A 221-Year-Old Bottle of Rum Is Rumored to Be Buried on a Cursed Mountain Deep in the New England Wilderness
A bottle of 221-year-old rum is allegedly buried at the top of a cursed peak in New England.
Earlier this month, WJBP reported on the legend of a bottle of 221-year-old rum buried atop the tallest mountain in Maine: Mount Katahdin. But hikers looking for this boozy treat be warned, an ancient curse involving an evil spirit purportedly hangs over this mysterious peak, and it has plagued hikers for centuries.
The Appalachian Mountain Club claims the curse alleges that an evil spirit named Pamola haunts the mountain and kills hikers who climb it unless they offer him a sacrifice.
The curse is linked to the Penobscot Tribe, who inhabited the area surrounding Mount Katahdin and believed the spirit of Pamola plagued the area. The Penobscot named the entity “Pamola,” which translates to “he who curses the mountain.” To appease Pamola, historic accounts reported that members of the tribe would offer sacrifices of oil and fat so they could ascend and descend the mountain unscathed.
The story of the buried rum bottle dates back to 1804, when Charles Turner became the first non-Native American to summit the peak of Mt. Katahdin. Turner recorded his ascent to the top of the peak with a group of six men, and his account of climbing the 5,270-foot peak can be viewed here. Once they reached the top of the mountain, a legend states that they all carved their names into a lead plate they buried with a sealed bottle of rum at the top of Mt. Katahdin. Whether this was part of an effort to appease Pamola remains lost to history.
According to WJBP, the famous naturalist Henry David Thoreau also attempted to summit Mt. Katahdin but failed in 1846. Thoreau was led by a member of the Penobscot tribe, who urged him to leave a bottle of rum behind as an offering to Pamola. Thoreau failed to reach the summit, and whether he left an additional bottle behind remains a mystery.
Though the legend of this buried rum bottle might seem like a work of fiction, many stories of hidden booze finds almost too wild to be believed have made media headlines and achieved viral fame on TikTok.
In September, a couple found 100 empty bottles of Captain Morgan Rum stowed away in the walls of their New Jersey home. The former owner made contact with the family, claiming he had a pretty hefty thirst for Captain Morgan and would hide the bottles he drank in the walls of his home. He was 3 years sober when he made contact.
One month later, a bottle of mystery whisky was found within the walls of an old home in Ireland, and it may have been linked to a century-old cold case. The case involved a pub owner named Patrick O’Reilly, who was facing criminal charges over allegedly counterfeiting beer. Interestingly enough, O’Reilly’s name was on the bottle of whisky found inside the wall.
It’s unclear whether or not hikers will ascend Mt. Katahdin in search of the storied bottle of mystery rum, but if they do decide to hunt for the bottle we suggest leaving a different bottle of rum behind — Captain Morgan, perhaps?
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