New Homeowner Finds A Wild Sight Under His Basement Floor
Buying an old house is always a risky proposition. While they can be charming and filled with character, these older homes come with lots of history. Sometimes the history is... not as pleasant. After buying an old home, this man ventured into the musty, old basement where he found a strange panel on the wall. Too curious to simply leave it alone, he removed it and was stunned by what he found on the other side...
Down the stairwell
A new homeowner named Jerry had only just moved into his house when he began to explore his basement. While looking down the staircase, he noticed something unusual between the wall and the stairs.
Odd piece of wood
It was a strangely out-of-place piece of plywood that looked as though it was being used to cover up something on the other side. The man slowly approached the wood to get a better look.
Prying it open
He grabbed hold of the corner of the wood and shifted it slightly. That's when he noticed a strange gap between the wood and the wall. Hmm, there was something behind this wall the previous owner wanted hidden...
The secret space
With a few tugs on the corner of the board, he pried it out from behind the staircase — and stared in awe at the startling discovery. There was an entire room down there no one had bothered to tell him about!
A forgotten cache
The room was stocked with supplies. Inside were dozens of boxes and a locked safe. First, he fiddled with the safe but couldn't open it. He moved his attention to the stacks of boxes.
Not ordinary supplies
After inspecting the outside of the containers for a few moments, he realized the boxes weren't just any old useless cardboard boxes. These were gun boxes — and there were lots and lots of them.
Locked safe
Why, he wondered, was the previous owner so well armed? For a moment, he was glad he couldn't get into the safe. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what the previous owner deemed so secretive it required locking away.
Packed to the brim
That's when he noticed the ammo boxes! He opened them up, and sure enough, they were filled with live rounds. A picture of the former homeowner started forming in his head.
Doomsday prepper
Because the presence of the bullets begged one important question: what exactly was the previous owner preparing for? And why did they leave everything there like they were forced out of the home without time to collect their belongings?
Going deeper
The following day after the discovery, he bravely ventured back down the stairs to continue his explorations. Before long he found even more ammo and other strange equipment.
Enough for a small army
There was so much ammo... enough to take down a small army. He must've been worried that a box would contain live explosives or something! Nevertheless, he kept opening boxes, desperate to know what was in his home.
Piles of ammo
He found this small pouch. When he unzipped it, he found... even more ammo. He began to suspect the answers were in the safe, which he still hadn't been able to open. But did he really want to know the truth?
Heart skipping a beat
He felt totally unprepared for what he might find behind the safe's locked door. He kept looking around the room before attempting to venture into the safe when he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.
Bombs away
A grenade was tucked into one side of another container stuffed to the brim with bullets. He immediately realized there was no pin... it was live! Wait a minute, it couldn't have been...
Close call
Nervously, he inspected the grenade and found that a hole had been filed into the bottom and all the powder drained. This was a huge relief, but he was still alarmed at how ready for war this room was.
Coin hoard
After taking a moment to savor the feeling of relief, he opened another ammo box and was rewarded with this amazing sight: loose change. Almost all of it pennies. Thankfully, it wasn't more bullets.
Taking a crack at it
Still, the answers to his questions, he knew, rested in that safe. He decided to go back and try cracking that safe one more time! He gathered his most powerful safe-cracking tools. Mostly blunt objects.
Back to the drawing board
No surprise, the safe fended off hammers and axes and crowbars (oh my). Smartly, he took the safe to a professional locksmith the next day, and posted a message on Reddit promising to update with any news.
Strange faces
Jerry was delayed in getting to the bottom of the case, however. A couple days after posting his photo evidence, a group of strangers kept showing up at his door. Although he didn't answer, he heard that a neighbor's house was burglarized the next night. Frightened that someone might be after the newly opened safe — or all that weaponry — Jerry decided to sit on his secret find for a while.
One Person's Trash...
