People Explain What These 93 Strange And Weird Things In Old Homes Are (New Pics)

Ash removal , my Grandmother had one . There's a container in basement that collect the ashes. The reason she saved hers , in the Spring when she planted her Vegetable Garden she used wood ash too keep the bugs away. She didn't like it the ideal of pesticides . Really the food she grew was Organic! Hooray for my grandmother !!

Memories: in the ‘50s my grandfather had the lids of pint jars screwed to the underside of a shelf above his bench. In each jar were screws, nails, bolts, and nuts and a bit of camphor to keep them from rusting.

My guess… a drain. Then again, a portal to Lucifer's Lair.
Pour a bucket of water down and see if it drains…. But make it Holy Water. That way you are covered on both possibilities.

Pencil sharpener
I especially like the placement of the dry wall screw , so when you trim your pencil you can rip your knuckles w

Lowers chandelier for cleaning in the dining room below

Public toilet lock, and in the UK the source of the saying "I need to spend a penny" as a polite way of saying that you're going to the loo. A penny was the charge when public toilets were first installed, and I remember them still being in use in department store toilets when I was a kiddie, as well as outdoor public toilets.

Mezuzah. Jewish people have them at each door (except bathrooms). They touch the mezuzah and then kiss their fingers. Inside is a small paper Torah scroll. It's a visual reminder that G-d is always present.

It's to stop people from peeing in the alley, it'll splash back on them

The heat came up from the coal furnace in the cellar. I can actually remember when my grandparents still used theirs. There were smaller grates in the ceilings on the first floor that let heat go up to the second floor bedrooms. They also doubled as an intercom system. You just yelled up or down through them if you needed something

Because the old doors was not made of cardboard

This small, domed stone structure in the UK is known as a "village lock-up" or sometimes referred to as a "round-house lock-up" or "cage" in local terminology. These were once common in British villages from the 18th and 19th centuries and were used to temporarily detain drunks, petty criminals, or people who had been arrested before they could be taken to a magistrate or larger jail.

The object found in the old farmhouse is a glass fire grenade.
These items were a form of early fire extinguisher, popular from the 1880s to the 1930s. They were typically filled with fire-retardant liquids, such as salt water or carbon tetrachloride, and designed to be thrown at the base of a fire to extinguish it.

It supposedly bult crooked to keep witches from entering.
Many older homes have crooked chimneys

There used to be a tradition where you would hide the house key in the newel post as a symbol of ownership to grant prosperity to the home.

Corner bollard to protect the corner of the building from cart wheels.

Boot scraper to get dirt off your shoes before you enter the house.

This was for rooms to call for service.
Evidently this household was large enough to have maids or ‘footmen’ and this told them which room required their attendance.

Corded phone, like an at home phone booth lol