Relic Hunter Finds a Mysterious Piece of New Orleans’ History During a Dig

If there’s one thing Shane Mears knows how to do is go poking around in other people’s business, but there’s a reason for this madness.

He’s a relic hunter, and loves visiting construction sites using a five-foot steel poker to find potential artifacts of New Orleans’ history. But one day, he unearthed something truly baffling.

As Mears dug, he hit something that was hard as a rock, but what caught his eye wasn’t a natural piece of earth at all. He soon realized that he had nearly broken a bottle that was filled with a murky liquid.

But he didn’t yet know what the other contents of the bottle were and why they were so important to the person who buried the bottle in the first place.

He Used to Treasure Hunt With His Dad

In the 1980s, Shane Mears started visiting historic sites looking for treasure with his dad and there was plenty of it in Gentilly, Louisiana. But eventually, he moved to the city of Metairie before relocating to the state of Florida.

But he didn’t stay there for long.

A Hurricane Lured Him Back Home

While living in Florida, Mears made a living as a car salesman. But when Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana, he decided it was time to return to his home state of Louisiana and settle in New Orleans. But he didn’t start relic hunting just yet.

He Became a Bartender First

He started out as a bartender at a restaurant in the French Quarter, which left him with plenty of time to pursue one of his true callings–fishing.

In fact, he goes by the name Cajun Swamp Whisperer because he frequents the Mississippi River looking for catfish. But this wasn’t his only pastime.

He Has Made a Ton of Discoveries

With the help of his trusted metal detector, Mears has uncovered over 100 cannonballs, as well as other miscellaneous items like the remnants of a carriage and even a belt buckle that dates back to the Battle of the Alamo.

But technology aside, he seems to have a sixth sense when finding things.