENT...
PLANTING IN THE SPRING,
HARVEST IN THE FALL.
SO CERTAINLY THAT WOULD BE
IMPORTANT, IF NOT SACRED.
HOW BIG IS THIS THING?
- CHAMBER'S ABOUT 18 FEET LONG,
ABOUT 5 1/2 FEET HIGH.
ONCE YOU CRAWL THROUGH THERE,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY SIT UP.
- OKAY, WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
LOOK AT THIS HERE...
THAT LIGHT PROBABLY COMES IN
AND HITS THIS WALL RIGHT HERE,
SO THERE'S SOMETHING GOING ON
IN HERE.
AND LOOK AT THOSE.
BOY, THAT'S A BIG STONE THERE.
AND THAT'S PROBABLY ABOUT
3 1/2, 4 FEET.
YOU COULD EASILY SIT IN THERE.
LET'S COME OUT OF HERE.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN
THIS ALIGNMENT HERE?
- I HAVEN'T SEEN THE ALIGNMENT.
YOU HAVE TO BE HERE
FOR THE EQUINOX TO SEE THAT.
- I TELL YOU WHAT.
DO YOU THINK
WE COULD RE-CREATE IT?
- ALL WE NEED IS A FLASHLIGHT.
- I THINK WE COULD DO IT.
WHAT I THINK MIGHT HAPPEN
IN THE CHAMBER IS,
THE SUN'S LIGHT
WILL SHINE THROUGH THE OPENING
DIRECTLY INTO THE NICHE.
ANCIENT ALIGNMENTS
WERE ABOUT MARKING THINGS
LIKE THE PLANTING SEASON
BUT WERE ALSO SPIRITUAL
IN NATURE.
MAYBE THE COLLECTION OF THE SUN
IN THIS NICHE
IS SYMBOLIC OF FERTILIZATION,
MEANT TO USHER IN
A PROSPEROUS GROWING SEASON.
SO WE NEED TO SET UP
AN EAST-WEST LINE
FOR OUR EQUINOX LINE.
BOY, THAT'S EAST-WEST.
RIGHT ON.
I THINK THIS IS A GOOD LINE
RIGHT HERE.
BUT I THINK YOU'RE GONNA
HAVE TO HOLD IT UP
AND ANGLE IT DOWN THERE.
I MEAN, JUST... IF YOU STAY
LINED UP WITH THOSE LINES
AND KEEP IT LOW,
I THINK IT SHOULD BE GOOD
RIGHT ABOUT THERE.
I'LL GIVE YOU THE OKAY
IN JUST A SEC.
- OKAY.
- IF THE BEAM OF LIGHT
AT A PRECISE ANGLE
HITS SOME SORT OF
STONE CHAMBER MARKER,
THEN WE KNOW
IT WAS PROBABLY BUILT
WITH SOME CALENDAR PURPOSE.
ALL RIGHT, STEVE, GO AHEAD.
TURN IT ON.
- HERE IT GOES.
- HO-HO!
- HOLY!
LOOK AT THAT.
- IT WORKS, SCOTT?
- IT WORKS!
WE DEFINITELY HAVE
THE EAST-WEST EQUINOX ALIGNMENT.
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.
- WE KNOW IT'S CERTAINLY
A CALENDAR CHAMBER.
MY NUMBER ONE SUSPECT
IS THAT THE IRISH BUILT IT.
THE IRISH HAVE BEEN BUILDING
MONUMENTS FROM 3500 B.C.
THE GREATEST ONE IS STILL
IN IRELAND... NEWGRANGE.
- NEWGRANGE FEATURES ONE OF
THE GREATEST SOLAR ILLUMINATIONS
AND EXAMPLES OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
IN THE WORLD.
THE WHITE QUARTZ STRUCTURE
HAS A LIGHT BOX OVER
A STRATEGICALLY PLACED DOORWAY.
WHEN THE SUN SHINES THROUGH
THE LIGHT BOX ON DECEMBER 21ST...
THE WINTER SOLSTICE...
IT CASTS A BEAM OF LIGHT
90 FEET INTO THE STRUCTURE,
ILLUMINATING THE CHAMBER.
