I’ve seen this photo at my Dads house for decades and never asked him about it. His grandfather claimed to be a water witch. It was a method of finding spots to dig for water. Apparently, he expanded his craft to finding oil. I’m not exactly when this photo was taken but it was probably in the 30’s. The local newspapaer did a story on it which is where the picture came from. Kind of a fun picture. The look on my great grandmother’s face is priceless. She looks like Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies.

Is the talent genetic?
If you were a 2nd or 3rd generation water witch, your services could be pretty valuable.

I remember my grandfather bending rods on his old place around Anson trying to show me how it worked. I guess it’s something you have to believe in for it to work, but I was never able to makes the dousing rods cross. Some old timers believe in it. I’m not sure I do. Certainly it wouldn’t work for finding oil. In the picture, he has a small bottle of crude

It works.

That’s a pretty cool pic

Only way the dousing rods would work for most people now days, is when they trip over (or into) the septic lid.

I have two wells that were witched. I called BS both times but had to eat crow.

Had one spot on our place that was dowsed by 2 different guys-2 different techniques. Both were 1 foot off from each other on the depth of 2 intersections of water-80 feet and 120 foot depth. The thing is, no dowser can say with complete accuracy how many gallons per minute.

I was a line locator for a major pipeline company, I used electronic locating machine but have seen older guys use the "Witching Rod" method worked as good an my $7000 machine.

Love those old pics.

I've done this before myself. Pretty cool how it works. Some well guys I've talked to swear by it and others say it's hogwash.

My Grandfather could do it and he sold it to me for a penny when I was 8 years old. I can find water or any kind of line that is buried.

Our fiber optic company can find water , and no english