Man Unearths Century-Old Bottle That Leaves Him Shaken
The City of New Orleans is famous for its history of witch magic and hauntings, and longtime resident Shane Mears was loved spending his free time searching for remnants of the area's spookier days. Yet his most recent find sent the local witch doctors into a frenzy. Voodoo or not, the contents of the bottle Shane unearthed would send shivers down anyone's spine.
Cajun Swamp Whisperer
Shane is a bit of a legend around New Orleans. Those who don't know him by his given name might know him by another: the Cajun Swamp Whisperer. With his sense of adventure, it made sense that he would be the one to disturb the final resting place of haunting tools long forgotten.
Big Kahuna
You don't become a legend and earn a nickname without a story behind you, and Shane's tale was impressive enough to captivate a city that can imagine just about anything. On a fishing trip in the Mississippi River, he spotted a catfish that was all white except for its rose-colored fins. It glimmered in the water, and Shane wanted it.
Rare Catch
So, he caught it. Fishermen of the bayou were impressed with the 25-pounder, just as they'd been impressed by the 50-pounders he'd pulled out of the same rivers. Few could match his fishing skills in the water — or his metal detecting skills on land.
Natural Explorer
Shane Mears was a natural explorer. What many take for granted — the ground, the rivers, the history of city — he saw as an opportunity for hidden treasure. The problem with hunting in New Orleans, he knew, was that there was a good chance you could find something positively creepy.
Swimming Pool Detective
Still, in July 2020, Shane was asked by Nola.com for tips on where to look for treasure, and his reply was pretty domestic: "I love it when somebody is building a swimming pool.” Anytime property was being uprooted, Shane saw an opportunity and felt a huge rush.
Something About It
“There’s something about it,” said Shane. “You’re back in time, in a time capsule by yourself, bringing these people back," he said. "These people who were forgotten.” Among the forgotten was the New Orleans supernatural community, which Shane would uncover next.
100 Cannonballs
In his searches, Shane ended up finding over 100 cannonballs — leftovers from an era when pirates walked the streets — as well as an old carriage and some clay marbles. He gained more and more confidence as he searched, and his next discovery only pushed him harder.
War Relics
Beyond cannonballs and carriages, Shane discovered a belt buckle from the Battle of the Alamo. It was worth $7,000, and it put him on track to his next big win — but then he ran out of money (yeah, he spent that $7,000 fast).
Borrowing Funds
Shane eventually hit a wall because he could no longer afford supplies for his excavations. His neighbor, Cathy Smith, learned of his trouble and lent him the necessary funds.
A Little Magic
In return, Shane gifted Cathy his best findings, including antique earrings! It wasn’t about breaking even — Cathy simply found him magical: “Shane does have a little magic in him,” she said. He always had a way of being exactly where he needed to be.
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Knack For Treasure
Shane’s knack for discovering treasures goes back to childhood. Growing up, he’d always explore historic locations with his father, both equipped with metal detectors.
Louisiana Strong
Most of the Mears’ findings were in Louisiana, from the Gentilly to Metairie sections. He moved to Florida briefly, but news of Hurricane Katrina brought him home.
Bartender
When Shane moved back to Louisiana, he took on a couple of jobs as a bartender. Unlike his old car salesman gig, it left him with a lot of free hours. And he used them to go back to his childhood.
Time Travel
Not literally, but Shane restarted his obsession with uncovering treasures buried deep in New Orleans. But after finding all that he could, it was time to take on a new hobby. That's how he ended up pulling 25-pound catfish out of the river. But Shane soon returned to his first love — and he was about to uncover some serious voodoo.
New Orleans
A rather unassuming spot in New Orleans was the site of Shane’s creepiest find. One day, he came upon what he thought was a construction site, but something was lurking beneath.
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Five Footer
Because he had years of experience, Shane had developed a protocol that involved first poking the ground with a five-foot-long steel rod. If he hits something — anything — the digging begins. June 9, 2020 was no different.
Stick In The Mud
Eager to excavate the site on Brooklyn Avenue, along the west bank of the Mississippi River, Shane stuck a five-foot steel stick into the ground and started to poke. Suddenly, he struck something. Knowing his dig wouldn't be a waste of time, he went to work flinging dirt every which way, determined to find whatever was hiding in the soil.
Voodoo Findings
As he dug deeper, he finally found what'd made his iron bar clank bones, teeth, and hair in a bottle from the 19th century! He couldn't help but feel as if he'd stumbled on to a real mystery — Had someone been buried here unknowingly? What was the deal with the bottle?
What To Do?
The effects of messing with voodoo materials could be grave, warned local witches. They wanted him to leave everything as he found it, but Shane still isn’t sure what he’ll do. it. He did do a little research to see what exactly he had his hands on however — and he started with the bottle.
Witch Bottle
Experts believed it to be what's called a "witch bottle." These vessels were apparently used during the Civil War era to ward off evil spirits and curses placed by witches. So why would soldiers even believe in that stuff?
Banishing Evil
Well, witch bottles were popular during times of extreme hardship — people would try anything to end their plight. Civil War troops were going through unprecedented misery, so they took up this superstition to banish negative energy.
Desperate Measures
Not every bottle contained only nails, either. Oftentimes human hair and teeth were added, and there were even bottles found with remnants of urine! It's hard to know the justification for any of this, but historians understand the basic rationale.
Under The Hearth
Here's how the witch bottle worked: after the container was filled with whatever remnants the holder thought necessary, it was placed underneath a hearth in one of the general's quarters. Then, they waited.
The Evil Escapes
Once the fire in the hearth grew hot enough, the glass would burst, and the soldiers — or whoever it was who buried it — believed the escaping plumes of smoke were evil spirits dissipating into the ether.
Budget Issues
Joe Jones, the director of the William & Mary Center for Archaeological Research, was on site when the bottle was discovered, but never thought anything of it. The project budget simply didn't allow further investigation and testing.
No Second Thought
Additionally, Jones wasn't familiar with the superstitious custom. Why would he see anything special about an old bottle with nails inside? He really didn't give it a second thought — at first.
A Positive Assessment
However, the founder of the William & Mary Center, Robert Hunter, knew better. He was positive the artifact was a witch bottle, as he was familiar with the tradition and even owned several himself.
110% Sure
"I’m 110% sure. It’s not so much the bottle with the nails in it — it was the context in which it was found. It appears to have been buried with a brick hearth, which is how these charms were used,” explained Hunter.
An Awesome Idea
To think the bottle was used to ward off witches and spirits is pretty ludicrous. Of course, no one could say for sure if it actually worked, but this bit of witchcraft was a more humane way to battle evil than what early Americans tried in Salem, Massachusetts.
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