SO YOU THINK THOSE PEOPLE
MAY HAVE COME OVER HERE
AND BUILT THIS?
- I DEFINITELY DO.
I DEFINITELY THINK
THERE'S AN UNBROKEN
STREAM OF KNOWLEDGE
THAT WAS PASSED DOWN
FROM 3500 B.C.
ALL THE WAY TO, SAY,
THE IRISH MONKS
THAT CAME OVER
AROUND 500, 600, 700 A.D.
- I'VE HEARD OF THE LEGEND
OF THE FAMOUS IRISH MONK
SAINT BRENDAN THE NAVIGATOR.
THE STORY GOES THAT HE SAILED
TO THE ISLAND OF THE BLESSED...
WHAT SOME PEOPLE THINK
IS AMERICA...
IN THE SIXTH CENTURY.
WELL, I TELL YOU WHAT.
IF THERE IS AN IRISH CONNECTION
THAT DATES BACK THAT FAR HERE,
THIS IS HUGE.
I'M NOT CONVINCED
THE PENNSYLVANIA
AND THE GUNGYWAMP CHAMBERS
WERE BUILT BY THE SAME PEOPLE.
I NEED TO DO MORE RESEARCH.
SINCE THE EARLY IRISH
ARE CANDIDATES FOR CONSTRUCTION,
I NEED TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT TWO THINGS:
SAINT BRENDAN AND NEWGRANGE.
LEARNING MORE ABOUT BOTH
WILL HELP ME DETERMINE
WHETHER AMERICA'S MYSTERIOUS
STONE SITES IN THE NORTHEAST
ARE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER,
TO THE IRISH,
OR TO SOMEONE ELSE.
I ALSO NEED TO SEE
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER MODEL
MY FRIEND CARI IS MAKING.
WHAT MATTERS ABOUT THIS MODEL
ISN'T THE SIZE;
IT'S WHAT THE ANGLES REVEAL.
AND THANKS TO CHAD,
I HAVE THOSE EXACT MEASUREMENTS.
IT WILL HELP ME FIGURE OUT
IF THE SECRET ROOM
DOES INDEED HAVE
A SUMMER SOLSTICE ILLUMINATION
AND A CONNECTION
TO ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
LIKE SOME OF
THESE OTHER CHAMBER SITES.
MY THEORY IS COMING TOGETHER.
I THINK THESE SITES
ARE CONNECTED.
I THINK I KNOW
WHO MIGHT HAVE BUILT THEM
AND EVEN HOW THEY DID IT.
I STILL CAN'T EXPLAIN
THE RITUAL BASIN
IN THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER,
BUT I KNOW WHERE I MIGHT FIND
THE ANSWERS I NEED:
IRELAND.
- I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHO BUILT WHAT LOOKS LIKE
A RITUAL BATH CHAMBER
IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE PENNSYLVANIA WOODS.
THIS SITE IS ACTUALLY JUST ONE
OF ABOUT 800
MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
HIDDEN THROUGHOUT THE NORTHEAST.
I THINK THERE'S
A SOLAR ALIGNMENT
INCORPORATED
INTO THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE.
AND I'M HAVING A MODEL BUILT
TO PROVE IT.
THE USE OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
WOULD BE SIMILAR
TO WHAT I SAW IN A CHAMBER
IN GROTON, CONNECTICUT,
WHICH PEOPLE LIKE STEVE SORA
CONNECT TO THE IRISH.
THE ANCIENT IRISH WERE MASTERS
OF SOLAR ALIGNMENTS,
BUT THEY WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES.
IF THE IRISH DID COME
TO THE NEW WORLD
AND HELPED BUILD A NETWORK
OF STONE CALENDAR CHAMBERS,
THERE'S ONE MAN WHO CAN TELL ME
HOW THE HELL
THEY MAY HAVE GOTTEN THERE.
TIM? SCOTT WOLTER.
TIM SEVERIN IS AN ADVENTURER
AND EXPERT
ON ANCIENT NAUTICAL VOYAGES.
