- 5 hours ago
A backyard excavation in Tucson uncovered far more than John Sims expected: a hidden Cold War fallout shelter beneath his home. After rumors and old municipal records pointed him toward a forgotten structure, John used metal detectors to locate its entrance and carefully explored the underground room with help from friends.
Inside, he found a large shelter connected to tunnels, built during an era when families feared nuclear conflict. Rather than turn it into an ordinary man cave, John began restoring the historic bunker as a civil defense museum, gathering vintage radios, water barrels, and other artifacts. This narrated real-life discovery story explores backyard archaeology, Cold War history, underground bunkers, and one homeowner’s unusual restoration project—ideal for listeners interested in historical stories, mystery storytime, and fascinating home discoveries.
Inside, he found a large shelter connected to tunnels, built during an era when families feared nuclear conflict. Rather than turn it into an ordinary man cave, John began restoring the historic bunker as a civil defense museum, gathering vintage radios, water barrels, and other artifacts. This narrated real-life discovery story explores backyard archaeology, Cold War history, underground bunkers, and one homeowner’s unusual restoration project—ideal for listeners interested in historical stories, mystery storytime, and fascinating home discoveries.
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AnimalsTranscript
00:00The thought of moving homes is usually pretty exciting.
00:02Even if it's a little stressful, a fresh start is always good.
00:06Well, for John Sims, his fresh start was a little more than he bargained for,
00:10but an incredible journey nonetheless.
00:12John had no idea what was coming for him when he bought his new home
00:14in a midtown neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona.
00:17Whether you believe it to be a coincidence or a miracle,
00:19we've got all the details you need to know.
00:21But before we start, smash the like button and make sure to subscribe if you haven't,
00:25and hit that notification bell so that you won't miss any new stories.
00:28John made his big purchase on his new home with a steady idea of what he was getting himself into.
00:33He bought this home from a good friend which put his mind at ease with regards to the condition of
00:37the home.
00:38It was only after John had already moved in when his friend told him something that changed the game completely.
00:42He told him that there had been rumors of something being buried deep in the backyard.
00:46Now that John had this information, going about his regular unpacking tasks was themed with a constant wonder.
00:52Was he to just ignore the rumors like everyone else?
00:54Was he able to live in a home which he knew could potentially have a groundbreaking secret to tell?
00:59When John realized this was no job for his shovel, he decided to investigate the situation properly.
01:04John looked at his yard filled with possibilities and began to dig.
01:07He had no idea what he was looking for and no clue where to start.
01:10He randomly positioned himself and began to dig every day, through the heat that Arizona is famous for.
01:16Eventually, he grew tired and began to lose hope.
01:18After exhausting himself making four different holes, John temporarily gave up.
01:23Although John's body was tired of digging, his mind was far from tired of wondering.
01:27He decided to try a different approach.
01:29He tracked down the municipal records of his home and studied each page carefully.
01:33Some information he found were things he already knew.
01:36However, a rough sketch in the documents gave him a new clue.
01:39According to the records, a company called Whitaker Pools had applied for a permit to work at the property back
01:44in 1961.
01:45It was 961, but the home didn't have a pool at all.
01:48Now that John had a better idea of where he needed to dig, he decided to change his approach.
01:53No more aimless digging of random holes.
01:55John then hired a team of consultants who had the proper tools needed for the job, including metal detectors, to
02:00get them that much closer.
02:01When the metal detectors remained silent after skimming John's backyard, he still refused to give up.
02:06One fateful day, the metal detectors began to sing.
02:09The experts John hired found two spots in the garden which made the metal detectors go crazy.
02:14After carefully marking these two spots, John was ready to find whatever he was searching for.
02:19Now that John knew where to dig, he had enough motivation to carry on working in the hot Arizona Sunday.
02:24He dug in the two spots until he finally felt his shovel hit something hard.
02:28John had been digging around three feet deep.
02:30He began to worry that the hard surface his shovel had reached was hitting a septic tank, which could be
02:34tremendously dangerous.
02:36As John continued to dig, he began to realize that the shape forming did not resemble a septic tank.
02:41He had uncovered a substantial amount of the structure and began to gain perspective.
02:45The hole began to look like some sort of entryway.
02:48Where did it lead to?
02:49The possibilities ran wild in John's mind as continued to dig.
02:52John proceeded to clear the area in order to get closer to the bottom of the mystery.
02:56Eventually, he discovered a hatch with a lid.
02:59He carefully pried the lid off, but he knew he had to be careful.
03:02Although he was eager to go inside, his training as a fireman taught him better than to just enter a
03:06confined space.
03:07John also knew that he needed to have other people around when he finally went underground to assist if anything
03:12went wrong.
03:13After a long wait, it was finally time for John to find out what this mystery held.
03:17The moment had come for John to find out what made his house extraordinary.
03:21At first, it seemed like all he could see was a bunch of metal blades, but when his eyes adjusted,
03:25he realized he was looking at a spiral staircase.
03:28John was desperate to climb down those stairs and take a look, but he knew how dangerous this was.
03:33How much time had passed? Were these stairs still stable enough to hold anybody?
03:38So John had to wait even longer.
03:40He needed time to organize a team of people to be there if he needed help.
03:43John organized a group of his trusted friends to be there with him.
03:46He also came up with a strategy to enter the space safely.
03:49Their plan to meet the moment of truth was about to pay off.
03:52Luckily, they documented the entire thing.
03:54John and his friends made the entrance wider and reinforced the stairs with layers of concrete.
03:58They also put up a tent to help block the hot rays of the sundae.
04:02John also installed an electrical line that would allow for the space to be illuminated.
04:06Also, he and his friends would be able to use electric power tools down there.
