Congressman Shares Video of Secret Tunnel Beneath US Capitol Building, Built in the 1700s

The United States Capitol is a building that carries a legacy of many decades. Along with its legacy, it also has some intriguing secrets, one of which was recently shared on social media by Congressman Tim Moore.

In a now-viral video, Moore gives people a tour of the Lincoln Room. More specifically, he invited attention to what lay underneath this room. Moore specifies that this is not the only 'hidden passageway' in the establishment. There are many such 'neat' constructions in the establishment. The Congressman added that the construction of the entire building dates back to the 1700s and contains many such peculiar details. 

The camera pans underneath the removed tile and gives a glimpse of the 'passageway.' There are many stairs, each of which appears to have scribblings on it. Some of these scribblings could be signatures of lawmakers, who wanted to leave their 'mark' on the historic staircases, according to the New York Post. Moore added, "These were old stairs that used to be here, but are now closed off." He further informed that the staircases were once beside an area called the 'Statuary Hall,' which used to serve as a house chamber. 

Moore explains that the stairs are an example of how the Capitol contains many secrets. Sometimes, though, officials are willing to give civilians a glimpse into these 'hidden' details. The congressman claims that if a small group arrives at the Capitol, sometimes they are given a tour of these stairs. The way the entryway hole above this staircase has been arranged, many can easily access the hidden passage. "Believe it or not, my big self [has] actually gotten down and more importantly out of this hole," Moore added. 

The congressman gave more details about the intriguing history of the passage. He claimed that it has been speculated that the stairs were used by British soldiers to breach the Capitol in 1814. Moore also shared that the passage takes people outside the building. 

The breach was a part of the War of 1812, according to the Architect of the Capitol. On August 12, 1814, British troops not only burned the Capitol, but they also set ablaze almost every other public building in Washington, D.C. As per experts, the Capital would have turned into ashes by the brutal attack, but was miraculously saved by a sudden rainstorm.

Moore claimed that this history and staircase appeal to children in the tour groups, but somehow the old folks don't seem as impressed. The comment section seemed to agree with the children. @REnglandDC wanted to see more and wrote, "Can you send someone down with the camera and show the rest of the space? Super cool, Congressman!" @dibert_aaron was very thankful to the Congressman and shared, "That's very cool. I'd never seen that before." @RoseMarieMusk had an important warning: "Nobody should get any bright ideas; it is heavily guarded and cannot be entered like before." The video has garnered a lot of popularity on X, surpassing a million views in a matter of days.