- I THOUGHT, WHY NOT RE-CREATE
THE SORT OF BOAT AT THE TIME,
USING THE RIGHT MATERIALS,
AND JUST SEE
IF IT COULD BE DONE?
BECAUSE WE WERE TRYING TO TEST
WHETHER IRISH MONKS
HAD ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE
TO GET TO NORTH AMERICA.
- WE HAVE HUNDREDS
OF STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST PART
OF NORTH AMERICA
THAT MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE
WERE BUILT BY THE IRISH.
COULD THIS SAINT BRENDAN
AND THE LEGEND OF HIM
BE SOMEHOW CONNECTED
TO THOSE CHAMBERS?
- THERE WAS THIS NOTION GREW UP
THAT SAINT BRENDAN AND HIS MONKS
HAD VISITED THE BLESSED LAND
IN THE WEST.
I THOUGHT, LET'S PUT THIS
TO A PRACTICAL TEST
AND SEE IF THE VOYAGE
COULD HAVE BEEN MADE.
BUILD A BOAT
TO THE SPECIFICATIONS,
SET OUT.
- MORE THAN THREE DECADES AGO,
TIM SEVERIN SAILED FROM IRELAND
TO THE NEW WORLD
THE WAY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE
DONE IT IN THE SIXTH CENTURY.
- SAINT BRENDAN'S STORY
GOT WRITTEN DOWN
IN A LATIN TEXT
CALLED THE NAVIGATIO,
"THE VOYAGE OF SAINT BRENDAN."
IT REALLY TALKS ABOUT A VOYAGE,
OR VOYAGES,
TAKING PART IN THE 500s.
HE'S THE HERO FIGURE
AND THE PATRON SAINT
OF NAVIGATORS.
- YOU KNOW, TIM, IN MY RESEARCH
INTO THESE MYSTERIOUS
ARTIFACTS AND SITES,
ONE OF THE THINGS I HEAR
ALL THE TIME
FROM THE SKEPTICS IS,
"WELL, THEY COULDN'T
HAVE GOT HERE."
- THERE'S
A STEPPING-STONE ROUTE...
YOU START FROM THE WEST COAST
OF IRELAND,
ISLANDS OF SCOTLAND, FAROES,
ICELAND, GREENLAND,
AND YOU LAND IN NEWFOUNDLAND.
THESE PEOPLE,
THEY WEREN'T STUPID.
THEY WERE AS CLEVER
AND AS INNOVATIVE
AS YOURSELF OR MYSELF.
THE BOATS CAN MAKE IT.
THEY DON'T FALL APART.
THAT IS WHAT
WE CONCLUSIVELY SHOWED.
I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO SEE
WHAT THE CONDITIONS WERE LIKE.
THIS GIVES YOU SOME IDEA
HOW UNSTABLE THE BOAT WAS.
- IT'S JUST ROCKING
BACK AND FORTH, I MEAN...
- ALL THE WATER
THAT'S FLYING IN THE WHOLE TIME.
- THESE ROPES,
WHAT ARE THE ROPES DOING THERE?
- THEY ARE ACTING AS BRAKES,
BECAUSE WHEN
YOU'RE IN VERY BAD WEATHER,
YOU HAVE TO JUST RUN DOWNWIND.
AND IF YOU ARE AT THE SAME SPEED
AS A WAVE,
IT'LL PITCHPOLE YOU;
IT'LL SEND...
MAKE A SOMERSAULT.
- SO AT THE END OF THE DAY,
YOU MADE IT.
- WE DID.
- OKAY.
AND WHAT THIS TELLS ME
IS THAT THE EARLY IRISH
COULD ALSO HAVE MADE IT.
- ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT
THAT THEY HAD
THE TECHNICAL ABILITY
TO GET THERE.
THEY HAD THE SEA SKILLS.
AND THEY HAD
THE TECHNICAL SKILLS
IN THAT THEY BUILT BOATS
FULLY CAPABLE OF THAT JOURNEY.
- TIM SEVERIN'S LEATHER BOAT
ISN'T PROOF
SAINT BRENDAN AND HIS CREW
MADE IT TO AMERICA,
BUT IT'S EVIDENCE
THAT THEY COULD HAVE.
