John has been dreaming of buying his own house for so long. Now when he finally had it, the rumors started spreading around.
Once he heard them, he went to his backyard. Sometime after digging, he hit something with his shovel. When he looked closer at what he found, he stumbled. He would never imagine what sinister secrets this house was hiding...
A Very Old Rumor
John had just moved to a new house in Tucson, Arizona. While he wasn’t new to the city, the house he bought was completely new to him. He decided that it was time for a fresh start, and what could be fresher than moving to a new home?
One of his friends used to own this house, and he decided to purchase it from them before they left the state. Something about the property intrigued him and caught his attention. As he was being handed the keys, his friend said, “This house is hiding something underneath it.”
Was There Something Beneath His House?
Since his friend told him about the little “secret,” John couldn’t help but wonder whether something really was underneath his new house. He tried to shake the idea out of his head for weeks, but he knew that he couldn’t.
However, he knew that he simply couldn’t dig around his backyard – that wasn’t how it worked. Plus, there was a high chance that his neighbors would find it odd. After all, he was new to the neighborhood, and he didn’t want to get a bad reputation.
A New Resident
John wasn’t new to Tucson; he lived there all his life. He has a successful career in the Fire Department, and he had a loving family that constantly supported him. Although, he sometimes felt that he needed a change in his life.
When one of his friends announced that he would sell his house, John grabbed the chance to buy it from him. He had always been fascinated by this particular house, and he wanted to be able to live there. Plus, it was much more spacious, and his children had more space to run around it than their current property.
His Friend Gave Him a Warning
Surprisingly, the deal took way faster to materialize, and it left John moving to the house much sooner than he had anticipated. Though he wasn’t complaining, he saw that his children were so excited about the new change in their lifestyle.
As his friend was handing him the keys to his new kingdom, he said, “Be careful because you might uncover something hidden beneath the house.” John didn’t know what to make of this remark, but it got him hooked. Was there something hidden underneath his new house?
Curiosity Got the Better of Him
John tried to shake the idea off his head, but he simply couldn’t. He was an insanely curious person, and he knew that he had to uncover what the secret was. So he grabbed his shovel and started digging random holes in his backyard.
He said to his wife, “If we don’t find anything, I will gladly pay for someone to fix this backyard.” This was the assurance she needed, so she left her husband to do all the digging he wanted. However, it doesn’t seem that successful…
He Kept on Digging
He didn’t want to accept defeat, and he kept on telling himself that it was way too early for that. John kept digging even though he was being drenched in the hot Arizona sun. His curiosity was much stronger than the heat, and he didn’t mind it at all.
A few days later, nothing seemed to be happening, and there seemed to be no treasure. Was he way in over his head, or was he simply looking at the wrong spots? John thought that maybe it was time to quit…
Was He Way Over His Head?
He told his wife, “Maybe the whole digging thing was the wrong thing to do.” His wife simply gave him a pat on the shoulder and said, “If it means that much to you, I think you should do it. Just give it another shot, and maybe you’ll get the luck that you need.”
John’s wife was supportive and understanding, and he couldn’t be more grateful. So before starting on another dig, he went to the local library to look for public records. He wanted to know if there was any record of his home at all.
He Decided to Do Some Research
After scouring multiple public records, John finally found the missing piece that he needed. It was an architectural plan for his house, and it shows that there was a hidden place underneath his property that was built by Whittaker Pools in 1961.
Why would someone build an underground pool in Tucson, Arizona? That simply didn’t make sense. Although it was all the proof that John needed, he called reinforcements and went to work.
Calling Some Reinforcements
John called in some of his friends, and he even hired a company with metal detectors to search his backyard. He wanted to find out what was underneath his property, and he didn’t want to waste any time.
A few hours later, the metal detector went off, and they started digging. They knew that this was the spot, and John got overly excited when they hit something that sounded like metal. Was this the underground spot he had been looking for, or was it simply an old pipe?
The Fruits of His Labors
As he hit the metal under the ground, John couldn’t help but feel excited. He knew that this was it, and he had a feeling he was onto something big. So he kept on digging and digging until he uncovered what seemed to be a latch that was guarding something underneath.
