The owners of the new shop Your Brother's Bookstore in Evansville, Indiana were replacing the floors before opening when they discovered a trapdoor under the floor boards. The trapdoor led to a room below the building that had access to a tunnel under the town's Main Street. The Evansville African American Museum thought it could have been part of the Underground Railroad but artifacts found below suggested otherwise. From 14News:
The owners say they found parts of a still, glass bottles, and even a table and chairs built into the wall they believe could have been part of a gambling den.
Vanderburgh County historian, Stan Schmitt, says this fits the area's prohibition history.
"Indiana went dry before Kentucky did, and so there was a year or so where there was a lot of stuff coming across the river," said Schmitt.
The owners of the bookstore say people from the museum took a few artifacts with plans to make 3D models of them, then the originals will come back and they will have a small museum-quality exhibit in the store.