AND IF THEY MADE IT,
THE IRISH COULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE STONE CHAMBERS
I'M INVESTIGATING.
I'M HOPING THERE ARE MORE CLUES
AT THE ANCIENT STONE SITE
CALLED NEWGRANGE.
NEWGRANGE IS A LOT BIGGER
THAN THE SINGLE STONE CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA
OR THE STRUCTURES AT GUNGYWAMP.
BUT ONE THING ALL THREE PLACES
HAVE IN COMMON:
UNIQUE CONSTRUCTION TO SHOWCASE
IMPORTANT DAYS OF THE YEAR.
I'M MEETING UP WITH ALAN BUTLER,
AN OLD FRIEND
AND COLLEAGUE OF MINE.
WELL, STRANGER.
- HOW YOU DOING, MATE?
- GOOD TO SEE YOU, ALAN.
I'M TRYING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF WHO BUILT
THESE 800 MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST PART
OF NORTH AMERICA.
AND I THINK THERE'S
A POSSIBILITY
THE IRISH COULD BE INVOLVED,
SO THAT'S WHY I'M HERE
AT NEWGRANGE.
- THIS PLACE DATES BACK
TO 3200 B.C....
- REALLY?
- WHICH IS NEARLY 1,000 YEARS
BEFORE THE PYRAMIDS.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK
WAS ITS PURPOSE?
WHY DID THEY BUILD NEWGRANGE?
- WELL, IT'S ACTUALLY CALLED
A PASSAGE GRAVE,
OR A PASSAGE TOMB,
BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS,
BUT I DON'T REALLY THINK
TO CALL IT A TOMB OF ANY KIND
DOES IT JUSTICE.
I THINK IT WOULD BE MORE LIKELY
TERMED A TEMPLE.
- SO, ALAN, WHO BUILT NEWGRANGE?
- OH, IT'S QUITE
NATURALLY ACCEPTED
THAT THIS PLACE WAS BUILT
BY ORDINARY IRISH FARMERS,
VERY CLEVER ONES,
BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE
BACK IN LATE STONE AGE.
- SO IS THERE ANYBODY WHO THINKS
THAT THIS COULD BE CONNECTED
TO THE LEGEND OF SAINT BRENDAN
THE NAVIGATOR?
- WELL,
THERE'S A BIG GAP IN TIME
BETWEEN THE SIXTH CENTURY A.D.
AND 3200 B.C.
SO AT FIRST SIGHT, NO,
BUT YET THERE IS A CONNECTION,
BECAUSE BRENDAN IS FAMOUS
FOR HIS OCEANIC
AND SEA NAVIGATION.
THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THIS PLACE
BACK IN THE NEW STONE AGE
WERE GREAT SAILORS AS WELL.
ALL THE ROCKS
WE SEE AROUND HERE,
BIG AS SOME OF THEM ARE,
WERE BROUGHT HERE BY WATER.
- LOOK AT THOSE SPIRALS.
I'VE SEEN THOSE BEFORE.
BOTH IN ARIZONA AND GEORGIA,
I SAW SPIRALS EXACTLY LIKE THAT
CARVED ON ROCK.
AND ONE OF THEM WAS, IN FACT,
A MOUND
THAT WAS SHAPED LIKE A SPIRAL.
AND WE KNOW THAT THEY...
THEY DID IT AT THOSE SITES
INCORPORATING ARCHAEOASTRONOMY.
THERE'S GOT TO BE A CONNECTION
HERE AS WELL.
- WHOEVER MADE THEM
HAD A REALLY GOOD UNDERSTANDING
OF GEOMETRY.
MOST EXPERTS ARE PRETTY SURE
THAT SPIRALS
HAVE SOMETHING TO DO
WITH THEIR COMPREHENSION
OF THE PASSAGE OF TIME.
WE KNOW NOW
THAT THEY MEASURED IT
BY THE MOVING PLANETS AND STARS.
SO IT AMOUNTS TO THE SAME THING.
- THE PASSAGE OF TIME,
MATHEMATICS,
AND ALL OF THIS
IS ALL TIED TOGETHER.