04:09John's past work as a firefighter gave him all the necessary knowledge he would need in order to do this
04:14mission safely.
04:14He was aware of how dangerous mold and gas leaks could be in this old, forgotten structure.
04:20The team placed a pipe in the entryway which would channel fresh air down into the space.
04:24This ensured they would be able to breathe properly and got them even closer to finally being able to enter.
04:28John and his friends were unable to make the staircase stable enough to descend.
04:32This was one of the most important parts of the job because no one knew the conditions of these old
04:36rusty stairs.
04:37So, John got a long ladder and positioned it in the entryway.
04:40It was finally time to discover what was under there.
04:43It was finally time for John to put his imagination to rest and finally discover what was in his backyard.
04:48He had been obsessing over this for what felt like years and it was finally time to see the truth.
04:53John was about to be the first person in 50 years to enter this space.
04:56What was he about to find?
04:58I know my brain would be hoping for a secret treasure.
05:01John lowered himself into the confined space.
05:03When he stepped off the ladder, all his hard work was about to pay off.
05:06He was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was a huge room deep underneath his backyard.
05:10It was in good shape, complete with a solid floor.
05:13But that wasn't all.
05:14In fact, there was an entire system of tunnels forming a complex down there.
05:18The previous owner of the house was John's close friend.
05:21He had told him that there was something deep in the backyard.
05:23When John did his research, he found the structure was built by Whittaker Pools.
05:27This underground cave was certainly not a pool.
05:29The year the structure was built, 1,961 gave John a good idea as to what this space was intended
05:36for.
05:37He knew it as soon as his eyes adjusted.
05:39Although everything seemed to still be in good condition, John knew he was a far stretch from the finish line.
05:43John noticed the fiberglass ceiling which he knew could be extremely toxic to anyone who breathes it in.
05:48It can also irritate bare skin.
05:50The ceiling was also coming apart which is too risky to ignore.
05:53This meant some extra work was needed but John was nowhere close to giving up.
05:57The structure below John's home was huge but it never had any furnishing or décor.
06:01It was obvious that this was, in fact, an underground bunker which was built as a nuclear fallout shelter.
06:07Many people had become scared during the period of Cold War hostilities between the Soviet Union and the U.S.
06:12and had built backyard bomb shelters for safety.
06:15John began to wonder why this shelter was then built by Whittaker Pools.
06:18John discovered that Whittaker Pools was responding to consumer demand during the Cold War
06:23and had added building backyard bomb shelters to its list of services.
06:26This was already common as pool builders realized that building fallout shelters weren't all that different from building in-ground
06:32pool shells.
06:33Many of them expanded their operations accordingly.
06:35By 1,961, one Los Angeles company called Catalina Pools had built 500 shelters.
06:42John's mind ran wild with what to do with this newfound space.
06:45If you discovered that beneath your house, there was a man-sized hamster cage with different tunnels, what would you
06:50do?
06:51John's friends joked about turning it into a man cave or a wine cellar.
06:54Others who have found old bunkers have turned them into beautiful and modern homes, art galleries, and even recording studios.
07:00John was thinking a little differently.
07:02John then posted about his new discovery online.
07:04He was surprised to find that he was far from alone in his experience.
07:07His posts on Reddit went viral, and he began connecting to others who also had backyard fallout shelters.
07:13His interest in these shelters in the Cold War era had ultimately grown.
07:17He even went on to make special plans to turn his own historical bunker into a museum of sorts.
07:21John started a GoFundMe page where he wrote,
07:24Hi, I'm John, and I need some help restoring a vintage fallout shelter that I have uncovered in my backyard.
07:29He elaborated,
07:30The upper entry needs a large concrete pour to secure the entry, and the metal circular staircase needs to be
07:36replaced.
07:37John estimated that the project would cost around $2,000.
07:40John further explained his plans on the GoFundMe page.
07:42My plans are to clean up the interior, repaint it, and turn it into a really cool man cave, ham
07:47shack, and civil defense museum.
07:49Once I started this project, I researched a bunch about the Cold War period and how the civilian fears prompted
07:54many people to build these shelters.
07:56This discovery clearly made a huge impact on John's life.
07:59John has already begun gathering supplies and props for the museum of his backyard shelter.
08:04He says that he's found artifacts like water supply barrels, Geiger counters, ham radios, and sanitation kits to display.
08:10It's impressive that he was able to get a hold of so many vintage pieces that were in excellent condition
08:15to teach others.
08:16John is clearly using this miraculous occasion to its full advantage.
08:19This task obviously fell in the right hand.
08:22John knew that he needed to find a lot more financing before he'd do any real work.
08:26Enter, GoFundMe.
08:27This was the perfect way to get the word out and the coins in.
08:31He pitched.
08:32Hi, I'm John and I need some help restoring a vintage fallout shelter that I've uncovered in my backyard.
08:37The focus would be on the upper entryway, securing it with concrete.
08:41Plus, the stairs needed a revamp.
08:43The concept worked out quite well.
08:45His story received more than 400 shares and John quickly got enough to start renovating.
08:50With safer materials and reinforcements, it's a lot easier to climb down without fear of collapse.
08:56Now, the inside could be transformed into something special.
08:59It could even be habitable with the right techniques.
09:01A one-of-a-kind man cave would be enviable.
09:04So, John continued his work.
09:05What did he do next?
09:07Not everyone has their very own bomb shelter and John didn't take this for granted.
09:10But his initial idea of man cave seems small.
09:13In the scheme of things, why not go a step further?
09:16In the end, he decided to make the structure into a civil defense museum.
09:20Restoring this civilian safe room would be a great memorial.
09:23Today, viewers can see vintage memorabilia like ham radios, sanitation kits, Geiger counters, and water supply barrels.
09:30Tuscan was a wild place way back when.