While Redditors waited for answers, another poster shared his own dilemma. As Imgur user Todirerl will no doubt attest, there’s a good chance that you could uncover some fascinating findings when sifting through the contents of an old house. Whether it’s vintage photographs or a collection of keepsakes, those items can make all the effort worthwhile. Yet for this keen online image sharer, his venture in August 2013 ended with a shocking surprise.
A Long-Empty House
The ceramics room that Todirerl was poking around in his grandmother’s old house was long-vacant. In fact, it appeared likely that the space had remained undisturbed for years before he finally got in there during the summer of 2013. And judging by the cluttered state of the area, that isn’t too hard to believe.
Catching The Eye...
Indeed, the room was filled with cardboard boxes all over the floor, alongside various pieces of artwork. In one of the corners, however, Todirerl caught sight of an old wooden wardrobe that was surrounded by junk. From there, he uncovered a truly remarkable mystery, which he would go on to share with fellow Imgur users.
More Than Expected
While studying Todirerl’s treasure hunt, a familiar feeling may well take hold. Many of us can relate to finding something unexpected after searching through old belongings that have been packed up for storage. But in the case of this image sharer, he got far more than he bargained for.
Snooping Around
Todirerl’s big discovery began innocently enough - when he poked his head into one of his grandmother’s old rooms. Subsequently, he took to Imgur to talk about what he found in the summer of 2013. In what proved to be his first post on the photo-sharing website, Todirerl captured the imagination of thousands.
Just Clutter, Right?
Titled “Gravel Safe Unlocked,” Todirerl began his post with an image of the cluttered ceramics room. In addition to the cardboard boxes and artwork, the room also included a series of old wooden cabinets on the wall. Given how little floor space there appeared to be, several other items were stacked on top of them as well.
Something's Inside
Todirerl then shared another photograph, which highlighted the hidden wardrobe in the corner of the space. He went on to investigate the contents of the large closet, but not even he could have predicted what happened next. To explain more, the treasure hunter then retraced his steps on the website.
Cleverly Hidden
Todirerl wrote, “While snooping around my grandma’s ceramics room, I found a surprise in a cupboard at the back of the room. The cupboard had a false bottom. Beneath that, the tiles were cut out and packed with gravel. [I] brush the gravel aside and it’s the top of a combination safe.”
Fully Secure
Along the way, Todirerl snapped a couple of pictures inside the wardrobe. As he previously revealed, the lower section was mysteriously packed full of gravel upon opening. And after clearing the area out, he captured a shot of the safe, with the round dial standing out from the remaining grit.
Unknown Combination
Unsurprisingly, Todirerl was keen to take a look inside the mysterious safe. However, he was dealt a significant blow when he brought it to the attention of his grandmother. Even though the box was in her ceramics room, she didn’t know the combination to get it open, so she searched the house for potential clues.
Brute Force
“My grandma couldn’t find the code [in the end], so she gave me permission to open [the safe] up with force,” Todirerl recalled on Imgur. “My dad went ahead and took the safe out [of] the ground when I wasn’t around. He used a grinder to smooth down the edges. Then he pried it open.”
Severely Weathered
Todirerl was able to capture some images of his father in action, as he tackled the safe in the yard. Once he was done with the power tools, we were then afforded a better look at the box itself. The rectangular object was clearly metallic, but the lid displayed signs of severe rust.
Grandpa's Belongings
With that in mind, Todirerl could finally get his hands on the safe. As he prised open the rusted lid, the Imgur user discovered many different items nestled away inside. With what he found, he was able to confirm that the box belonged to his grandfather, who had passed away some time before.
A Peculiar Symbol
At first, Todirerl focused his attention on a large package, wrapped in what appeared to be black cloth. Due to the condition of the safe, that too was covered in dust and rust. Yet when he took a closer look at it, he was puzzled by a white mark on the front of the material.
Turning To The Internet
Keen to clear up the mystery, another Imgur user offered up a potential explanation in the comments section of Todirerl’s post. According to the user, the markings did have a specific meaning. They wrote, “The symbol on the cloth is the Chinese character for double happiness, commonly used for weddings.”