THE EARLY IRISH PEOPLE'S
UNDERSTANDING
OF THE UNIVERSE AS DEMONSTRATED
BY THESE SPIRALS IS IMPORTANT.
IT'S WHAT COULD CONNECT
THIS SACRED PLACE TO GUNGYWAMP,
TO THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER,
AND TO OTHER
FORBIDDEN STONE SITES
IN THE UNITED STATES.
AND THE ILLUMINATION
THAT TAKES PLACE HERE
ON AN IMPORTANT DAY OF THE YEAR,
THE WINTER SOLSTICE,
FASCINATES NOT JUST ME
BUT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
- IT'S OF SUCH MASSIVE INTEREST
THAT AT LEAST 35,000 PEOPLE
EACH YEAR WOULD LIKE TO VIEW IT.
SO THEY HAVE A LOTTERY,
AND THE 100 WINNING PEOPLE
GET TO SEE IT.
- SO ONLY A 100 OUT OF 35,000?
- I'M AFRAID SO.
- AFTER WALKING THROUGH THE SITE
WITH ALAN,
I LEARNED
THAT ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE,
THE RISING SUN
ENTERS A LIGHT BOX
OVER A DOORWAY AT NEWGRANGE.
ITS BEAM OF LIGHT
RUNS DOWN A PASSAGE
AND EVENTUALLY ILLUMINATES
THE FLOOR OF THE CHAMBER.
THIS SOLSTICE EVENT
IS INCREDIBLY PRECISE.
TODAY, THE LIGHT ENTERS
AT FOUR MINUTES AFTER SUNRISE.
5,000 YEARS AGO,
THE LIGHT WOULD HAVE ENTERED
EXACTLY AT SUNRISE.
IT'S THE SAME KIND
OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
I THINK MIGHT BE IN PLAY
IN PENNSYLVANIA.
I DIDN'T SEE IT MYSELF,
BUT THERE'S A CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA
THAT SOME FRIENDS OF MINE
HAVE DOCUMENTED
ALL THE DIMENSIONS,
ALL THE PARAMETERS OF IT
IN DETAIL,
AND I'M GOING TO RE-CREATE
THAT CHAMBER.
THE WAY IT'S ORIENTED,
IT LOOKS LIKE, TO ME,
WE MAY HAVE A SIMILAR EVENT
THAT HAPPENS THERE
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE
AS THE SUN SETS IN THE WEST.
I'M WONDERING
IF THERE COULD BE A CONNECTION
BETWEEN THIS TRADITION
OF BUILDING THESE CHAMBERS,
THESE ANCIENT SACRED SITES,
WITH THE PEOPLE THAT BUILT
THIS MYSTERIOUS CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA.
I CAME TO IRELAND TO FIND OUT
IF IRISH MONKS COULD HAVE BUILT
SOME OF THE 800 MYSTERIOUS
STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER
OF THE UNITED STATES.
AFTER SEEING TIM SEVERIN'S BOAT
AND LEARNING ABOUT
THE ILLUMINATION AT NEWGRANGE,
I HAVE NO DOUBT THE EARLY IRISH
COULD HAVE MADE IT TO AMERICA
AND BROUGHT THEIR KNOWLEDGE
OF ARCHAEOASTRONOMY WITH THEM
AND PERHAPS COULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE CHAMBER
I'M INVESTIGATING
IN PENNSYLVANIA
OR SOME OF THE OTHER
MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
DOTTING THE NORTHEAST.
CARI'S DONE WITH
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER MODEL.
I THINK IT'S GOING TO GET ME
ONE STEP CLOSER
TO FIGURING OUT WHO BUILT
THAT SITE IN THE WOODS
AND IF ONE, OR MORE THAN ONE,
ANCIENT CULTURE
WITH AN ADVANCED UNDERSTANDING
OF THE SUN AND STARS
ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR AMERICA'S NETWORK
OF MYSTERIOUS
STONE CHAMBER SITES.
- WHAT DO YOU THINK?