He said, “This is it! This is what we’ve been looking for!” John couldn’t contain his excitement, and so he opened up the latch only to find something quite extraordinary inside…
What Was Inside?
Upon opening the latch, a metal staircase greeted them. It looked like there was something waiting for them underneath, but he knew that he couldn’t go there in the state of that staircase. After all, he’s the captain of the Fire Department, and he knew better.
So he thought of ways to get down there, and he called in some of his friends to help him with his mission. He knew that if there were anything to happen to him, his friends at the Fire Department would be able to come to his rescue. But then someone suggested, “Why don’t we try to repair it?”
He Tried to Repair It
John thought that repairing it would be a great idea, but he also knew that it would cost money. He simply couldn’t do any repair jobs without consulting his wife, and he knew that it was too much.
Still, his wife encouraged him with his exploration, and she even gave her the affirmation he needed. So he and his friends started pouring concrete around the sides of the tunnel so it could be a bit sturdier. Although their hard work didn’t stop there…
Some Friends Came to Help
As soon as the concrete dried, they knew that it was a bit safer than when they first saw it. However, he still wasn’t sure about the state of the metal staircase. John knew that he couldn’t go down there using it, and the tunnel was too deep for him to jump – so what did he do?
In the end, he took a ladder and used this to go down the tunnel he had just discovered. He brought in a flashlight because he wanted to clearly see what was waiting for him underneath. Although, he wasn’t expecting what he was soon going to discover – was there a treasure underneath?
Uncovering the Unexpected
John eventually made it to the bottom of the ladder, and he was pretty surprised at what he saw. There wasn’t any treasure waiting for him, but there was something so much more than that. He wasn’t sure what was used originally, but it was mind-blowing.
He explored further and further until he reached a dome-shaped door. As he opened the door, John expected to see a dilapidated room, but this was far from it. The room’s ceiling was peeling, but other than that, it was in a relatively good condition if you consider that it has been neglected for nearly half a century.
An Underground Bomb Shelter
From his research, John soon realized that the room underneath his house was actually an underground bomb shelter. These underground rooms weren’t all that foreign in Tucson, and most of his neighbors had it. A course in general history would shed some light on this bizarre hidden room.
John was pretty excited about his discovery, even though it was something that might’ve been used in the war. He wasn’t sure which war, but when else would you use an underground bomb shelter? So he decided to look for the answers that he needed…
What Was It Built For?
There were quite a few underground bomb shelters in Tucson, which wasn’t that uncommon. During the heat of the Cold War, most residents were scared that the USSR would bomb the United States of America. So families commissioned various contractors like the Whittaker Pools to create an underground bomb shelter.
Back then, if you built an underground bomb shelter for your family, you were considered a good man. Not only that, but the Cuban Missile Crisis actually gave way for more people to build these types of underground fortresses. John knew that he had a piece of history hiding underneath his property, so he decided to explore it.
Exploring the Hidden Cave
John knew that his discovery was extraordinary, and he decided to invite his friends over to view the underground bomb shelter on his property. People thought that this was such an extraordinary thing, and John knew that he had to preserve it for future generations.
Today, we’re all far from talks of war, and we might not even need an underground fortress anymore. However, he knew that to learn our history, we must preserve what we currently have. However, there was one problem: preserving this underground bomb shelter required money. So what would he do?
Setting Up a GoFundMe Page
According to most of his friends, John should create a GoFundMe page and share his story. So that was exactly what he did. Little did he know that most people around the country would be so fascinated by his story, and the next thing he knew, he was getting donations from kind strangers.
John originally put a goal of USD 2,000, but he surpassed this amount in no time. So he went on with his work on the underground bomb shelter, and he plans on making it a Civil Defense Museum. John knew that he had something special, and he was so glad he didn’t give up on it.
A Life-Changing Discovery
John knew that his property was special and that it held something extraordinary. Even though some people didn’t believe him, he pushed through, and he made a way for himself. In return, his hard work was rewarded, and he uncovered a life-changing discovery.
This shows that we should always trust our guts and believe in ourselves. After all, who knows what secrets we might uncover?