And I still don't know what it is...

I fancy myself somewhat of a Do-It-Yourselfer when it comes to car repairs, home improvement tasks and most everything that is not of the electrical pursuation.  Some things I'm pretty good at.  Some things I need some more practice with and some things are straight up over my head. 

Over the weekend I encountered one such obstacle.  For the first time in about 8 or 9 years I have a fireplace.  Let me tell you that I am head over heels in love with this fireplace.  It makes me happy to sit there holding my little girl in the rocking chair, warming my tootsies, sipping hot cocoa by glowing embers.  Talk about relaxation!  Maybe someday, when I meet a man brave enough, I'll share it with someone special.  One downside to this awesome feature of my new home is the care and maintenance of said fireplace. 

Currently, I am without a fireplace kit.  No poker.  No shovel.  No strange little brush.  Of course this does not deter me from using the fireplace.  Ever.  I'm a whiz at improv!  So I needed to clean out some of the ashes in the fireplace.  I find this to be a tedious job using an empty box of Little Debbie Star Crunch's and an empty speculum box (what?  My sister works for a gynocologist and she saved me some boxes).  As I am scooping up ashes with the star crunch box and pouring them into the empty speculum box I make a discovery.  There, in the bottom of my fireplace, is a trap door.  It's about the size of a mail slot.  And it's right there in the floor. 

I press on it and it opens.  I can't really see anything in it either.  My ex conveniently took most of the tools and the flashlights (not that it would help since the kids like to run the batteries down in them anyway.)This is when The Oldest offers his suggestion.  "Put your hand in it and see if you can pull out the DaVinci Code."  Yes- that's my kid!  He's gonna make some woman so proud someday.  I, of course, decline.  Instead, I drop some ashes down in it.  Then I got to wondering where it leads to and what it's for and maybe putting ashes in it is a bad idea.  So I closed it back up and went about my business.  My dad has been gone for roughly almost 8 years.  Can't call him.  Everyone else I know suggests I google it.  I am sure that it has to be some kind of storage for ashes but I can't be 100% sure.  If it is - um where does it lead to?  Do I have to clean it out?  Is there any other way of opening it without getting burned. 

Most importantly, WHAT IS IT???