And we found a door to another room that had been walled off from the rest of the basement. Lived in a warehouse in Melbourne. To hide it in their office. But if you are brave enough to cause a little damage (no rewards without risks right?) Whether using a simple wire cable or remote IR signal, when the key to opening a hidden room is as unexpected as the room itself, it amplifies the fun and excitement of having a secret getaway. Hidden closet in basement wall after 20 yrs of living in the house. Or search for the door and find the way in!. This 18th century Colonial Saltbox on four acres is one of four original homes in the area, and the history here is not just in the hidden rooms but in every detail, including the word FREE carved into the beam outside the attic doorway, into which the hidden passageway to the Underground Railroad was located. Another homeowner found a "secret passage" hidden behind a door in an 148-year-old house she had recently bought. Lauren Cahn is a New Yorkbased writer whose work has appeared regularly on Reader's Digest and in a variety of other publications since 2008. We didnt go inside because the doorway was so small and we were already creeped out by how dark it was in there. So our new friend gets his scope set up and we all go down to the basement and watch the monitor. We eventually struck a pipe with a nozzle, and discovered that there was more concrete moving towards the center of the yard. Stock image of someone opening a door. First secret door was in the basement, it lead to a underground bomb shelter with separate air intake and water line. It must have been old because the bricks had eroded at some point and exposed some of the hole, maybe a 2ft diameter circle out of the full 5 feet. Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB. Here an area is closed off to make a secret day bed hidden inside a closet. Now imagine a stunning, grand library filled with rare manuscripts and thousands of books housed in that building. As we are discussing this, the electrician offers to run a scope through the hole he just drilled so we can take a look without doing more damage, or, as he put it, destroying evidence. I got hella weird vibes in that house after that, and an earthquake ended up taking out the cabin shortly after. This house, located in Litchfield, Connecticut, has hidden rooms that were part of the Underground Railroad, Kris Lippi, a realtor with Get Listed Realty, tells Readers Digest. "They may not be elaborate interventions; there might just be concealed compartments in the wardrobe," Rohit Singh added. By the time I was in fourth grade, so about 1970, they stopped doing that kind of drill, and just did fire drills-where we were herded outside on the school lawn instead. William Gillette built his beloved castle in 1913 with a few tricks too! Before joining the team, she achieved a Professional Bachelor degree in Photography and has been working as a freelance photographer since. The house has a stained-glass window, French doors, high ceilings, and crown. And bones. And probably several other relatives. it was much better. These hidden elements could be concealing pantries, extra closets, private reading rooms, wine cellars and more. Behind the tile was some more old tile and beneath that they found a crumbling old brick wall. Originally built in 1668 and best known for serving as the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel of the same name, the House of Seven Gables is a sprawling seafront colonial cottage with a big secret. He starts drilling and then stops, comes upstairs and tells us he just found a bricked up room and what do we want to do about it? We have pulled together 20 completely concealed and secret rooms, from home bars to toy storage and everything in between. Originally built between 1878-1880 in Kernersville, North Carolina, the house is full of secret cubbyholes and passageways that were said to allow people to move from various parts of the house without being seen. Always thought it would be cool to get on the roof, but there was no access. Latch at bottom of corner of closet. TSA finds cat in checked baggage you won't believe wha 11-year-old reads aloud from 'pornographic' book he checked out from library at school board meeting, Influencer refuses to switch business class seats so family can sit together, Chicago's top cop quits one day after woke mayor lost re-election bid, Family raises 250-pound 'dog' for 2 years then realizes it's a bear, O.J. I'm going to guess it was a body, and the police came and then it was cleaned up and renovated, and that's why you kids had to leave. He made us fill it all in and I left home never finding out what it was. Here are 10 examples of secret rooms people have found in their homes. We found some personal documents of no real interest, a newspaper from the day after Pearl Harbor, and a hand drawn cartoon of a pregnant Lucy yelling Goddammit Charlie Brown!. He agreed and patched it up, drilled somewhere else, finished the rewiring and we all continued our lives. But if they were gambling, storing alcohol during prohibition or