Posted 6 years ago
Reeves32
(5 items)
A few more of the random items removed from inside my walls. Does anyone know why such random items were entombed inside the walls?
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Posted 6 years ago
Reeves32
(5 items)
A few more of the random items removed from inside my walls. Does anyone know why such random items were entombed inside the walls?
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Well, I'd havta guess simply 'because the walls were open' for something or other (initial construction, repair, remodeling, whatever...?) sometime?? :-)
Read: I doubt its truly very uncommon at all to find various odd 'things' sealed up/walled over in old homes -- probably even more likely in really old homes with lots of assorted nooks/crannies anyways. From personal experience I *can* say that the practice often continues even today in modern new buildings at least to a degree...I know I've left my fair share of soda cans/cig boxes/other random detrius behind in a wall cavity (or someplace convenient) at worksites before, esp if other contractors/etc had already been doing so?? ;-)
In this case IIRC you mentioned your home is late 1800's, which would sorta match up with the publication date on that geography document -- but also remember that lots of original walls/cavities in really old homes have likely already been 'reopened' during their lives, commonly for remodeling to add plumbing/wiring/ductwork and stuff like that...odd stuff could have ended up inside (whether purposely or not) at any time since?? Another potential reason, the way they built old houses back then sometimes allowed 'random stuff that'd get loose' on the attic floor to actually fall down inside the walls and get caught in there somewhere.
In the case of your things I'd lean more towards the 'lost stuff from the attic' than anything else I think...?? I also think I'd tend to actually make a point to **replace** the items wherever you found them when you rebuild your walls, just for posterity... :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
[well, maybe except for that leather boot, ifn's it was anywhere near my shoe size and esp if you actually found both of the pair...it is just WAY TOO COOL?!!!] <LOL>
Lol I found 1 shoe above each window, a pair of silk women's shoes (very deteriorated ) 2 pairs of men's boots ( pre 1890 because they have no left/right )
1 shoe for a 3 year old and 1 for a young girl (the one shown) I oiled the leather to preserve
AnythingObscure is right on!! Our farmhouse was built around 1820. When we added on our ice cream shop to it we found old newspapers from North Bridgewater now Brockton Mass. An 1800's old handbook of our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
In the crawl space under the stairs that were reversed at some time years ago. Found leather remnants from making shoes and a hobnail boot!! Brockton and Whitman were once the shoe capital of the world!! I have found other things over the years!! Old homes have hidden secrets!!
Enjoy
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Merry Pranksters from years ago
Where I live in the Midwest, finding such items in buildings and homes built before 1900 is fairly common. I was always told by my elders, it was used to ward off "evil spirits" or similar such things. I looked it up on google and this is similar to what I've always heard. See wikis explanation below. I would check into that Northampton museum site mentioned below. Perhaps they would be interested in purchasing some of your antiquities.
Since at least the early modern period it was a common custom to hide objects such as written charms, dried cats, horse skulls, and witch bottles in the structure of a building, but concealed shoes are by far the most common items discovered. Archaeologist Brian Hoggard has observed that the locations in which these shoes are found suggest that at least some were concealed as magical charms to protect the occupants of the building against evil influences. Such hidden caches of objects are known by archaeologists as spiritual middens.
Northampton Museum maintains a Concealed Shoe Index, which by 1998 contained more than 1100 reports of concealed shoes, mostly from Britain but some from as far away as Canada By 2012 it had increased to 1900 entries, of which almost half date from the 19th century.
The custom of concealing shoes in the fabric of a building appears to have more or less died out some time during the 20th century, although not entirely.[5] The shoe manufacturer Norvic incorporated a pair of their women's high-leg boots in the foundations of their new factory built in 1964, and an even more recent account comes from Knebworth House, where in 1991 an estate worker's shoe replaced an "old court shoe" that had been discovered behind some panelling. Nevertheless, only 50 post-1900 instances of concealed shoes have been recorded.[
The shoes in the walls were placed to ward off evil spirits. I am a huge paranormal fan and watch many different shows where this is a common thing to find in very old homes.