Fitch Bits: Concealed Shoes

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This post was originally shared as a Facebook and Instagram "DID YOU KNOW" post.

We share them weekly and you can get in on the fun by liking us at Facebook.com/TheNewSlightlyOddFitchburg and following us at Instagram.com/SlightlyOddFitchburg! Now onto the odd story!

 

DID YOU KNOW

that your old New England home might have shoes in its walls?
 
Although it's not unique to New England, there happen to be more instances of it here than anywhere else in the country. It's even more common in New England's prequel: England, England. That's why the phenomenon is most likely an immigrant from the U.K. and Europe.
 
They're called concealed shoes, and there's no single consensus as to why they were put in the walls. It could go all the way back to ritualistic sacrifice on new foundations to protect and bless new homes and public houses. As sacrifice fell out of fashion, the tradition stuck, and people used leather shoes (animal skins) in place of living things.
 
Other possible reasons were to ward off witches, bestow fertility, or to simply keep the demons at bay! There's a museum in Northampton, England, that exhibits over 15,000 pairs of concealed shoes and that number is always growing!
 
It should also be noted that it's pretty much always old, worn-out shoes found in the buildings. Shoes were made by hand back then and were very expensive. Ain't nobody gonna throw their brand new Crocs into a wall!

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About the Author

Ed Sweeney documents folklore, odd history, hauntings, and cryptid cases at SlightlyOddAmerica.com. He wrote Slightly Odd Fitchburg: The Odd and Haunted History of Central Massachusetts, is a content creator, and founder of the Slightly Odd Society

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