# Family pries open 50 year old bomb shelter in back yard and finds . . .



## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

The Daily Mail reports:

For more than a decade after they moved into their house in Neenah, Wisconsin, the Zwick family knew they had a Cold War bunker in their backyard.

It was not until 2010 that anyone thought to open the heavy steel hatch, climb down the ladder and explore the 8-foot-by-10-foot chamber that the home's previous owner had built to protect his family from a nuclear attack.

Floating in five feet of water that had seemed into the bunker were sealed U.S. Army boxed packed with all of the supplies a family would need to survive two weeks underground.​


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## Justaguy987 (Mar 2, 2013)

Cool! Now they should clean it up and restock!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

29 cents for a bag of butterscotch candies!? Awesome. As a child I loved Hershey syrup in can. Mmmm mmmm.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

That's in my area. 

It never ceases to amaze me how the best US news is found in British papers.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

I certainly would. I love diggin round in old shelters. Lots a history an knowledge there.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

I find it hard to believe they knew it was there for 10 years before they had a look. I'd be down there 5 minutes after I moved in.
I bought a house many years ago that had been abandoned for 20 years, left exactly as it was not a thing removed or touched. Was an interesting time capsule.


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## fishparts2003 (Jan 21, 2013)

Still cool but not as intriguing as "family pries open 50 year old..." like it claims before you open the thread.


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## db2469 (Jun 11, 2012)

Bobbb said:


> The Daily Mail reports:
> 
> For more than a decade after they moved into their house in Neenah, Wisconsin, the Zwick family knew they had a Cold War bunker in their backyard.
> 
> ...


All carbs in that box...yikes!


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

The SPAM is under the jelly beans.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

Sentry18 said:


> 29 cents for a bag of butterscotch candies!? Awesome. As a child I loved Hershey syrup in can. Mmmm mmmm.


wow! doesnt that bring back memories?

That little doo-doo-doo-doo wanna be digital noise when they were going to play "in the news" on saturday mornings

black & white TV's

things were made to last, and be repaired instead of being disposable

School House Rock (I'm just a bill, sittin on capitol hill... & conjunction junction, whats your function?...)

dragging home refrigerator cardboard boxes from the appliance store on the way home from school to make forts in the back yard!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Wow, no Twinkies!


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

"The boxes, old military ammunition crates, contained markings that suggested there might be explosives inside, so the family called the local branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Agents opened the crates to find... Hawaiian Punch"

They called in the BATF?? IDIOTS!!!!!!!!



BillS said:


> It never ceases to amaze me how the best US news is found in British papers.


Liberal media surely would have picked up on some folks calling the BATF. Apparently the US population doesn't need to know an old ammo can might actually have food in it.


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## Canadian (Dec 14, 2008)

Zoinks. Looks like a 5 year old was in charge of the rations. That's all junk food.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

Canadian said:


> Zoinks. Looks like a 5 year old was in charge of the rations. That's all junk food.


A five year old or my DH. He's a sweet toothed monster. He'll tell me he's a little hungry so I list a heap of snacks, all healthy and easy... He'll "ummmm, ahhhh, no you know what I'd really love.... (insert horrible sugar jelly sweet here) ".... sigh. 
I don't let him grocery shop (if he wants junk he can buy it with his 'pocket money') because we'd be living on packaged deserts and chocolate biscuits!


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## GroovyMike (Feb 25, 2010)

Don't forget the takeaway that a sealed ammo box kept the contents intact and ready to use for FIFTY years in a flooded storage area! WOW


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## ras1219como (Jan 15, 2013)

Wellrounded said:


> A five year old or my DH. He's a sweet toothed monster. He'll tell me he's a little hungry so I list a heap of snacks, all healthy and easy... He'll "ummmm, ahhhh, no you know what I'd really love.... (insert horrible sugar jelly sweet here) ".... sigh.
> I don't let him grocery shop (if he wants junk he can buy it with his 'pocket money') because we'd be living on packaged deserts and chocolate biscuits!


I am the same way...hey at least I know my weakness! I have really got to be conscious of my sweets intake if I'm not careful a box of cookies just disappears. I mostly try to keep that stuff out of the house as I have no will power when it comes to cookies, cakes, or other treats.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

I didn't even know such a thing as a Ju Ju mix ever exsisted. That must have been awesome. I love jelly candy.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

BillS said:


> It never ceases to amaze me how the best US news is found in British papers.


just like all of the 'stories' that are taking place in GB right now being in U.S. tabloids :droolie: :nuts:

in your area, and you didn't hear anything about it? :dunno:


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## airdrop (Jan 6, 2012)

LOL I remember during the Cuban missle crisses and looking down in our wet sand bottomed celler thinking O'brother. In that time people would have been so screwed ,well not unlike today


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

airdrop said:


> LOL I remember during ... that time people would have been so screwed ,well not unlike today


Almost nobody is building bomb shelters today. Apparently, the threat isn't severe enough (or clear enough)


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

We have seen an uptick in storm shelters after the tornado in Magoffin Co.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I keep lifesavers in my preps. It's good to have access to the sugar.


