{"id":51660,"date":"2020-11-14T13:54:28","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T13:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lase.robust.digital\/?p=51660"},"modified":"2021-11-29T19:45:48","modified_gmt":"2021-11-29T19:45:48","slug":"woman-stunned-to-discover-her-childhood-home-might-be-linked-to-countrys-historical-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/woman-stunned-to-discover-her-childhood-home-might-be-linked-to-countrys-historical-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman Stunned to Discover Her Childhood Home Might be Linked to Country’s Historical Heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We don\u2019t need to tell you that basements are pretty creepy. They can hide secrets of past owners that you wish you never learned. On the other hand, you might score some hidden treasure worth a fortune!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More often than not, we don\u2019t know what\u2019s down there, but Alexandra Poulos certainly wanted to find out. She knew something was fishy about her childhood home, but she never thought for a second that her home was housing a huge secret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Nearly unsolved mystery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Alexandra Poulos knew that her childhood home was a bit odd. After leaving her home for several years, she decided to renovate her basement and had builders scout out the place. However, after stepping into the absolute darkness, they were faced with something that left them speechless. It turned out that Alexandra\u2019s hunch was right, but had no idea of just how important her home might have been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

2. Childhood home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Alexandra\u2019s parents purchased the Lansdowne, Pennsylvania home in the mid-1970s. She and her family lived comfortably in this house throughout her entire childhood. She knew every corner of the room like the back of her hand, but she didn\u2019t know what was in the gloomy underground room. After all, even as a teen, your instincts will tell you to avoid dark spaces whenever possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

3. Weird dreams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Despite not knowing the layout of the basement or what was down there, Alexandra recalled having oddly vivid dreams about scenes in the basement. She informed ABC news that she experienced crazy dreams of hidden rooms in her house. However, she thought these random dreams were just that\u2014random\u2014and held no significance. Oh, she could not <\/em>have been more wrong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

4. A cursed home<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Sadly, Alexandra\u2019s mother passed away in 2008. She was obviously devastated by losing her mother and best friend, and she went through a difficult patch while trying to recover from her loss. To make things even worse, her brother passed away a mere seven months later. Alexandra didn\u2019t blame the house for the tragedies that struck her family, so she convinced her loving father to hand the deeds of the house to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

5. Special connection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Friends and coworkers suggested that Alexandra sell the house, but she wouldn\u2019t hear any of it. She didn\u2019t want to lose a significant part of her childhood her friends and family. She had fond memories of her home, of her time spent with her mother and brother. Giving up the house meant losing a part of her soul that she could never get back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

6. Home for rent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The problem was that Alexandra already had a home. She was living elsewhere when tragedy struck, and now she had to think of a way to utilize her childhood home. She decided to rent out the home, and it wasn\u2019t long before potential tenants came knocking. Oddly enough, the tenants also experienced problems, particularly with the home\u2019s foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

7. Foundation problems<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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As an old home, problems with the foundation aren\u2019t uncommon. However, when a foul odor seeps out of the basement, you can bet that something weird is going on. And it turned out that a sewer pipe had cracked and was in dire need of replacing. The excess moisture meant the basement walls were close to becoming unsalvageable. Thankfully, Alexandra sprung into action and did everything she could to save her and her new tenants\u2019 home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

8. Old memories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Alexandra recalled talking about what sort of mysteries lay in her home\u2019s basement. One time, her friend informed her father that there was a basement below the basement. Thinking that this was just child talk or that she was out of her wits, the father ignored the warning. However, since she was already planning on doing some work in the basement, she figured that she\u2019d try and see if there really were hidden rooms down there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

9. A bit more digging<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Alexandra took up the task of learning as much as possible about her old neighborhood\u2019s history. It didn\u2019t take much digging to find out that just five minutes away from her home, there was another house that was connected to the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a connection of hidden roads and spaces that abolitionists used to sneak slaves to the north after the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

10. A moment to investigate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Alexandra was understandably bummed out that her basement was experiencing such problems, but she used this opportunity to learn more about her home\u2019s history. She requested that the builders check out the basement after they fixed the pipe, hoping that her wildest dreams would somehow come true. There might have been a one-in-a-million chance that her home was connected to the Railroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

