Woman Stumbles Across What Could Be The World’s Oldest Message In A Bottle

Putting a message in a bottle and tossing it into a body of water is older than you think. The first message in a bottle was from around 310 B.C.E. by Theophrastus , a Greek philosopher and student of Aristotle. He was attempting to test the theory that the Atlantic and Mediterranean Oceans shared a connection. There is no record that his bottle ever found land. With the recent discovery of a message in a bottle on the Jersey Shore, Guinness World Records might be crowning a new record holder.

Amy Smyth Murphy, owner of A. Smyth Co. , was walking along the shore at Corson’s Inlet State Park when she spotted the bottle. Guinness World Records is examining the bottle and its contents. Tonya and Kym Illman of Australia hold the current record of 131 years. Their bottle was found in 2018 on Australia’s Wedge Island.

When Amy conducted her preliminary research , she determined that the bottle was from approximately 1876. That would make her bottle ten years older than the current record. Her first observation was the raised lettering on the bottle itself. The lettering included the words “BARR & BROTHERS” and under that, “PHILADELPHIA.”

Getting the bottle open was quite a task. Amy’s family joined in , trying not to damage the bottle or its contents during the process. Once opened, Amy discovered that it contained an envelope with printing on one side and a handwritten note on the other.

The “best guess” translation of the handwritten note is, “Yacht Neptune Aug 6 -76 Off Atlantic City NJ.” Amy’s research with Ancestry.com led her to an obituary for William G. Klemm. The details matched those on the printed side of the envelope.

Is This The Oldest Message In A Bottle?

With these clues, it seems almost certain that the bottle has been in the ocean since 1876, making it 148 years old. If verified, Amy would become the new record holder at Guinness World Records. There is no indication when the authentification process will be complete.

Amy’s research appears thorough. She has kept a recorded chronicle of her findings on her TikTok channel . You can follow her there for updates as she discovers more about the mysterious message in a bottle.

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