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## brightstar (Apr 24, 2012)

I'm going to go with this was their comfort food box. I've got a stash of those foods that just make you smile too


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

Lol! You're putting some food away to survive a nuclear disaster that would destroy millions of people, the land, plants and animals and ya got....lifesavers and Hershey's syrup? :scratch


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

lazydaisy67 said:


> Lol! You're putting some food away to survive a nuclear disaster that would destroy millions of people, the land, plants and animals and ya got....lifesavers and Hershey's syrup? :scratch


Hospice food.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

lazydaisy67 said:


> Lol! You're putting some food away to survive a nuclear disaster that would destroy millions of people, the land, plants and animals and ya got....lifesavers and Hershey's syrup? :scratch


I keep comfort (junk) food in my preps. Food needs to not only provide nutrition and calories but emotional sustenance as well. You may survive on "Soilent Green" but you won't be happy. Attitude is a major factor in survival.


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## doomsdaynews (Sep 25, 2013)

Full story found here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-yard-50-years-installed-height-Cold-War.html

This was a really cool real. Saw your picture and thought a box of candy was all they found, but its really cool to see the other pictures. They don't show any water in the cave, so who knows how submerged the boxes actually were. Even still, the fact that all of this stuff stayed protected in their crates after 50 years is quite remarkable.

Even more remarkable (like others have mentioned) is that it took the family all this time to open up the hatch. I would have opened it up the first week I moved in, and probably gone about cleaning it up and using it for my own shelter. Wonder if they have any plans to do so?

Thanks for sharing!


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## Moose33 (Jan 1, 2011)

Chocolate Life Savers, haven't seen those for awhile.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

brightstar said:


> I'm going to go with this was their comfort food box. I've got a stash of those foods that just make you smile too


Same here.



lazydaisy67 said:


> Lol! You're putting some food away to survive a nuclear disaster that would destroy millions of people, the land, plants and animals and ya got....lifesavers and Hershey's syrup? :scratch


I do. Especially for the first few days. I'm going to need comfort when SHTF.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

lazydaisy67 said:


> Lol! You're putting some food away to survive a nuclear disaster that would destroy millions of people, the land, plants and animals and ya got....lifesavers and Hershey's syrup?


sorry.... I couldn't resist...


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

"It's unknown why the past owner decided he needed to store a phone directory in his fallout shelter"

hmm and he just accidentally packed it with the toilet paper. think I might have an idea what he was thinking. Probably as many wipes in that thick directory as on all the rolls in the can with it. Plus if you go foraging after the END it might be nice to kinda be able to target your searches if you find yourself in need of somthing you had never thought to find before. Some folks have all the luck. If I found one on my property all I'd get is a water moccasin or somthing


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

jsriley5 said:


> "It's unknown why the past owner decided he needed to store a phone directory ....
> hmm and he just accidentally packed it with the toilet paper.


You don't have to wipe with it. If you have no spare water to clean out your "honey pot" with, you can dookie right onto a page torn out of the phone book and pick it up by the edges, to dispose of it. That way everything stays cleaner.


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

jsriley5 said:


> "It's unknown why the past owner decided he needed to store a phone directory in his fallout shelter"
> 
> hmm and he just accidentally packed it with the toilet paper. think I might have an idea what he was thinking. Probably as many wipes in that thick directory as on all the rolls in the can with it. Plus if you go foraging after the END it might be nice to kinda be able to target your searches if you find yourself in need of somthing you had never thought to find before. Some folks have all the luck. If I found one on my property all I'd get is a water moccasin or somthing


Or if the shelter managed to stay dry a copper head nest in the dark corner!


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

jsriley5 said:


> "It's unknown why the past owner decided he needed to store a phone directory in his fallout shelter"
> 
> hmm and he just accidentally packed it with the toilet paper. think I might have an idea what he was thinking. Probably as many wipes in that thick directory as on all the rolls in the can with it. Plus if you go foraging after the END it might be nice to kinda be able to target your searches if you find yourself in need of somthing you had never thought to find before. Some folks have all the luck. If I found one on my property all I'd get is a water moccasin or somthing


It also has addresses. Might make sense if you have to find someone.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

TechAdmin said:


> It also has addresses. Might make sense if you have to find someone.


You would have to replace it pretty often.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

Probably once a year?


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

TechAdmin said:


> Probably once a year?


Back then.... sure. 
Kind of worthless now, I haven't had a land line since 2004... and as far as I know, no one is putting cell phone numbers in a directory like that.


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