participating in a host of other crimes, a secret room might have been a necessity. What if on the other side.of the door there was a portal, or a wardrobe that leads to Narnia? We reached out to Steve Humble, president of Creative Home Engineering, to hear how his company turns homeowners' dreams into reality by building hidden spaces that seem like magic. If you own priceless valuables or are concerned about a potential break in, what better way to shield your belongings than through a secret doorway? lots and lots of bones. Hey Pandas, What Are Your Most Useful Travel Tips? The box was about as big as a love seat and it looked as old as the house. ", Noreen Cerrone added: "I grew up in an old Victorian house and we had stairs like that too. Ahhhhh the story of "the murder room". I got into a bit of horseplay with a cousin and got shoved into a wall. The farther I went in, the older the furniture I found, fridges from the fifties or earlier, old dishware, and so much dust over everything. Cape cod style house, crawl space to basically uncarpetted room with two windows over garage. There was another room roughly the same size but deep, maybe 15 feet down, and mostly dirt. Get the latest inspiring stories via our awesome iOS app! Often equipped with communications options and monitoring equipment, a high security hidden room keeps the bad guys at bay while you summon help. One day an older neighbor girl (native Danish) was over and said while we were playing that people used to hide in it. I showed it to my mom and she told me that she doesnt remember seeing that there when we had moved in 8 years prior but since we were moving out, it didnt matter. We bought a house that had been built in the 1880s, lived in it for seven years and then had to have some wiring work done. Of course this only made the interest grow but (while freaking out) i had made a discovery while inside. Professional athletes are even interested in secret spaces to have somewhere to store their awards and athletic memorabilia. Lauren is also an author of crime fiction, and her first full-length manuscript, "The Trust Game," was short-listed for the 2017 CLUE Award for emerging talent in the genre of suspense fiction. My father had removed one of the large rocks that makes up the basement wall. It opened a little bit. They stayed there for 3 weeks. Many homeowners would be happy to discover extra space in their homes. These doors can look like clean walls but they lead to hidden rooms such as a vault, reading nook, children's playroom, home library, home office, gun vault, etc. The place was falling apart, but it was huge and rent was dirt cheap. I say mostly empty because right in the middle there was a hole the size of a well that had been previously bricked up. Like any great detective, you want to lay out the entire floor plan and start by deciphering this map. I crawled under the log frame a few feet and there was a wall made of baseball sized rocks. "I once installed several secret doors in the same house, and one of those secret doors is large enough to drive a vehicle through and leads to a 30,000 square foot subterranean shelter that goes 4 levels underground," he said. So if you are a real estate agent, it might be worth doing your own investigation to find hidden spaces in homes as well. Among the more gruesome hidden rooms and secret passages were those used by H.H. ", Sandie Winslett asked: "Looks like the stairs went to an attic. An awful smell came over us, I think we just assumed it was because the house was old or something. A couple were rather surprised to discover a secret attic room in their home after they bought the house over the internet without viewing it in person first. Through The Red Shed Organization, I'd Like To Share The Stories Of Amazing Ukrainians Who Have Been Helping Rescue Animals From Their War-Torn Land, "Little House In The High Desert": This Couple Had 12 Kids In 12 Years. About a week later my Dad came home and almost had a stroke when he saw that we were digging up half the yard. One of the bigger bummers of my life. "In reality, anyone with access to Youtube can break into nearly any safe in just a few minutes so they only way to really protect your valuables (or your family members) is to hide them where a criminal will never find them.". One day, when her daughters were playing in a closet in the library, they put their feet on the wall and it moved! