In a surprising discovery, a man found a 19th-century tunnel underneath his house in Illinois, US.
According to the details, a couple, Gary and Beth Machens moved into their Alton home in December and decided to repair a section of sidewalk that had started to the slope.
Talking to journalist, Gary Machens said he had to remove part of a stone wall on the sidewalk to make the repairs, and he then discovered the entryway to a tunnel.
“He called me at work and said, ‘You better get home; you’re not going to believe what I just found,'” Beth told the Alton Telegraph.
The tunnel is about 9 feet high and at least 60 feet deep. Local experts estimated the tunnel was created in 1840, 50 years before the house was built, but they do not know the original purpose of the underground structure.
“It could have been used for the underground railroad. There’s no proof of that, but there was a ferry here in the Alton area to the Missouri side, and it’s possible it could have been used for that,” Gary Machen added.
Machen said he hopes to preserve the tunnel and possibly give tours if it is deemed safe and the city agrees to help with the cost.
