They say curiosity kills the cat, but this woman lived to tell her story after finding a secret door that led to a hidden room in the house she moved into.
The house, a bungalow located in northern Illinois, was reportedly built in the 1890s. The secret door was in a corner of its basement, obscured by a wooden wardrobe. Ignoring a cryptic warning from her realtor, she chose to explore the room, and what she found in it left her stunned.
What She Wanted Was a Perfect Home
It all started when Felicia Lalla started house hunting in 2022, looking for a perfect place to call home. After some searching, she decided on a home that was first built in the 1890s. Of course, she had to check it out before finally buying it, and during the inspection, Lalla’s realtor told her about an odd section of the basement, which piqued her curiosity.
What She Found Was a Sealed Door
It was a heavy wardrobe, but behind it was a closed door visible through a slit between the side of the wardrobe and the wall. She reached out to the seller about it, but he told her he didn’t have the key to the door and that it had remained undisturbed for decades.
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A Cryptic Answer
Meanwhile, on Reddit, Lalla shared the story about the secret room on r/centuryhomes and revealed to a user that the seller had an odd response to her questions about the locked door. When she asked him if he had ever looked behind the wardrobe, all he had for her was a superstitious answer that implied it was best she never tried to find out.
She Bought the House Anyway
Such a superstitious answer, coupled with the uncertainty of what might be behind the closed door, may have caused other people to avoid buying the house, but not Lalla. She bought the building, and her first course of action was to move the wardrobe to find out if there really was a door behind it. It was not easy to move the heavy furniture, but when it was out of the way, she found the door staring back at her.
Secrets of the Secret Room
Spurred by curiosity and the need to feel safe in her new home, Lalla opened the door. It turned out to be a time capsule filled with various objects from back in the day, including newspaper clippings, pictures, photography paraphernalia, postcards, and a dental radiography book.
What the Room Had Been
Lalla enlisted her sister’s help, and they inspected the room together. It did not take them long to realize it used to be a darkroom used to develop photographs. According to Lalla, what immediately caught her eye was a large machine banished to a corner of the room. She did not immediately know what it was, but after some research, she found out that it was a photo enlarger for black-and-white photography.
Lalla’s Quest To Find Out More
Upon discovering the time capsule, Lalla visited many local libraries in a bid to learn more about what she had found. Her search revealed that many of the article clippings were from historical events that the previous home’s owner thought were important to save.
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Donating the Photography Equipment
Lalla quickly grew fond of the antique photography equipment she had discovered in the room, but she also wanted to share it with others. To that end, she’s reached out to local schools in the area to see if they’d like to have some of the old photography equipment.
Speaking Up About Her Discovery
Initially, Lalla kept what she found to herself, but in the end, she decided to share photos and information about the secret darkroom on Reddit. She did not expect much, but after the post went up, Lalla was bombarded with comments from many users who wanted to know more about the intriguing old room.
The Story Went Viral
The story of Lalla’s darkroom quickly gained popularity on Reddit, as many users wanted more details about her discovery. Redditors also talked about how interesting what Lalla found was and how jealous they were that their homes didn’t have such an exciting area.
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More Darkroom Discoveries
After Lalla’s story went viral, many users also came forward to reveal that they found similar darkrooms in their old homes—but none nearly as spooky as Lalla’s. One user revealed that they also lived in an old home built in 1909 and that it had a basement room that used to be a darkroom. The only difference was that it had a window, which made it less spooky.
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