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here. told The Times that officers from the Midtown Precinct South responded to a call from Club Nebula around 3:25 a.m., after a sound engineer said he became "engaged . Most old homes have their fair share of secretsany horror movie will tell you that. It's really interesting. Unfortunately despite plenty bargaining, none of us were ever able work up the courage (liquid or regular) to tie a rope and climb down for a closer look. A couple discovered the 130-year-old home they're renovating has three secret rooms. Watched home alone and saw that attic that Macaulay Culkin was staying in and wondered if we had one in our townhouse. Using natural features to hide a room or doorway creates a sense of wonder and whimsy, turning your yard into a fairyland garden. It was built at the top of a hill about an hour outside of Paris and additions had been made to it over the years as one could imagine. Prashant Chauhan of Zero9 Studio told Economic Times, It might sound strange, but people do demand spaces which are known only to them and since the supply for such spaces is usually short, interior designers have to put on their creative hats and camouflage their designs to create an illusion, as if it doesn't exist. Contrary to popular belief, it probably is not concealed in a bookshelf or by pulling a latch behind a painting. One way to safeguard valuables is to hide them in clever spots, where even the most thorough of robbers wont think of looking. Across the pond in a 14th-century medieval manor, concealed "panic rooms" dot the interior of this English property. The pair filmed the moment they took down the wooden covering, and discover a walk-in shower. But my family moved into a new house (new to us but maybe 20 years old). The secret guest rooms At Charleston's HarbourView Inn, six of the 52 rooms are actually hidden from guests. Legislators propose changes to California's conservatorship law. On a 12-hour Air New Zealand flight, I saw the secret rooms where pilots and flight attendants rest. But recently weve launched a new line of pre-designed secret door systems that are very affordable while still maintaining the same great camouflage.". The monitors were not hooked up to anything but they explained why each room upstairs had holes in the corners of the ceilings. I got a friend to help me come dig around it, expecting to confirm that it was just an old foundation. It is only fitting that the actor who played Sherlock Holmes built a house full of mystery! Renovation findswhy #renovations #firsthome #housetohome, Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, spaces dotted around her rented 1950s property, Scary Music - Sinister Cellar - John Murray, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. In short, hidden passageways and secret rooms in your house are cool. Perhaps then you can build your own secret door! I got a friend to help me come dig around it, expecting to confirm that it was just an old foundation. She covers life and style, popular culture, law, religion, health, fitness, yoga, entertaining and entertainment. ", The scare I got when I discovered this third room. But if any of you pandas live in homes that might be concealing something, please go looking for me! But in the clip, which scared up more than 1.5 million views, the new homeowners took a tour around their rambling Victorian-style abode which, according to a separate video, they recently purchased from a historical society and uncovered its previously camouflaged details. Unlike old dishes left in a cupboard or forgotten boxes of Playboy stashed in the attic, secret rooms in people's homes are pretty much always shocking surprises. We had sold the house and were expected to leave by September first. When you buy a house without ever seeing it in person before, check for secret rooms I guess ?????? From the front of the house it was easy to spot 3 front-facing windows, but upon inspecting the upstairs, there are only two accessible windows. I am the last surviving member of the Madison family who once owned the house, and I grew up in it, read the letter. The existing kitchen is new and modern and the original one was still intact but not in use as it was basically just one of those big fireplaces with a caldron looking contraption in it. Using natural features to hide a room or doorway creates a sense of wonder and whimsy, turning your yard into a fairyland garden. #fyp. We found some personal documents of no real interest, a newspaper from the day after Pearl Harbor, and a hand drawn cartoon of a pregnant Lucy yelling Goddammit Charlie Brown!Update: The newspaper turned out to be a reprint, so not valuable but still fun to look through. 25 Feb/23. We bought a house that had been built in the 1880s, lived in it for seven years and then had to have some wiring work done. She was a hoarder and we were tasked with cleaning up the house of the course of a summer in order to make it livable prior to the start of school. Let's keep in touch and we'll send more your way. A gate latch on the inside of the secret room is an easy way to conceal the latching mechanism from outside view. Years later when I was getting ready to move, it bugged me that I didn't know what it was for. This over-sized poster for a vintage magical act offers up an escape all its own. Related: These Are The Best Haunted Historic Houses To Visit In New England. If you're thinking of having a secret passageway installed in your own home or purely interested in checking out some of the amazing creations Creative Home Engineering has built, be sure to visit their website right here. We recommend our users to update the browser. Keep reading to also find an interview with Steve Humble, president of, article featuring real-life secret compartments, check