It could be the script for a creepy movie: On Halloween, two ambitious sweat-equity buyers move into a dilapidated old house where they find a cache of old letters in the crawlspace and learn a few weird things about the deceased previous owner.

Did she persuade her sister to keep a surprise pregnancy from their mother? And how did she know the silent film star who corresponded about their visits together?

Frank Niemeir/Staff (ENLARGE)

Carl Mattison and Rob Smith home in Grant Park in Atlanta. They bought the 1911 cottage in Grant Park from the heirs of the 90-year-old owner who was the last to live in the house.

RELATED PHOTOS • Cottage reveals history

For Carl Mattison and Rob Smith, this isn't fiction. It's just another fascinating aspect of the 1911 Craftsman cottage in Grant Park they bought four years ago.

Even the story of how the two found the place is a little weird.

"We were driving by, looking at houses, when we saw them put a sign out," said Mattison, an art director. "It was vacant and falling down. But it was cheap. We never thought we could afford something in Grant Park. We had a contract in six hours."

The initial appeal was a house that hadn't been changed drastically by former owners. In fact, the last owner, an over-90 lady who authored the secreted letters, had never torn out the original pipes for the gaslights — a feature that made the house more appealing to Mattison.

"We're a little bit purist," said Mattison. "If something was part of the original plan, we left it. And we reused as much material as possible."

Among the original pieces is the front door inset with a wide panel of glass; the coffered ceilings; mahogany sliding doors into the dining room; the darkly stained woodwork; 10-foot ceilings; and the slate hearth and original mantel of the living room fireplace.

The four brick columns across the front porch have been shored up and the floor replaced with hardwoods that match the interior floors. Overhead, there's a bead board ceiling. A gas lamp flickers by the entrance. And curtains in the corners can be closed for a bit more privacy.

Most of the restoration and repair work was done by Mattison and Smith. The only things they contracted out were the roof, exterior paint and HVAC systems. Sometimes that meant things went a bit slower than expected. "After nine months, we had no kitchen," said Mattison. But the result is a charmer, with a concrete sink, green cabinets, gas downdraft stove and built-in cabinets for the washer and dryer.

They also had to design a master bath, which they added off the bedroom. The brick back of the bedroom fireplace is now a nook for towels; the shower is lined with dark green slate. They then moved on to making a sleeping porch into a bedroom; turning a small closet into a powder room; and adding a sunroom off the back. A multilevel deck leads down to the landscaped yard, with a pond and waterfall. "It's our refuge from the city," said Mattison.

The rehabbed house draws attention for its restored charm. (Two years ago, it was featured in This Old House magazine.) The only thing the owners can't update is information about the deceased owner, whose photo hangs in the living room.

"We went into the AJC archives and found this photo of her taken on June 7, 1921," said Mattison. "She's standing in front of the mantel in the living room with her sister and friends at a graduation party. There's an entire write-up about it. And we know Belle Bennett, who wrote to her, was a real silent film actress, but we don't know how they met or why."

Mattison has carefully placed the letters in an album, another connection to the past.