What is the neatest thing that you found in your old home?

[WINDCHIMES]

Now that I think of it...I know of someone who claims that through his winecellar...there is a tunnel that goes into Pittsburgh, he thinks it may be an old water line maybe. Or even a underground railroad used by slaves...

[Goinback2011]

My mother told stories about such tunnels for the underground railroad on the NorthSide somewhere, stories which she heard from her mother, who heard them from her mother.....

My Great-great grandparents came to Pittsburgh in 1831 and lived in a 2 different homes in what used to be called the City of Allegheny from the 1850's - 1880's. One home was in what is now Fineview. The other was down the hill from there, on a street that no longer exists where the interstate runs. They didn't have access to the tunnel, but knew people from their church who did.

Is there any more information about the underground railroad in that area?

[WINDCHIMES]

Sorry...I don't know, but I highly suspect that perhaps an " Restoration/Historical society of Pittsburgh would know or could direct you to more information...I have heard there are many of these out there myself, the person I knew found it by accident, it was disguised as a wine cellar, which it was, but it also had a hidden doorway which leads to the tunnel...this building is very old, an old apt building outside of the city.

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

Now you're gonna get haunted for saying that.

That would explain the voices I keep hearing in the basement (good news is that it isn't schizophrenia)

Ooh! I thought of another one. The main sewer line in our basement runs to the front of our house (we live on a cliff so there's nowhere else for it to go). Back in the old days they used to just pipe it out the back and down towards the river. As a result our main sewer line in the back corner of the house drops straight down for five feet below the concrete floor. They terminated the end of the line but just left it connected to the drain when they rerouted it towards the front. Why? WHO THE HECK KNOWS! Now we get to dig our basement up. How fun!

[captainmidnight]

Not really neat, but we are tearing down paneling on an outside wall in the third bedroom (on second story) of our 1910 house. When all the paneling came off, we saw framing from an old window and a capped off gas line coming out of the floor. Old gas furnace? Second kitchen? We have hot water heat and this said bedroom has an original radiator in it. Who knows.. It is interesting to see a part of my houses history.

[ebyrnes]

We have gas lines in every room as well; and have hooked up several antique gas heaters (DH does hvac work). While we have forced air throughout the house, I prefer to use the little heaters since it isn't as dry and is probably more efficient to just heat the room that we are in. The look pretty, too.

Originally Posted by bmantz65

Not really neat, but we are tearing down paneling on an outside wall in the third bedroom (on second story) of our 1910 house. When all the paneling came off, we saw framing from an old window and a capped off gas line coming out of the floor. Old gas furnace? Second kitchen? We have hot water heat and this said bedroom has an original radiator in it. Who knows.. It is interesting to see a part of my houses history.

[fleetiebelle]

Not particularly neat or old, but the previous owners left one of those light-up wire reindeer back in the far corner of the attic. It's dark up there, so when I popped my head in and swept the flashlight around to see what the lay of the land was the first time, it scared the crap out of me.

[SorryIMovedBack]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

A friend of mine dated a girl who lived in a house built WAY back in the early 1700's. They found fetuses submerged in some sort of solution in old fashioned glass jars, buried in the basement. This was about 20 years ago, and it made the news. Turns out they dated them back to the mid 1800's. Weird.

Oh, that reminds me of the story about bones found in a Greenville (PA) house in 2008.
Sex of bones found under house may be sole finding » Local News » The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

And back in late '90s or early 2000s, in Charleston, WV, there was some kind of scandal about an old funeral home for colored people that was owned by a black woman (if I remember right) and operated by blacks for blacks. It had closed when the owner died. And sat closed up a long time. And bodies and body parts and I can't recall what were found in the basement of something. Basically, the operator was crooked and was paid for the burials, but didn't ever do them. I can't find the story online to check the facts. It was a pretty disgusting thing when the story broke. It was a big old early 1900s house that was back by the RR tracks and warehouse district, I think.

[CortlandGirl79]

Gas piping may have been for gas lights, I had some capped off in my old house.