Residents Move Into 1950s Home—Years Later Make Shock Discovery in Basement

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A Minnesota homeowner has sparked intrigue across Reddit after discovering an unusual key hidden in the rafters of their basement—years after moving into their 1950s-era house.
The post, titled "Odd key in the basement rafters..." was shared by u/edrift101 to the r/Weird subreddit on June 16 and included a couple of images showing a tarnished old key. "We found this years after moving into our new home," the user wrote in the caption.
"No idea how long it's been there, but the house was built in the 1950s (Minneapolis, MN). Doesn't match anything in the house or the garage," the poster said, adding "maybe there's a secret keyhole somewhere in the house, ala Locke & Key [fictional television series]? That could be fun."
The discovery in the Reddit post comes as U.S. homeowners face soaring housing costs. According to a 2024 report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, millions of potential homebuyers have been "priced out of the market by elevated home prices and interest rates." The home price surge was reported in 97 of the top 100 markets, with higher rises in the northeast and Midwest regions, the report found.
'Treasure Stashes'
The recent post drew a wave of speculation and amateur detective work from Reddit users eager to weigh in on the mysterious artifact, which bears a resemblance to what many call a "skeleton key."
"That appears to be a warded lock key," wrote u/whitecholklet. "Sometimes called a skeleton key or warded lock pick, it could be used to open a lot of older style locks. People hid them in their house in case they lost a key or sometimes just used it as a key."
Other Redditors chimed in with their own theories—ranging from the practical to the imaginative.
One user, u/la_picasa, speculated that the original lock was likely replaced at some point, saying "the lock(s) it was used for probably got changed at some point in time. If you're just now finding that though, I would be searching the rafters in hidden spots for treasure stashes! People used to hide cash up in there."
Some comments ventured further off the beaten path. "Similar keys work in some old mouse and rat traps I have seen," noted u/TheSunRisesintheEast. "It is supposed to keep the poisoned bait from being accessed."
Others considered more sentimental or historical origins. "Maybe it is the very first key for the first front door when the home was built???" suggested u/SILVERSKID70.
Another user, u/NoVillage7217, said: "If it's in the basement, it could have gone to a hope chest stored there in the past."
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system.
A stock image of a rusted key on a wooden table.
A stock image of a rusted key on a wooden table.
Getty
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