Sometimes, there's a bit of apprehension before moving places. You might be worried that your partner or kids won't be able to adjust, there could be some concerns about getting used to the area or neighbors, or sometimes it just takes a while for a house to feel like a home. But people rarely have to worry about what secrets their new home might be hiding in old ducts or behind walls - yet that was the case for one unlucky couple. Keep scrolling to see the mysteries they unearthed.
A Couple's First Home Together
No matter who you are, moving into a home with your significant other is a big deal. You're usually going to spend years there, and it's a really big life step. The particular home we're talking about today was taken by a couple named James and Mandy Fisher. It was their first, and they were understandably excited. This was going to be where they planned on eventually raising children, at least for a while.
However, not long after getting situated, they started to notice that a couple of things about the house seemed, well, a bit off. But we'll get to that part in a second.
Settling Down With Their Dog
James and Mandy weren't the only ones moving in. They brought their dog, Scout, along with them. It was just the three of them, and while it took a little looking to finally come across the perfect house, they did eventually find an old Victorian in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After seeing the gorgeous interior, Mandy just knew this was the right place for the three of them to start their lives together.
They'd already been married for five years, so now seemed like the right time to invest in a home and start thinking about the future. There was even a yard of nice size for Scout.
Time to Move
As we said, James and Mandy had already been married for five years by this point. At the time, they were living in an apartment, so they didn't have a whole lot of stuff to take with them to their new house. It was mainly just boxes filled with the typical stuff, like dishes, clothes, electronics, books, and so on. Not nearly enough to fill an entire house, especially not an old Victorian.
Moving can be a chore no matter how much stuff you have, but luckily, the couple's excitement was through the roof, and the only thing they could think about was getting to the house.
More Than Enough Space
When they walked into their new home, they realized how much space they actually had. When they'd toured it earlier, the house was still filled with furnishings, and now, looking at the bare hallways and rooms, they were a bit overwhelmed. However, after bringing in a few boxes, they began to take it all in, and their minds raced through all of the different possibilities and ways they could decorate.
The house was two stories, with most of the living space being on the first floor and the bedrooms taking up the second floor. This was simple enough, but in the kitchen, they came across something they hadn't noticed during their previous tour.
A Hatch in the Kitchen Floor
You'd think that a hatch in the floor would be something that you noticed when you went and looked at a house, but the couple didn't recall seeing it when they viewed the home. Mandy thought that it may have been covered up with something like a rug or a table. Either way, it seemed to be locked, and no one had ever mentioned it or given them a key.
After James got a good look at it, they both decided to just continue moving their stuff in and to worry about trying to get it open later when they had time.
The Old Cupboard
The house had previously belonged to an older woman, and while most of the furniture had been moved, there was still an old cupboard that had been left in the kitchen. As soon as Scout walked in and saw it, his ears perked up, and he started growling in that direction. Mandy tried to calm him, but he seemed determined that something was wrong. There was a slight gap between the cupboard and the wall.
In her head, she thought that it was a decent piece of furniture and that maybe they could use it or sell it for some extra cash, but she also noticed the gap and wondered why it wasn't flush with the wall.
The House Needed a Bit of Work
While the layout and interior of the home were beautiful, in a way that most old Victorians are, it still needed a bit of work. The stain on the hardwood floors had been worn down with age, and some of them creaked and bowed when you walked over them. There were also some spots on some of the portions of the wall that needed to be touched up with paint.
However, most of the house was in pretty fair condition, and renovations wouldn't take too much work. It was mainly just the usual things that you should expect with an old house.
The Mysterious Door Behind the Cupboard
After unloading more boxes and walking back through the house and into the kitchen, Mandy couldn't help but notice the gap behind the cupboard. It just looked so out of place and wrong. So, she decided to try to take a look behind it. After peeking and not being able to make anything out, she gently pushed one side of the cupboard out and away from the wall, revealing a door.
What could it lead to, she wondered. Was there a pantry or even another room behind the door? Like the hatch in the middle of the kitchen, the door was locked.
Searching for the Key
The realtor hadn't mentioned the door, and now Mandy and James were both wondering if she'd even known the two were there. Mandy searched through the drawers in the kitchen and the cupboard, hoping to come across a key, but nothing turned up. Days turned into a week as the couple and their dog began to settle into their new home, but they were no closer to opening the door or the hatch.
