Man finds mysterious 19th-century tunnel under his Illinois home where three mayors have also lived
Gary Machens, from Alton, Illinois, first discovered the mysterious tunnel when he noticed his sidewalk was starting to slope
Machens was already familiar with the history of the home, which dates back to the 1890s
The tunnel was believed to have been created in the 1840s
He believes that the tunnel opening got covered in 1895 when the brick street was laid down
By Maegan
Apr 20, 2021
Alton, Illinois homeowner, Gary Machens started to notice that the sidewalk in front of his home was starting to slope and decided to start trying to repair the sidewalk and do a little excavating and renovations. That s when he discovered a mysterious tunnel beneath his home.
According to historians in the Alton area, the tunnel is thought to have been put in about 1840.
“It’s unique, there are a few tunnels around the Alton area since we checked with the Landmark Historic Society,” Machen said. “It’s been used as an icehouse or root cellar or a lot of other options. “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.”
No One Can Say Why This Tunnel Exists Under Alton, Illinois
A homeowner in the St Louis suburb of Alton, Illinois got quite the surprise when he discovered a tunnel, dating back to the 1800s under his home.
Speculation is rampant that it s as simple as storage for ice, a root cellar or a little more interesting speculation with Underground Railroad connections. A ferry once connected Alton, on the banks of the Mississippi River, with neighboring Missouri.
KTVI-TV reports on the finding and it s most striking feature
“A lot of brick,” said [homeowner] Gary Machens, who discovered the tunnel. “Whatever they built this for, it took a lot of men and a lot of hours. You know, one guy didn’t do this.”
Something like this will definitely raise the value of a house.
An Illinois man recently discovered a large, manmade tunnel hidden underneath his house. According to experts, the structure dates back to the 1800s and possibly played a significant part in history.
Gary Machens, of Alton, Ill., had no idea that the tunnel was sitting underneath his house until he had to repair the sidewalk, Fox 2 Now reports. According to him, the sidewalk had started to slope and he needed to excavate and repack the area.
He described the tunnel to the news outlet, saying, So, it was at least 9 feet tall. We’re standing on about a foot of dirt and it’s 9 feet wide and how far back it goes, we don’t know. We know it goes back 60 feet.
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