An Image Of Note
Meanwhile, Todirerl went on to unfurl the rust-covered cloth, unveiling the contents of the package. At first, a very old-looking photograph on the left caught his eye. The discolored image captured a young woman standing next to a large open window, alongside what appeared to be a potted house plant.
Looking Back In Time
As it turned out, that lady was Todirerl’s great-great-grandmother. From there, he found one more old photo in the package. This particular snap was of a man dressed in a very smart suit, sporting some stylish glasses. To complete the distinguished picture, he was also holding a vintage tobacco pipe in his right hand.
Dashing Great-Grandpa
This gentleman in question was Todirerl’s great-grandfather, giving him a wonderful snapshot of his family’s past. But the surprises didn’t end there, though. After looking at the photographs, the internet user moved on to the next item inside the package. It was a brown pouch that was tied shut with a thin bit of rope.
A True Artifact
To give you some indication of just how old this pouch was, it had a date printed on its front. In fact, the faded black stamp appeared to say “Georgia 1776.” At that point, Todirerl opened up the small brown bag, carefully emptying the contents before him onto a dark surface.
Army-Issue Treasure
Incredibly, the pouch housed a beautiful gold pocket watch that looked to be in excellent condition. However, according to one Imgur user, this wasn’t just a standard timepiece. They wrote, “While it might be a minor point, the pocket watch seemed to have been wrapped in British Army issue barrel cloth.”
Rare Stamp Collection
In addition to the watch, the pouch also held a large collection of stamps, ranging in size and design. Todirerl then revealed that some of those items were from countries that didn’t exist anymore. For instance, places such as Czechoslovakia, Zaire and the Soviet Union were all represented.
Additional Treasure
Once Todirerl was done with the pouch, he moved on to a couple of loose items in the package. He found a golden pen and a silver lamp - while noting, “Unfortunately not a genie’s lamp.” After that, the treasure hunter focused on the final few pieces, which were kept inside a plastic box.
Exceedingly Rare Coins
Initially, Todirerl took out 13 vintage coins from the clear container. Much like the stamps, they were from various countries as well, including Cuba, Venezuela, New Zealand and Pakistan. Regarding the latter pieces of silverware, an Imgur user responded, “As a Pakistani, the Pakistani coins are VERY rare.”
WWI-Era Crest
Following that, Todirerl unpacked a medal from World War One, which came with a stunning metal crest. Then, the user pulled out a gold key too, although he had no idea what it was for. At that stage, all of the contents from the cloth package had been revealed, but there was still one last thing in the safe.
Grandpa's Final Words
As we mentioned earlier, Todirerl was greeted by a note when he first opened the safe. The short message was written by his grandfather before the box was hidden, and it may even sound somewhat familiar to some of you. The scrap of paper read, “Abandon all regret ye who enter here.”
Humor For The Ages
Todirerl certainly recognized the short passage, as he speculated what his grandfather was trying to say. “He left a message,” the user wrote on Imgur. “This is a famous quote from Dante’s Inferno, except instead of abandoning hope, it says to abandon regret. This is his way of playing around.”
Time Capsule
While the contents of the safe were certainly eye-catching, the note from Todirerl’s grandpa added a unique twist to the tale. The idea that someone from the past can directly address you through an old note is fascinating. People from all over took notice.
Messages Through Time
Todirerl’s story generated a fair amount of buzz as well thanks to being shared on the internet. A huge number of users flocked to read his post on Imgur back in August 2013. Since then, it’s earned over 248,000 views and more than 7,000 points on the website’s scoring system.
Preserving Digital Stories
As the story continued to grow in popularity, outlets such as the Daily Star covered it on their website. Meanwhile, the Facts Verse YouTube channel dedicated a video to the viral tale in May 2019, earning over 22,000 views. These days, a simple message from the past posted on the internet can cause ripples far and wide. A very modern message in a bottle, you might say.
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