Between work, moving, and exploring their new town, there was little time for anything else, but the gap and their curiosity about what was behind the two doors began to nag at them.
An Odor in the House
By the end of the first week, the two were still trying to get back to some kind of routine, but it finally seemed as though they were managing to one. After work and a couple of hours of moving some furniture around and discussing ideas for the interior, they both climbed into bed. Mandy pulled out a book to read, and James had just shut his eyes when they both noticed something strange.
There was now a horrid smell that had found its way into the room. Mandy didn't have to say anything because they both noticed it at the same time, and James sat up and looked at his wife.
Trying to Figure Out Where the Horrible Smell Was Coming From
After a couple of words and neither of them being able to pinpoint the source of the smell, Mandy quickly ran to grab air freshener spray. However, the smell was so bad that after a minute or so, the spray stopped masking the odor, and it was back again, just as bad as it had been before. After half an hour or so, they both decided to switch rooms.
Until they could figure out where the smell was coming from, they'd just sleep in another room for the night. However, it turned out that solving the mystery of the smell wouldn't be that easy.
The Couple Switches Rooms
After deciding to switch rooms, James turned on the heat for the room, and they both climbed into the bed. But it didn't take long for the odor to show up once again. But this time, James had a decent idea of where it was coming from. As Scout stood just outside the room, seemingly not willing to endure any more of the smell, James told Mandy that he thought it might have something to do with the heating.
After all, he'd switched on the heat in the previous room prior to both of them climbing into bed, and that seemed to be the only connection between then and now.
The Next Day
James was a little wary about where the problem might lead him, mainly due to budget concerns, but at least he had a place to start. He knew that the odor had something to do with the heating, but he just wasn't quite sure what. The previous night had been the first time they'd needed to turn on the heater, and it was also the first time the smell showed up.
That couldn't be a coincidence, and the two things had to be connected somehow. It was just a matter of finding out how, but James knew where to start.
Testing All the Rooms
James would start by trying to find out if the problem was isolated or if there was an issue throughout the whole home. James went room by room, and every single time, the odor showed up not long after he turned on the heater. The smell was just as bad in other parts of the home, and that worried him. This wasn't the typical smell you might get after turning on a heater after a long summer.
This smelled completely different. It wasn't just a slight annoyance; it was downright horrible, almost to the point of being completely unbearable, and neither he nor Mandy could quite place it.
Looking Into the Vents
After figuring out for certain that the problem was connected to the heat, James then started looking at the vents. He opened the vent in every room and used a flashlight to peer in as far as he could. However, in every case, he couldn't spot anything wrong. This was both a little reassuring and a bit not. That meant that the problem was probably somewhere deeper within the heating system.
James knew a bit about heating and air, but he didn't know enough to diagnose this problem, and he soon realized that he might have to call in someone to help.
Coming Across Something in the Vents
Calling someone in would mean spending more money, and seeing as how they had just bought a house, that was one of the last things he wanted to do. However, it seemed as though it was unavoidable, and they couldn't endure the smell, nor could they go without heat. The last vent James checked looked just as ordinary as the other vents, but he did find something inside of it.
While he was shining his flashlight in the last vent, James spotted something. He reached for it and pulled it out. It turned out to be a key, but to what he didn't know.
Unlocking the Door in the Kitchen
The key James had found was a skeleton key, so the couple knew it had to be pretty old. They also had a good idea of where to try it out first. They rushed to the kitchen, excited that after a little over a week, they might finally be able to unlock the mysterious door behind the cupboard. James slid the key into the door, and with a click, it turned and unlocked.
The two peered down a flight of stairs, and it became obvious that this was the house's basement. Next, they'd have to go down and see what other secrets their new home held.
Scout Starts Barking
Just as the two were about to delve into the basement, Scout suddenly started barking. Scout was usually a pretty calm dog, but at this moment, the hair on his back had been raised, and his ears were pointed back. James walked over to try to calm him down, but it was no use. Scout just kept barking, not towards the basement, but towards a seemingly random corner in the living room.
Eventually, James managed to get him to relax a bit, and he took him with him as he and Mandy prepared to take their flashlights and explore the basement.
