Inside a Home With a Cave Thought To Be Part of the Underground Railroad

September 05, 2024

You can now own a home in Pennsylvania that comes with its very own cave, thought to be part of the Underground Railroad, an historic network of safe houses for people fleeing slavery.

The three-bed, two-bath home, located at 434 East Market Street, in Marietta, is on the market for $297,000.

For that price, prospective buyers get a private patio, wooden beams bursting with character, a decent-sized backyard—and their own cave big enough to fit a swimming pool.

Photos for the listing show a wooden door in the living room, which leads down to a tunnel which opens up into a sprawling subterranean space.

Realtor Natalia Latsios, of Century 21 Home Advisors, told Newsweek she'd never seen a home like it before.

Latsios said: "I most definitely never sold a home with a cave before! I was pretty surprised when I walked through that wooden door to see a lit up tunnel that led to a giant cave."

She revealed the tunnel was 5½ feet wide and 7 feet tall, while the cavern was 40 feet by 19 feet, with 11 feet high ceilings.

Latsios continued: "Back in the day there were tunnels that used to run under the town. There are rumors that the home was a part of the Underground Railroad. There are no more access to the tunnels, but the cave is holding strong!

"The stone that holds the cave together supposedly gets stronger with time as gravity pulls the rock together and tightens more."

While there are no exact dates, the Underground Railroad roughly operated from the late 18th century to the Civil War, according to History.com.

It formed a network of people offering "aid and shelter" to escaped slaves fleeing the south, the website explained.

Latsios added that at one point it may also have been used to store ice, with the home not far from the Susquehanna River.

Speaking to Newsweek, Latsios stated there were theories the cave formed part of an intricate underground system in the area.

Owner Shawn McGrew said: "We thought it would be fun to put a swimming pool in, an underground swimming pool. It would have been neat to put a billiards or game room in.

"We even talked about putting in a skate park," local site Lancaster Online quoted McGrew as saying.

While above-ground he pointed out vents for the cave, now blocked off, which looks like it may have extended to East Prospect Avenue.

And he recalled on the opposite side of the street, the site of a former silk mill, there were rumors of a similar stone archway now sealed, Lancaster Online added.

The house listing raves about its features, saying: "The home has plenty of beautiful accent pieces like the large wooden beams, built-in closets, hidden compartments, small windows near the stairs, and grand light fixtures.

"Oh yea, and I forgot to mention the actual cave in the basement! Bring your ideas, or fascination with history and come see this unique home!"

Latsios told Newsweek: "As a market expert in the area, I have never seen a home like this throughout my years doing this. Honestly I think it would make a cool Airbnb! People go all over to visit unique homes and I definitely think this qualifies!"

The one-of-a-kind home was shared across Twitter earlier this week, with a post by Zillow Gone Wild amassing more than 25,000 likes.

Some people theorized the house may have links to the railroad, as Glamazon asked: "Was it part of the Underground Railroad?"

Official Account of Noelle LaRue joked: "The cave alone would set you back about $500k in Cali."

Alfabetsoup quipped: "'Has an excellent old fashioned cave right off the living room' ..."

Kay Foss wrote: "Me: That's kind of cool My brain: There is DEFINITELY a dead body down there."

McCali commented: "It does kind of scream murder dungeon."

Kafkaesque thought: "That would be sick. Weirdly affordable too."

Public policy expert said: "Everybody is freaking out about this but I'd be willing to bet you could make a fine ass cheese in there."

While Rae, Disaster Kitten added: "Nope. I've seen the Descent. I know what lives down there."

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jqKlrKGUmnqpu8yeZJyZppp6trrDnqmgqp%2Bqu6V50ZqgpaqflrFuv8ClnGaolaO7tMXLr5inoZFifnh8k2pwcA%3D%3D