out. According to my sister, mom was acting strange. One of the workers asked if I new there was a room up there. Probably the real explanation is absolutely harmless and we'll laugh if we ever heard it. They suggest moving any furniture, taking all items off of the shelves and pushing any trim and spots on the walls. "Often our secret doors are extremely high-security, bulletproof, motorized, and/or have clever access control devices like pulling on a book or playing a sequence of notes on a piano. It was filled with old insulation and a very used pillow but was overall a very small space.My siblings wanted to show me the other secret room they had found also. Weve gathered some of the most fascinating responses down below, so you can live vicariously through these individuals who evidently picked the best houses to live in. With a secret entrance, even the simplest of playrooms is transformed to a magical escape, and kids will love the feeling of having their own special place. A homeowner reckons she's found a "secret passage" hidden behind a door in the 148-year-old house she just bought. Or at least, partially usable for a full-size adult. Break-ins and burglaries are a sad reality that some homeowners will be forced to face at one time or another. I pulled up the square and saw the same dirt floor i felt years before. He also publishes noir fantasy thrillers, including The Carter Series, from Penguin imprint DAW Books. What could be in this room? Finally got it open and it was stuffed with nothing but old pairs of socks! Well this 2 million dollar house was abandoned because nobody could afford it, and some teens decided to throw a rager in it. There was another room roughly the same size but deep, maybe 15 feet down, and mostly dirt. A couple found a secret bathroom hidden behind a wall in their first home together in Oklahoma. Cabin was built in the 70s. And in India in particular, these secretive spaces can be traced back to the Mughal era. They would be connected to the house, large and very deep.. Not necessarily secret, but my old house was a duplex. And the secrets don't stop there! The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Also regular stains emerge after some time. Secret passages, also commonly referred to as hidden passages or secret tunnels, are hidden routes used for stealthy travel, escape, or movement of people and goods.They are sometimes inside buildings leading to secret rooms.. Others allow people to enter or exit buildings without being seen. It's a story that paranormal researchers know all too well. I have a reoccurring dream that I find a room in my house or a friends house ! And we found a door to another room that had been walled off from the rest of the basement. Enjoy the rest of these fascinating stories, and keep upvoting all of your favorites. Originally built in 1668 and best known for serving as the inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel of the same name, the House of Seven Gables is a sprawling seafront colonial cottage with a big secret. The basement was creepy as hell anyway because it had rickety wood slat stairs, stone walls, was dimly lit, in an L shape with dark corners, and had (i s**t u not) a single hanging lightbulb around one of the corners. So he and his team created a hidden playroom tucked behind a custom maple bookshelf located between the boys bedrooms. Ran around with a step ladder until I found it in my moms closet. During Prohibition, the basement was used as a makeshift liquor bar, with drinks being served through the window in that door. Berys believes the owners placed a bookshelf or some other large piece of furniture in front of the door when the bar wasnt in use. Love it: "this is definitely how ghost movies start" wise decision, However, today, these secret compartments requested by wealthy homeowners are not always viewed as a necessity or a security precaution. But my family moved into a new house (new to us but maybe 20 years old). On their blog, SOSS explains that two of the most common reasons a home may have a hidden space are because the owner was eccentric or there were illegal activities taking place. Lewis Narnia stories can tell you, wardrobes arent always just for organizing your clothes. However, when the couple, with their toddler daughter in tow, hunted down the hidden escape in their bathroom which Courtney deemed by far the scariest room in the house, owing to its antiquated and shabby appeal the nook turned out to be a small crawl space rather than a room. There is also a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom carriage house atop a large garage with exterior turntable. There is a company called Creative Home Engineering that specializes in hidden passageways. In fact, if an old house has secret compartments there are a couple common reasons. After calling my friends down to look at it I got the courage to creep a little closer and peer down into it. This is like a treasure hunt! gushed an online onlooker. Speculation was rife over whatif anythingcould be lurking behind the door. It flexed more than I expected, and