TAMPA, Fla. -- Ybor City's infamous tunnels haven't been seen in decades -- until now.
A new opening to the underground discovered brings an old question: Was it part of the city's smuggling past? Ybor City was once a haven for Tampa's mafia activity, after all.
Locals are sneaking a peek at this latest find, a discovery by workers Tuesday who were tearing down a warehouse at 12th Street and 6th Avenue. Casey Corwin leased a space in the building for five years and thought there was something underneath it.
"There was a basement, which is not common," she said. "It was just interesting to see the places where you could tell where windows or doorways used to be and they were all sealed up.
"So we were always very curious about it. But there wasn't much we could do but just look at it and admire it."
Some people believe smugglers used the network of tunnels during prohibition to move liquor and people in the early 1900s. It's said the tunnels run from the Port of Tampa all the way to Ybor City.
PHOTOS: Ybor City's infamous tunnels resurface after 20 years
Legend has it one tunnel was built with curved arches and had electricity, plus a rail system.
10News anchor Reginald Roundtree got a look at the tunnel under the Blue Ribbon Supermarket 20 years ago.
"This grate closes in you have to lock there and where they lock it and you've got you've got a lock on this side, too," one said on some unearthed 10News file video. "So you've got a double lock something must have been important in that room.
"To keep people out."
Historians have theories, too, because of the time, money and manpower it would have taken to make the tunnels. They might have been designed as a public works project but then exploited by Tampa's mobsters.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.
Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.
