US couple discover ‘creepy’ secret room under their jacuzzi

An American couple have made a “spooky” discovery with a surprising secret use while doing renovations on their home.

An American couple have made a “creepy” discovery while doing renovations on their home.

Hayley Gilmartin and her husband, Trevor, who live on Lake Huron in Michigan – a body of water separating the US from Canada – uncovered a Prohibition-era, 20-foot-deep (6 metres) bootleggers’ tunnel beneath their home that was likely used for smuggling alcohol into the country.

The pair found the eerie, water-filled room when removing an old, broken jacuzzi in the middle of their house, The New York Post reports.

The room is connected to the body of water by a six-foot pipe, Ms Gilmartin recently told Newsweek.

The space is water-filled but otherwise nearly empty. Picture: Jam Press

The jacuzzi before being removed. Picture: Jam Press

And the manhole they found underneath. Picture: Jam Press

Despite the “creepy” reveal, the two homeowners put on brave faces for what came next.

“We scuba-dived in the river and found the other end of it, which is a huge tunnel,” the 30-year-old told Jam Press, noting that it is “impossible” to pump the water out because the room “is still getting water from Lake Huron and the rivers that it is connected to”.

The dark, concrete space is nearly empty, except for a support pole and wood-panelled wall that they believe connects to the tunnel system.

The couple, who bought the property in 2020, later learnt several neighbours also have similar tunnels beneath their homes.

The homeowners probed the hole discovered in their home by scuba-diving in the water. Picture: Jam Press

A near-century ago, Lake Huron and the adjoining St Clair River became critical waterways that boaters and crime syndicates used to bring in bootleg alcohol from north of the border.

The area was responsible for 75 per cent of prohibition activity, according to experts.

Learning of their likely connection to gritty history, Ms Gilmartin posted their sink-easy and scuba adventures to TikTok in clips that have racked up millions of views.

‘We are going to keep exploring it.’ Picture: Jam Press

They also scuba-dived into Lake Huron to try and find the water source. Picture: Jam Press

“I think anyone finding a manhole under their house in pitch darkness is going to find it spooky,” Ms Gilmartin told Newsweek.

She added that removing a wooden wall in the water room may be their next project and promised more updates.

“We are going to keep exploring it, and if possible we will drain it and maybe create a game room or bowling alley lane down there,” she told the outlet.

This article originally appeared on The New York Post and was reproduced with permission