Internet stunned by what couple finds behind fireplace in 124-year-old home

A video about a couple who came across “a little of piece of history” while renovating their 124-year-old home has captivated users on TikTok.

The video was posted by @jennaxhall and has amassed 8.3 million views since it was shared on November 30.

The clip begins with a note saying: “Watch what we find hidden in our 124 year old home …” before a woman appears with her hand over her mouth in shock.

Two men are shown removing an old mantel from around a fireplace. A note overlaid on the video explains: “We’re putting this mantel in another room, so we had to remove it.”

The poster notices something behind the mantel. “It looks like there’s some other piece of paper or a picture or something,” a voice off-camera says.

A man grabs the small piece of paper and goes outside to hold it up to the sun and get a better view. “It’s a family photo,” he says, adding: “There are kids in it.” A close-up shot shows an image of what appear to be two children.

The viral video comes amid a rise in home renovation spending in the U.S., which has increased significantly over the last three years. The median spend on renovations rose by 60 percent between 2020 ($15,000) and 2023 ($24,000), according to a survey by Houzz, a home design website.

While more than half of U.S. homeowners undertook renovation projects in 2023, the figure marked a slight decline of 2 percentage points compared to the previous year, the Houzz study found.

‘A Little Piece of History’

According to a note overlaid on the viral clip, the house’s mantel was “way over 100 years old,” so attempting to move it was “terrifying.”

On finding the piece of paper caught on the rear side, the man in the video puts a flashlight against it.

“It was quite literally covered in 100+ years of dust and soot,” a subsequent note across the clip explains, as a hand is shown knocking dust off the paper.

“You couldn’t tell anything about it inside … I got sad thinking it was just a random piece of paper,” reads another overlaid caption.

After revealing the image of the two children, a further caption asks: “What do we do with it now??? it had to have belonged to the original family in 1900.”

Viewers on TikTok were amazed by the discovery in the historic home.

Can O’ Beans said: “So cool!!! You’ve got a little piece of history.”

User mandiHOLLA wrote: “THE WAY I GASPED WHEN I COULD SEE IT IN THE SUNLIGHT !!!”

TheKingsTings said it was “definitely the beginning of a haunted house story.”

RuGrl18 wrote: “I would develop the picture and frame it” and @goldensogno agreed, saying: “Get it developed that’s so cool.”

And MK said of the children: “I hope those little peanuts had a good life.”

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

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