In September 1924, an odd network of concrete tunnels extending about 32 feet underground was discovered behind Pelham Courts apartments in Washington, D.C. After some wild speculations, Smithsonian Institution entomologist Harrison G. Dyar admitted to digging the tunnels 10 years earlier when he lived in the capital. Dyar said he first dug a flowerbed for his wife in 1906, but was “seized by an undeniable fancy to keep on going” He also said at a NY Times interview that digging tunnels is his hobby: “Digging tunnels after work is my hobby. There’s really nothing mysterious about it.”
Sources: Futility Closet; Modern Mechanix