- BASED ON THE PICTURES
THAT I'VE SEEN
AND THE DIMENSIONS,
EVERYTHING LOOKS GREAT.
THIS IS AMAZING.
- WELL, I JUST GOT BACK
FROM NEWGRANGE IN IRELAND,
AND IT WAS FANTASTIC.
THERE'S ILLUMINATION EVENTS
ON THE SOLSTICE.
AND, OF COURSE, THAT MAKES ME
FRUSTRATED ALL OVER AGAIN
THAT I WASN'T ALLOWED
TO GO ON THE PROPERTY
TO SEE THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBER
IN PENNSYLVANIA.
BUT SINCE HUNTING IS ALLOWED,
OUR FRIEND CHAD,
WHO TOLD US
ABOUT THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBER,
HE WENT BACK, GOT THE DIMENSIONS
AND ALL THE DATA FOR US.
HOW DID THAT WORK OUT FOR YA?
- YEAH, IT WORKED GREAT.
THIS GIVES YOU A GOOD IDEA
OF A CROSS SECTION OF THE HILL
AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
- YES, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
LOOK AT THAT.
- AND THEN I ALSO BUILT
THIS PIECE SO IT COMES OFF,
SO YOU CAN GET A LITTLE BIT MORE
OF, LIKE, THE UPPER STRUCTURE.
TOOK YOUR PHOTOS
AND THE SPECS YOU GAVE ME
AND KIND OF PIECED IT
ALL TOGETHER.
- BASED ON THE PICTURES
THAT I'VE SEEN
AND THE DIMENSIONS,
EVERYTHING LOOKS GREAT.
HOW LONG DID THIS TAKE YOU?
- PROBABLY TOOK, LIKE, A WEEK.
- IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL.
THERE'S OVER 800
MYSTERIOUS STONE SITES
IN THE NORTHEAST PART
OF THE COUNTRY.
MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT
THESE THINGS MIGHT BE CONNECTED,
AND I'M INVESTIGATING
WHETHER THEY COULD BE CONNECTED,
WHO BUILT THEM,
AND, OF COURSE, WHY.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE THINKING
THAT THE IRISH
COULD BE INVOLVED IN THESE,
AND THE IRISH DO MAKE SENSE
IN PLACES LIKE GUNGYWAMP.
THIS DOESN'T SEEM
TO BE IRISH TO ME.
BECAUSE OF THE INVOLVEMENT
OF THE WATER,
I THINK MAYBE
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
WOULD BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
THEY WERE INTO RITUAL BATHING.
OR IT COULD BE SOMEBODY
MORE MODERN,
SOMEBODY LIKE A SECRET SOCIETY,
MAYBE A FREEMASON GROUP,
THAT WAS INTO THIS
RITUAL BATHING TYPE OF THING.
YOU KNOW,
THE WATER'S THE WILD CARD
WITH A CHAMBER LIKE THIS.
- MM-HMM,
WELL, SPEAKING OF THE WATER,
CHECK THIS OUT.
- LOOK AT THAT.
THE WATER'S COMING DOWN.
AND IT'S FLOWING INTO THE BASIN.
THAT'S GONNA FILL UP.
AND IT'S GONNA OVERFLOW.
CHAD SAID IT JUST FLOWS
INTO THE GROUND
AND THEN COMES OUT IN A RAVINE
FARTHER DOWN THE HILL.
I TELL YOU WHAT. I'M IMPRESSED.
WELL, CARI, THIS LOOKS GREAT.
BUT THERE'S ONE MORE PIECE.
WE NEED TO SEE IF THE LIGHT
COMES THROUGH INTO THE CHAMBER
AND GOES BACK THERE,
'CAUSE I THINK IT JUST MIGHT.
WHAT WE ARE GOING TO DO
IS POSITION THE LIGHT
SO IT EXACTLY MATCHES WHERE
THE SUN WOULD BE IN THE SKY
OUTSIDE THE CHAMBER
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE.
THEN WE'RE GOING TO MOVE
THE LIGHT
TO REPLICATE THE SUN'S MOVEMENT
ACROSS THE SKY
TO SEE IF IT ILLUMINATES
THE SPRING.
