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September 19, 2007
Anyone have any stories of morbid finds in old brownstones
I recently heard a bizarre story of a find in a recently bought 1890s Brownstone SRO in Harlem. Two hands discovered in the cellar during demo. Not too badly decomposed which initially led to speculation that they were of more recent provenance, and work had to be halted as it was deemed a probable crime scene.
Turns out they were medical specimens from much earlier in the last century. The jar they had been preserved in had been smashed during the demo, and rats (or something) had dragged the hands out into the rubble. Totally spooked the new owner.
Comments
Yes, I had some morbid finds when I moved into my brownstone: shag carpeting, Autumn Gold bathroom fixtures, and twenty years worth of tv guides. It was horrifying.
Posted by: bheightsejp at September 19, 2007 1:24 PM
Top Floor Gut Reno:
When I was pulling off the 80s renovation sheetrock in the kitchen, I found lots of newspaper clippings hidden in the wall related to Robert Chambers (AKA the preppy murderer). That was a little weird.
Then I found 3 dead squirrels and what must have been a rat stuck in the 70's drop ceiling. They looked like rodent mummies.
Posted by: Park Place at September 19, 2007 4:48 PM
I found a 4 by 3 inch KISS mirror from the 70's but someone had taped different heads on the band members torsos-patrick duffy,lou ferignou(aka the incredible hulk from the old tv show),david hasselhof, and Hervé Villechaize(tatoo from fantasy island) Creepy,no?
Posted by: guest at September 19, 2007 5:11 PM
I have a bottle dug up from a nearby back yard labelled "Arsenic".
Posted by: 1910 at September 19, 2007 6:41 PM
We found turn of the century porno pamphlets cemented into the cellar ceiling. MMMM. Porno.
Posted by: guest at September 19, 2007 9:24 PM
We found crack vials.
Posted by: guest at September 19, 2007 10:16 PM
I worked for a management company and after tenants died we would contact the next of kin and have them take out whatever they wanted before we would clean out the place ( 60 yard container out front). Most people would spend about an hour or so looking for money under the matress, that sort of thing. The real treasures I would find after they signed the release forms. Stuff like really old pictures of the deceased having sex with sailors, two rubber fists in a shoe box in a closet, hand guns, teeth ect. I now have a huge collection of very dirty, grimmy Jesus pictures that old people hang in their kitchens. I am not even sure why I took them home. Note to self... time to get rid of that porno stash!
Posted by: guest at September 20, 2007 11:04 PM
The previous owned told me that when he renovated (not very well, I might add), he found a stash of guns in the walls. The owner before him was a cop.
Posted by: guest at September 20, 2007 11:27 PM
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