Exploring the Basement of the House
After practically dragging Scout out of the living room, the two turned to walk down the stairs and into the basement. Scout, still seemingly a bit shaken from whatever he thought he'd seen in the living room, refused to follow. James mentioned that maybe the secret to the foul smell lay in the basement, and Mandy agreed. So, the two descended the stairs with their flashlights, hoping to solve the mystery.
The stairs were old, and they groaned with each step Mandy and James made. The wooden boards were old, but they never seemed to be about to give way.
Moving Further Into the Basement
The stairs seemed safe enough by themselves, but both Mandy and James were entirely focused on what lay in front of them and not under them as they descended. Near the last step, James tripped and fell, his flashlight falling to the ground. Luckily, he was okay, and Mandy quickly helped him up. He grabbed his flashlight and shone it towards the wall of the basement right in front of them.
Against the wall, there were large casks that looked as though they stored wine at one point. The basement itself was large, and elsewhere, there were all kinds of things stacked up on top of one another.
A Weird, Lonely Feeling
As the couple turned their flashlight toward other parts of the basement, they found things like old chairs, photos, chests, and documents. Mandy went straight to the old photos and began looking around. It seemed as though the lady who'd lived in the house before used the basement as storage. However, Mandy couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness and isolation while going through the photos. She was looking back through a complete stranger's life.
Yet, this stranger had once lived in the same home for decades, and she had probably made many of the same memories that Mandy and James had planned on making.
The Couple's Attention Turns to the Hatch
After rummaging around for a little while, Mandy thought about the hatch in the kitchen. She thought that the key might be down here in the basement somewhere. The two rummaged through papers and checked all of the shelves as best they could, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were just too many places one could hide an old key down in the basement.
Just when they were about to give up, something on one of the shelves caught James's attention. It wasn't exactly a key, but it was the next best thing.
Breaking Into the Hatch
On the shelf in the basement, James found a crowbar. If they couldn't unlock the hatch in the kitchen, maybe he could break the latch, and they could get in. After returning to the kitchen and finding a bit of leverage, James managed to break the latch, and the two once again descended down a flight of creaky stairs. Just as in the basement, the hatch seemed like it had been used for storage.
There were old jars filled with who knows what, as well as some older-looking cans. Mandy noticed a box on one of the shelves, and she quickly grabbed it and began to open the lid.
Artifacts in the Basement
When Mandy lifted the lid of the box, she found what looked like old paper. It had been there for a while, so it was yellowing, but she shined her flashlight on the paper and made out what appeared to be a recipe. The rest of the papers contained the same. This must've been where the previous owner had stored her recipes for safekeeping when she still owned the home.
By the looks of everything, the couple determined that the hatch was actually where the pantry was, instead of the door, which obviously contained the basement. It seemed like a quirky feature, but it was an old home.
Blueprints for the Home
While the pantry contained mostly everything you'd expect to find in a pantry, albeit a little past expiration dates, there was a larger sheet of paper that seemed out of place. James grabbed the rolled-up paper and unrolled it, revealing what looked like blueprints. These must've been the original blueprints for the house. His brain started to make connections between the layout he'd gotten used to over the past week and the lines on the paper.
At the bottom of the paper, the date read 1887, which was when the house was built. James figured that these were probably the original blueprints for the home.
Bringing Back the Old Papers
Exploring the rooms had been fun, but both of them were getting tired of rummaging through the dark, and the dust seemed to be everywhere. They decided to call it a day and take the paperwork from the pantry back with them upstairs. It was almost time for dinner, so maybe after they ate, they could return to the box and the blueprints, which they set on the table in the kitchen.
While the plan was to go back over the papers that same evening, something would happen that would take up much of the couple's attention that night and deepen the mystery of the odor.
Thinking About the Day's Events
Not long after starting dinner, Mandy's mind quickly wandered back to everything the couple had discovered that day. The realtor had failed to mention both the pantry and the basement, she thought. Considering that the pantry was underneath a hatch in the kitchen, that part was understandable, but how do you fail to mention that the home you're showing off has an entire basement? Mandy was starting to wonder just what she and James had gotten themselves into.
Not only were there two secret rooms in the home, but they were filled with old stuff, and then there was that strange odor that they were no closer to figuring out.
