Buying a New Home
Buying a home is a goal for most people. When you are finally financially prepared to buy a home, it can be very exciting. It is a chance to be a homeowner and start fresh in new surroundings. When a fire department captain, John Sims, bought a new home in Tuscon, Arizona, he was very excited. He had no idea that he was getting more than he bargained for. After hearing rumors about his new home, his curiosity was piqued. He couldn’t get the rumors out of his mind, so he took action. This man buys new house. Then his gut tells him to dig in his backyard.
Buying From a Friend
John felt confident about the house that he was buying because the previous owner was his friend. He was sure that if there were any issues with the house that his friend would tell him. When he closed on the property, his friend told him about the weird rumors that he heard about something being buried in the backyard. The previous owner ignored the rumors, but John couldn’t. While trying to get settled into his new home, he couldn’t put the rumor out of his mind.
Digging
John decided that he would get to the bottom of the mystery on his own. He figured that he could dig up his yard, and then fill in the holes and repair his lawn later. The summers in Tucson are very hot. On most days, the temperature reaches the triple digits. Most people would have given up on digging after a few hours; however, John didn’t. He was determined to find out what was hidden in his backyard.
No Organized Plan
John didn’t have an organized plan when it came to digging up his yard. He started digging holes, only to find nothing. After excavating four holes, disappointment set in and he was thinking about giving up.
An Easier Way To Get Answers
Since digging was getting him nowhere, John decided to take a different approach. He went to Tucson’s municipal records department and dug up information on his house. He was able to get some clues about what could be under the ground in his home.
A Pool In the Backyard?
John found a rough sketch of the plans for the home from 1961. He discovered that a company called Whitaker Pools had applied for a permit to build a pool in 1961. The only problem was that John’s home didn’t have a pool. This information made him realize that digging up the yard could be dangerous. He decided to hire a team of consultants who came in with metal detectors and other tools. The team didn’t have much success at first, but finally, the metal detectors went off in two areas of the yard.
A Septic Tank?
When John was digging, he hit something. He was worried that it was a septic tank and he worried about damaging it or the pipes that would have surrounded it. He started digging more carefully, and finally, he found what he was looking for. It was a hatch with a lid. Being a fire captain, he knew that the hatch could have been dangerous if he went into the hatch alone, so he called for reinforcements to watch his back when he went in.
Sharp Metal Blades And a Staircase
When he got into the hatch, he noticed that there were sharp metal blades in the hole, along with a metal staircase that led deep into the ground in his yard. He knew that the stairs had been there for over 50-years and it likely wasn’t safe. He decided to strengthen the structure before going in. He and his friends reinforced the hole and added electrical wires so that they would have some light. Unfortunately, they couldn’t reinforce the stairs, so they used a tall ladder to get into the hole.
A Fallout Shelter
John discovered that he had a fallout shelter in his backyard. In the early ’60s, people were worried about the Cold War, and many had fallout shelters built. Many of the companies hired to construct these structures were pool companies. Finally, he had the answer to his questions.
Repairing the Structure
John set up a GoFundMe account trying to raise the money to repair and renovate his bomb shelter. He wanted to turn it into a man cave/museum. He even bought artifacts to place in the museum including water supply barrels, Geiger counters, HAM radios, and sanitation kits. When he bought the home, he never expected to find something so incredible underneath his backyard. He loved the bunker’s history, but even more, he loved that he had a new project. Restoring the bunker to its former glory and turning it into something incredible is his goal. His story is proof that you never know what you will find lurking under the ground.