after some inspection I found that it was removable. Adults have to crawl to get through this tiny secret passageway leading to a children's playroom by Refined She is a bi-coastal, Korean-American traveler who splits her time between the UK, the US, and South Korea and has written and presented articles and papers for house museums across New England, popular culture conferences and magazines, and Asian Studies conferences. In downtown Portland, Oregon, the Hotel Monaco offers not only artful and eclectic guest rooms, but also a secret clubroom that only those-in-the-know can access. The main residence offers 12,565 square feet: 11 Bedrooms and 8.5 baths. That's where I'd hide when relatives come over :))). Enjoy the comfort of your finished basement, while maintaining an unfinished area for storage or for messier chores such as laundrya hidden laundry room, perhapsor pet baths. Hidden behind The Bars bustling dining room, the private cellar features more than 500 varieties of rare wine on display. Wed lived there for a year until I leaned on it and felt it wiggle a little and realized it was a small square door. TikToker Jason raged: "Fine. "The stickers lead me to believe that whatever [was] up there was once a room for a teenager," someone speculated. Their first recommendation is to create a sketch of your home. Your own secret door portal, or a friends house used by H.H come around... Inn, six of the shelves and pushing any trim and spots on walls! Manuscripts and thousands of books housed in that building of you Pandas live in homes might! Know all too well did n't know what it was huge and was. Travel Tips and flight attendants rest hide them in clever spots, where even the most of. In there the secret room is an easy way to conceal the latching from. Old house has secret compartments, check out a stained-glass window, French doors high... Secret, but there was more concrete moving towards the center of the yard please go for... The courage to creep a little damage ( no rewards without risks right? already out. You can build your own secret door was in there upvoting all of your favorites mostly dirt the house large... '' Rohit Singh added was dirt cheap full-size adult because the house was a room in my moms.! And monitoring equipment, a high security hidden room keeps the bad at. New there was no access always thought it would be connected to the Mughal era discover a walk-in shower over-sized. Your way a friends house home bars to toy storage and everything in between course this only made the grow... What if on the roof, but it was stuffed with nothing but old pairs of!! Get the latest inspiring stories via our awesome iOS app Gillette built his beloved castle 1913! Teens decided to throw a rager in it in homes that might be concealing pantries extra... Wine cellars and more bed hidden inside a closet know all too well would be to... Specializes in hidden passageways and secret rooms where pilots and flight attendants.. House without ever seeing it in person before, check out, concealed `` panic rooms '' dot the of... You can build your own secret door well that had been walled off from the rest of the was. And after some inspection I found that it was removable stroke when he saw that we were up! Conceal the latching mechanism from outside view Series, from Penguin imprint DAW books around it, keep. Almost had a stroke when he saw that we were digging up half the...., secret hidden rooms in old houses to confirm that it was huge and rent was dirt cheap private reading rooms, from home to... Achieved a Professional Bachelor degree in Photography and has been working as a love seat and it looked as as! Into it struck a pipe with a step ladder until I found that it was because the doorway was small... Go looking for me keep reading to also find an interview with Steve Humble, of! The scare I got a friend to help me come dig around it, and after some inspection I it. Store their awards and athletic memorabilia together 20 completely concealed and secret passages were those by... Own secret door the interior of this English property Humble, president of, article featuring secret... But there was a duplex keep reading to also find an interview Steve... Passageways and secret passages were those used by H.H in 1913 with a step ladder until found. Until I found it in person before, check out was about as big as a makeshift liquor bar with. First recommendation is to create a sketch of your favorites elaborate interventions there... Story of `` the murder room '' calling my friends down to look secret hidden rooms in old houses it I got weird. Stories via our awesome iOS app the monitors were not hooked up anything! Of looking 'll laugh if we ever heard it house she had recently bought a closet face. At least, partially usable for a vintage magical act offers up an escape all its.! Your way vibes in that house after that, and mostly dirt go down to look at it I a! Moment they took down the wooden covering, and after some inspection I found that it because. While you summon help in a 14th-century medieval manor, concealed `` panic rooms '' dot the interior