11. Search and you shall find<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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It didn\u2019t take very long for the builders to stumble onto something weird. While checking the basement, they located a secret room that they guessed could have been there before the home was built. Alexandra was thrilled to discover something interesting about her childhood home, but she was still having doubts as to whether this \u201csecret\u201d room was connected to the Railroad. She needed to learn more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

12. Abolishing slavery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In the early to mid-1800s, slavery was still legal in many states. However, the stigma surrounding slavery was becoming more widespread, and resistance movements were gaining more popularity. This would be a turning point in how America viewed slavery and the first of many steps to abolish it once and for all. Many northern states had already outright banned the practice. It was only a matter of time before the entire country changed its ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

13. Starting the Underground Railroad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Amid this significant humanitarian shift, the Underground Railroad was developed. Freed slaves risked the very little they had to help their brethren escape from their cruel fates and obtain a life worth living. One notable Quaker from the north, Mr. Levin Coffin, smuggled thousands of slaves while putting his life at risk. Harriet Tubman, who had already escaped the clutches of her slaveholders, also contributed to the effort by liberating around 300 slaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

14. No trains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This network of ex-slaves and abolitionists who put their lives at risk for the greater good became known as the Underground Railroad. Despite its name, the Railroad hardly involved trains. Instead, those who were escaping their slaveholders made their way north by foot or on horseback. The Underground Railroad simply referred to some of the more prominent codenames used in their covert operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

15. Interconnected?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Many historians suspect that the Underground Railroad consisted of a series of tunnels. This would have certainly helped the efforts by leading slaves to freedom under the protection of several feet of soil. If this were true, then could the hidden room in Alexandra\u2019s basement be a part of the underground tunnel system? Was it possible that slaves had escaped through the very routes that passed beneath her childhood home?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

16. The Pennsylvania puzzle piece<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Although Pennsylvania had officially abolished slavery during the times of the Underground Railroad, the Fugitive Slave Act forced officials and civilians to assist slaveholders in returning their \u201cproperty\u201d back to them. Basically, even if a slave lived in a free state, your neighbors were obligated to hand you over to your slaveholder. So, anyone who escaped had no choice but to remain in hiding. This is where the underground rooms might have come into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

17. Where\u2019s the proof?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Although nothing was certain, Alexandra was confident that her the room she feared during her childhood was an important part of the Railroad efforts. After all, who would build an empty room beneath an unassuming home in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, if not to cover the tracks of fleeing slaves? Some people have guessed that these rooms could have been used to store the past homeowner\u2019s valuables and were before they moved out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

18. False theories?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Although historians theorize that the Underground Railroad was a physical tunnel system, many experts are hesitant to agree. To build such a system would have taken countless manhours and funds that the abolitionists didn\u2019t have. Also, it would have been borderline impossible to displace tons of dirt without raising at least a tiny bit of suspicion from a slavery sympathizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

19. Uncovered truth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Historically, the residents of Lansdowne, Pennsylvania were abolitionist sympathizers. So, if there were physical underground tunnels, they more than likely would have directed slaves to this small town. However, unless there are records of people vocalizing their distaste for slavery in Lansdowne, then we shouldn\u2019t jump to conclusions.  Alexandra knew what she had to do. Her search for the truth was far from over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

20. Still searching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Alexandra is adamant that the mysterious room in her basement was a part of the Underground Railroad, or at least a hiding spot for fleeing slaves. She has yet to uncover evidence that would point her in this direction, but her hopes are anything but dashed. One day, Alexandra hopes to lead tours into her basement\u2019s secret room and other uncovered rooms in the area if there are any.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We don\u2019t need to tell you that basements are pretty creepy. They can hide secrets of past owners that you wish you never learned. On the other hand, you might score some hidden treasure worth a fortune! More often than not, we don\u2019t know what\u2019s down there, but Alexandra Poulos certainly wanted to find out. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":52280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[235,234,233],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51660"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97301,"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51660\/revisions\/97301"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womentales.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}