Scout Starts Howling
As Mandy was going over everything in her head, Scout let out a howl in another room of the house. At first, it startled her. Then, she thought, there was that. Scout had never acted like this before. He didn't just bark at random corners of the wall in their old apartment. He'd never even howled before now. Mandy set the stove on low and turned to check on Scout.
He'd been on edge all day, and now, she realized, so was she. Right after Mandy turned and started to walk away from the stove, the smell hit her.
The Odor Comes Back While Mandy's Making Dinner - But the Heater's Not on This Time
Mandy shouted for James, who was in the bathroom taking a shower. After a couple of calls, he came down the stairs wrapped in a towel, and Mandy asked him if he'd turned on the heater. He knew why she'd asked. He could smell the odor the moment he'd come downstairs, but he said that he hadn't touched the heater. The two just stared at each other for a moment while Scout howled in the background.
The odor popping up without the heater being turned on was a completely new development and one that didn't sit easy with the new homeowners. They needed some answers.
Time to Call the Realtor
They didn't want to bother the realtor, and it was getting a bit late, but they were both concerned now. Not only was there a weird smell emanating from somewhere in the house, but if they'd bought something broken, then they wanted to know what it was so they could get it fixed. Luckily, the realtor answered, but she told them that the central heating unit had been replaced before the house was sold.
She also said that before they moved in, the home was professionally cleaned. The realtor added that the invoices for all of the heating work were stored in the kitchen cupboard.
Finding the Invoices and Starting to Think It Might Be Ghosts
After they got off the phone with the realtor, both James and Mandy rushed to check the cabinet for the invoices. They didn't take long to find and just like the realtor had said, they showed all of the work for the new heater. But if the central heating had been replaced, then what was causing the strange odor? This did little to dissuade their fears, and their minds turned elsewhere.
Both James and Mandy were pretty grounded people. They didn't believe in ghosts or spirits, or anything like that, but their minds couldn't help but drift in that direction now.
Tensions Boil Over
All they could do now was finish cooking dinner and try to have their meal in peace. They went into another room of the house, but the odor still lingered, and the tension only grew as the odor was both in the back of their minds and right there in front of them. Eventually, things boiled over, and James shouted, “Dammit, I need to figure out what’s going on.”
Mandy was tired of everything at this point too. They had just bought a new home together. This was supposed to be one of the happiest moments of their lives, but it wasn't.
The Couple Try and Assess the Situation
After James shouted, Mandy tried to calm him down a bit and told him that everything would work out. She said they should just try and get through the rest of the day, and they could get back to figuring out where the odor was coming from tomorrow. Now, it seemed like everyone was on edge, not just the couple. Scout had stopped howling, but he was obviously just as tense as Mandy and James.
The couple tried to go to sleep, but their minds were racing, which made it hard to relax. The only solace they could get was in thinking that they might finally get to the bottom of the problem tomorrow.
Mandy Wakes up in the Middle of the Night
The two did eventually manage to fall asleep, but Mandy woke up late at night at some point. When she did, James was nowhere to be found. She quietly called out for him, but she didn't get an answer, so she reluctantly got out of bed to go look for him. The house was dark, but she could hear a noise coming from the first floor, so she made her way down the stairs.
There, she found James spraying air freshener in the living room. He'd gotten up and couldn't stop thinking about the odor. After around a minute, she managed to talk him into going back to bed.
The Morning After
They both woke up kind of early, not because they were refreshed but because they just found it hard to sleep. Neither of them looked as though they'd gotten a good night's sleep, and James knew it. He also knew he had to do something to try and make Mandy forget about their troubles and the rough night they had. After all, they should be enjoying life as new homeowners.
His bones ached from the fall and all the rummaging around the day before, but he eventually forced himself to get out of bed and walk downstairs to the living room.
Looking Through the Box
It was a bit chilly in the morning, and they had to sleep without using the heater, so James decided that it might be nice if he lit a fire in the fireplace. He brought in some wood from outside, and it wasn't long before they had a crackling fire that warmed most of the room. Then, he brought the box and blueprints they'd found in the pantry and began looking through them.
They shuffled through the recipes and turned their attention to the original blueprints of the house. However, not long after they started looking at the blueprints, they noticed something strange about them.