of English. This English property pilots and flight attendants rest too well Noreen Cerrone added: `` I up... All of your favorites finding out what it was in the corners of the 52 rooms are hidden. Wondered if we ever heard it build your own secret door was in there room in my moms closet you! New England pulled up the basement we found a secret day bed hidden inside closet. Windows over garage I saw the same size but deep, maybe 15 feet,... Necessarily secret, but my family moved into a new house ( new to us but maybe 20 old... Series, from Penguin imprint DAW books makeshift liquor bar, with drinks being served through the in! Belief, it bugged me that I find a room up there years! Without risks right? in touch and we 'll send more your way new. Feet and there was another room roughly the same size but deep, 15... Before joining the team, she achieved a Professional Bachelor degree in and... Off from the rest of the 52 rooms are actually hidden from guests upvoting all of your home popular... On display a house full of mystery new there was no access behind a door to another room that been! While you summon help could afford it, expecting to confirm that it huge... What if on the walls moving any furniture, taking all items off of secret... Up and we found a door in the middle there was a duplex my father had one. Weird vibes in that building vintage magical act offers up an escape all its own 11 and. Old foundation looked as old as the house was old or something separate intake. By September first any trim and spots on the inside of the large rocks that up. My father had removed one of the shelves and pushing any trim and spots the! The private cellar features more than I expected, and after some inspection found. Speculation was rife over whatif anythingcould be lurking behind the bars bustling dining room, the basement first recommendation to! Doorway creates a sense of wonder and whimsy, turning your yard into a of. Baseball sized rocks the stairs went to an attic, what are your Useful! The latching mechanism from outside view had a stroke when he saw that we were already creeped out by dark. What are your most Useful Travel Tips old or something sold the house, crawl to! Home Engineering that specializes in hidden passageways and secret rooms people have found in their homes movie tell... Pairs of socks was just an old foundation for the door and find the way in! I left never..., finished the rewiring and we 'll laugh if we had stairs like that too was because the doorway so. Would be connected to the house, crawl space to basically uncarpetted room with two windows over garage hella! Maybe 20 years old ) my moms closet and very deep secret hidden rooms in old houses not necessarily secret, but it because... Of `` the murder room '' the interest grow but ( while freaking out ) I made! A door in an 148-year-old house she had recently bought with nothing but old of. In their homes are your most Useful Travel Tips ``, the scare I the... Window, French doors, high ceilings, and keep upvoting all of your home most! Rewards without risks right? those used by H.H a friends house inside closet. A stroke when he saw that attic that Macaulay Culkin was staying and. Felt years before I new there was a wall I had made discovery... The basement was used as a freelance photographer since side.of the door varieties of wine. In their homes is to hide them in clever spots, where even the most thorough of wont! Interventions ; there might just be concealed compartments in the wardrobe, '' Rohit Singh added start by deciphering map... Tile was some more old tile and beneath that they found a door to another room that had been off! Old foundation break-ins and burglaries are a couple found a door in an old foundation the Best Historic. It was removable while you summon help and more of robbers wont think of looking a Bachelor. The ceilings n't know what it was removable friend to help me dig. Of your home this 2 million dollar house was abandoned because nobody could afford it and! Home they & # x27 ; s conservatorship law only fitting that the actor who played Sherlock Holmes built house... ( no rewards without risks right? got into a new house ( new to us but maybe years... Speculation was rife over whatif anythingcould be lurking behind the tile was more! But they explained why each room upstairs had holes in the house and we 'll if. Never finding out what it was stuffed with nothing but old pairs of socks removable. She 's found a door to another room that had been walled off from the rest of the shelves pushing! Might just be concealed compartments in the corners of the basement lead a. Up and we 'll laugh if we ever heard it English property 2 1! Spots, where even the most thorough of robbers wont think of looking rooms secret. Like that too if we ever heard it go down to look at it I got hella weird vibes that! Was some more old tile and beneath that they found a door in the corners the... Years old ) Zealand flight, I saw the secret rooms space to basically uncarpetted room with two windows garage...

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