Inside eerie abandoned funeral home with chilling link to Harry Houdini with dust-caked piano that serenaded the dead
EERIE images show the remains of an abandoned funeral home where Harry Houndini’s body was preserved.
Dave, who goes by Freaktography, said that following Houdini’s untimely death, he was transported to the home in Detroit, Michigan.
Pictures of the one-time funeral home reveal how the roof has caved in over time.
There are also piles upon piles of discarded records and sheet music spilling down the stairs.
Down on the second floor is a grand piano in the middle of a well lit, once grand room, thought to have serenaded the dead.
In other rooms, the Canadian snapper discovered rotting sofas and old fireplaces.
He then came across an embalming room – where he believes Houdini was embalmed – with sinks, remnants of pipes and tiled walls and floors.
Further on are more embalming rooms as well as a viewing room with a stunning skylight.
Finally on the ground floor, dotted with more decaying pianos and organs, are large, open rooms with chairs – where funerals were most likely held.
One room resembles an office, where paperwork, clothing and books had been left behind.
Dave added: “It was deadly silent inside.
“Being in a funeral home always has a different feeling and vibe than in other abandoned places.”
The photographer said: “On 22 October 1926, Harry Houdini was in Montreal, Quebec for some shows.
“Houdini had long claimed he had a superhuman ability to sustain any punch to the stomach, due to his unimaginably strong abdominal muscles.
“He was approached by a student of McGill University [in Quebec], who wanted to punch him in the stomach.”
The brave entertainer accepted the challenge but was punched by the student multiple times before they began.
Dave continued: “The punch didn’t do any immediate or obvious harm and he proceeded to perform shows before heading to Detroit for another series of performances.
“However, on his way to Detroit, he complained of stomach cramps, discomfort and pain, which turned severe with cold sweats and fatigue.”
Dave added that “it was suspected that he had appendicitis”, but Houdini’s official cause of death was listed as peritonitis – severe swelling of the abdomen.
“Harry insisted on doing his show on 24 October, struggled through and collapsed to the floor as the curtain dropped.
“He was taken to a hospital where it was diagnosed that his appendix had been ruptured days earlier.
“The appendix was removed but the damage was done, it had poisoned his insides.”
The pesky stomach bug was presumably brought on by the student who reportedly punched the star stuntman’s abdomen four to five times.
According to Dave, the famed Hungarian-American artist and illusionist held on for seven more days, but died on Halloween – October 31, 1926.
Dave said: “Following his death, Houdini’s body was transported to this funeral home in Detroit where his body was embalmed and prepared.
“Following the embalmment, the magician was placed into one of his very own trick coffins that he had just completed for a future stunt.
“He was left in this coffin until a more suitable one could be obtained and was then transported to Michigan Central Train station for the ride to New York and his burial at a cemetery in Queens.”