THE SUN'S POSITION
IS WELL-DOCUMENTED.
THANKS TO CHAD'S
PRECISE MEASUREMENTS,
I KNOW IT LINES UP
WITH THE CHAMBER.
ALL RIGHT.
- IT COMES...
- SO... NOW, THERE.
OKAY, STOP RIGHT THERE.
THERE'S A BEAM OF LIGHT
RIGHT HERE.
SO KEEP GOING, KEEP GOING,
AND SET IT INTO PLACE
SO IT'S MOVING
ALONG THE BACK WALL HERE.
BASED ON CHAD'S MEASUREMENTS,
LIKE THE 300-DEGREE ORIENTATION
HE FOUND,
IT'S EXACTLY WHAT I EXPECTED.
IT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK.
AND IT GOES BACK.
THAT'S WHERE THE WATER COMES OUT
OF THE CRACK IN THE GROUND,
THE SPRING.
THE LIGHT GOES
ALL THE WAY BACK THERE.
THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
TO ME,
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CHAMBER
IS A CLEAR EXAMPLE OF DUALISM.
AND THAT'S THE BIGGEST CLUE
TO WHO MAY HAVE BUILT
THIS PARTICULAR CHAMBER.
IT'S A CONCEPT EMBRACED
BY BOTH THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR
AND THE FREEMASONS
TO REPRESENT THE SPIRITUAL
AND PHYSICAL IMPORTANCE
OF THE UNION OF OPPOSITES:
MALE/FEMALE, GOOD/EVIL,
HEAVEN AND EARTH.
IN THIS CASE,
WE HAVE THE SUNBEAM,
AN ANCIENT, ALLEGORICAL SYMBOL
OF THE FERTILIZATION
BY THE MALE.
IT PIERCES MOTHER EARTH,
THE CREVICE IN THE EARTH
WHERE THE SPRING FLOWS FROM.
TOGETHER,
THIS UNION OF THE SUN AND EARTH
PRODUCES SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL
AND SACRED
TO THE ANCIENT ARCHITECTS
OF THIS CHAMBER.
KNOWING THE TYPE OF MASONRY
USED TO BUILD IT
AND FIGURING IN
THE RITUAL BATHING COMPONENTS,
I HAVE TO THINK THE FREEMASONS
WERE INVOLVED IN THIS CHAMBER,
WHICH PROBABLY DATES BACK
TO COLONIAL TIMES.
EVEN THOUGH WE WEREN'T INSIDE
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE,
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
WITH YOUR MODEL HERE
AND THIS DEMONSTRATION,
WE'VE PROVEN
WHAT HAPPENS ON THAT DAY.
I TOLD CHAD AND RYAN
THAT I BELIEVE THE MODEL WORKED.
AND I TOLD THEM TO GO BACK
TO THE CHAMBER
ON THE SUMMER SOLSTICE
AND TO DOCUMENT WHAT THEY SAW.
JUST LIKE OUR MODEL,
THE SUN'S LIGHT
GOES DEEP INTO THE CHAMBER,
ILLUMINATING THE EXACT SPOT
WHERE THE WATER ENTERS.
THERE ARE 800 MYSTERIOUS
STONE SITES IN THE NORTHEAST.
EARLY IRISH
MAY HAVE BUILT SOME OF THEM.
AND WE KNOW THEY COULD HAVE
MADE IT HERE
LONG BEFORE COLUMBUS.
AS FOR THE SECRET SITE HIDDEN
IN A PENNSYLVANIA HILLSIDE,
I BELIEVE FREEMASONS
DESERVE CREDIT FOR THAT
BECAUSE OF THE STYLE OF MASONRY
AND INCORPORATION OF DUALISM
INTO ITS DESIGN.
ARCHAEOASTRONOMY
TIES MANY CULTURES TOGETHER
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
PEOPLE LIKE THE MAYANS,
THE CELTS,
THE IRISH, THE TEMPLARS,
AND THE FREEMASONS,
ALL HAVE MYSTERIES OF THEIR OWN,
WHICH I'M JUST NOW
STARTING TO UNRAVEL.
Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk