It is time for another fascinating episode of Weird Shit In Our House. I thought of it because I am attempting to drain the cistern today. I opened the spigot and it has been running water for about three hours. So far the water level has gone down by about three inches.
Today’s weirdness is also in the basement.
One of the earlier inhabitants of our house is a guy we call the Frustrated Engineer. I actually think he was a plumber based on something the neighbors told me, but whatever. Clearly he was a guy with too much time on his hands and no tolerance for doors that won’t stay open.
We have a few big doors in the basement that have been rigged with pulleys/wheels and springs to stay open. When you push the door open, the pulley rolls over the top and springs down over the door. There are several different versions that do the same job.
There is also the coal room door. The coal room is creepy as hell. It is very Silence of the Lambs in there. This impression is not hindered by the peep hole in the door. The peep hole is up REALLY high, like above 6.2 feet from the ground. On the inside of the door, there is a tiny little metal clip (not pictured) that can sweep over the hole opening.
Were they peeping in or out? I don’t know if the peep hole had something to do with the coal or if maybe they used that room as a darkroom way back when by a really, really tall guy? (And for that matter, why paint most of the door white but skip that one strip there?? The mysteries of this house will never cease.
The final weird thing for today is the door to the mouth of hell. Actually, it is just the entrance where you shoveled coal into the old furnace. By itself, it isn’t that weird, but someone took the initiative to add shutters to it. Why? We aren’t really sure. They were very grimy so we threw them away.
Okay. The door with the peep hole is rather creepy. Kind of reminds me of The Goonies.
that is scary as Heck
The Frustrated Engineer. That’s funny – we lived in a house that was inhabited by an engineer in the 50s and 60s. He had all sorts of little contraptions all over the house that actually made sense and made life just a tad easier, but that we would have never thought of doing. But he was clearly anal retentive. For example, we found a list he had made of things to pack when he travels, complete with a diagram and measurements of how everything should be folded and placed within the luggage. Now I wish I had made a copy so I could post it.
omg, that is awesome!
lots of history in this house. My house is old also and has a cistern but someone knocked down one wall so it no longer holds water. I remember when my grandmother would shovel coal into the furnace and bank the furnace for the night. Her house was always so warm I wish I had her skills. Oh, well. It is good that you are taking pictures of all this. The girls will be able to use them for school projects.
I love love love your house! It is a dream of mine to live in house that is 100 years old and full of charm and character like yours is.
The coal door in my old house didn’t have a peep hole like that – that is seriously creepy! It did look exactly like that though, and the pully would have come in handy, I counted on a slightly warped floor to prop it open:)
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