Viral video shows secret passage under floorboards of US Capitol

A US congressman has revealed a secret tunnel under the floorboards of the Lincoln Room in the US Capitol.

Viral video just posted by a US rep shows a secret tunnel nestled under the floorboards of the US Capitol that, according to legend, was stormed by British soldiers in the War of 1812.

Congressman Tim Moore (R-NC) showed off the tunnel’s entrance in the Lincoln Room, which used to be the House’s post office during the Civil War president’s time in office, and explained that it is one of his favourite features to point out on tours, the New York Postreports.

Congressman Tim Moore showed off the tunnel’s entrance in the Lincoln Room. Picture: X/@RepTimMooreNC

Moore said the Lincoln Room is one of his favourite places to show tour groups at the Capitol. Picture: X/@RepTimMooreNC

“Construction started in the 1700s, and there are all sorts of little hidden passageways” in the Capitol, Moore explained in a video on his X account.

“As you saw, I just pulled this cover up, and you can see.

“You can see there’s a passageway. These were old stairs that used to be here but were closed off,” he said.

“Believe it or not, my big self [has] actually gotten down and more importantly out of this hole.”

The secret tunnel leads outside the US Capitol building. During the early days of the Capitol building, the House of Representatives convened in the space next to the Lincoln Room, Statuary Hall, which is now a gallery with statues of iconic Americans.

“I’m told, and I can’t verify this … it’s one of the staircases British soldiers used when they breached the Capitol during … 1814 when they actually attacked Washington,” he said of the tunnel.

The hidden staircase beneath the Lincoln Room at the Capitol. Picture: X/@RepTimMooreNC

The Lincoln Room used to be the House’s post office. Picture: X/@RepTimMooreNC

The Capitol Building was commissioned in 1793, and President George Washington laid down the cornerstone of the iconic building that year.

British soldiers had set fire to the US Capitol and torched the White House during the “Burning of Washington” in the War of 1812, which erupted over maritime rights and other disputes. The war ended in 1815.

The secret tunnel leads outside the Capitol Building, according to the rep. Picture: Alex Edelman/AFP

Construction of the Capitol was eventually concluded in 1826.

Mr Moore noted that the Lincoln Room is one of his favourite places in the legislative complex to take tours through and emphasised its history, including the fact that Lincoln used to read letters by the fire there.

Footage of the hidden staircase in the Lincoln Room revealed signatures, presumably from lawmakers and others who wanted to put their names on the historic passage.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Viral video shows secret passage under floorboards of US Capitol