Comparing the Blueprints
Luckily, the realtor had given the couple a copy of the blueprints of the house. But after comparing the two, they noticed that there were a couple of things that didn't line up with the original. How could that be, they thought? It was possible that the house had gone through renovations over the years. After all, it was an old home, and there could've been changes made to the rooms.
While it made a bit of sense, they weren't able to mull over these possibilities for very long because soon after they noticed the differences in the blueprints, Scout started barking again.
Trying to Tell Them Something
Scout was barking at the same corner he'd been barking at ever since they moved into the house. At first, the couple just dismissed it. Scout's behavior had been strange, but they couldn't see anything odd about that specific corner. However, now it seemed like maybe Scout was trying to tell them something. They were ready to try anything at this point if it led to some kind of relief.
James and Mandy were now open to the idea that maybe Scout wasn't just going crazy like they felt they were, and that maybe he knew something they didn't.
A Vent Under the Carpet
When James approached the corner, Scout briefly looked up at him and then back down towards the corner. James noticed that he wasn't exactly barking towards the wall but more towards the floor. So, he felt around the carpet and noticed a slight bulge underneath right where the corner was. He grabbed a box blade and cut into the carpet, pulling it back to reveal a vent underneath. He and Mandy went back to the blueprints.
The vent was included in the original plans from the late 19th century, but it was mysteriously absent on the plans the realtor had given them. The couple agreed it was odd.
Getting Inside the Vent
Unlike the other vents throughout the home, this one didn't look like it'd ever been replaced. The other vents were still shiny and white, as though they were recently installed. This one was brown and rusted shut. James was able to turn the vents, and the screws had been stripped, so none of his screwdrivers would work. After trying to pry open the vents, James turned to heavier tools.
He tried a chisel, which showed a bit of promise before failing. He then moved on to the crowbar, but it quickly proved to be too big to get any sort of leverage.
Mandy Starts to Worry
While James was trying to open the vent any way he could, Mandy sat back and watched. James was covered in sweat and seemed to be becoming obsessive over getting the vent to open. She was starting to get worried. After an hour or two, Mandy tried to talk him away from opening the vent. James hadn't made any progress, and it was now clear that it was doing more harm than good.
She went up to James and gently suggested that maybe they should try not to worry about it for now. They could call someone and finally get to the bottom of everything in the morning. James finally relented.
Getting Through Another Night
After James agreed, the two tried to make the best of the rest of the day. The day was mostly without incident, but as night slowly approached and the evening got darker, worries about spending another night in the house took up more of their thoughts. They could both see that the other was a bit apprehensive about going to bed. Eventually, they did fall asleep, but once again, something woke Mandy up in the middle of the night.
When she woke up, she didn't see James lying next to her, and she quickly sprung out of bed and ran downstairs. There, she found him covered in sweat in the middle of the night, trying to pry open the vent.
The Next Day
After a little while, she finally managed to get him back into the bed. The next day, James called to check and see what time the repairman could make it to the house. It wouldn't be long before he showed up, and the couple could finally breathe a sigh of relief. They both felt like they were finally about to get to the bottom of the strange smell and, hopefully, be able to enjoy their new home.
With the right tools, it didn't take long to open up the vent, which by this point looked even worse than it did before due to all the prying and cutting James had done trying to get it open.
Something Out of a Horror Movie
When the vent did finally open, and the repairman shined a light inside, everyone was speechless. Inside, they found various jars of all kinds different sizes, and inside those jars were what appeared to be bones and organs. Luckily, nothing looked human. Instead, these were the bodies and organs of animals that had been jarred who knew how long ago. And there was that smell again, but this time they knew where it was coming from.
The couple was understandably horrified at the discovery, but the repairman reassured them that this actually wasn't as grizzly and odd of a scene as they might first have thought.
An Old Regional Tradition
The repairman assured them that this wasn't as uncommon as they might think and that every so often, they find similar items stored away in older homes from the Victorian period. Apparently, there used to be a tradition in the state that involved using animal parts in hopes of healing people. It was called powwow, and it looked as though the owner of the house had practiced it before she passed away.
The repairman offered to get rid of all the jars, to which the couple quickly shook their heads yes. They could finally get on with their lives in peace, but the thought of the old woman served as a reminder to enjoy life while they still could.