Cult Activity?

The approximate size was 10ft x 5ft, it took up a good portion of the back room. So I think it's unlikely for it to be just a baby's grave. Also, in this case, why would one paint the pathway to it? A little more info: In reference to the room, the symbol was in the entrance corner, not in the center or anything. The pathway did not lead all the way to it, just to the doorway. There was about a 2ft gap between the end of the pathway and the top of the symbol.

that is really freaky

It's a skiing man!

Dracula?

Perhaps the symbol wasn't put there in 1910, but much sooner. It sort of looks like a map of some sort. Not a treasure map, but maybe pipework or lines (like electric or phone) installed by a previous owner or the city. Or perhaps it could be the location of a sealed well or sink hole or something more conventional then a baby's grave :P I would ask the city (or whoever would have housing info) because they might have blueprints and/or information about the house that might give some insight on the symbol.

I think it's simply a plumbing symbol+ Check them out there : www.make-my-own-house.com/plumbing-symbols.html In this case it would mean the symbol indicates a pipe with a union joint followed by an elbow. Sorry, no cult practiced in your basement...

It was painted sometime between 1910 and 1980. It was actually hidden under an inch or so of dirt with the rest of that back room, making it likely to be from the first half of the 20th century. The city records is where I got the deeds indicating the age of the house, but no blueprints were available. Even in 1910, this land was inside of city limits.

I vote cult. Nobody in 1910 or 1920 was paint plumbing schematics on basement floors. Think about it. Have you ever been in an old house and seen such? NO! Get out of the house now, and stay out!

Looks like an alchemy symbol from the middle ages. Alchemy was the precursor of modern chemistry. It was a very mystical, almost religious discipline, involving a great deal of arcane and superstitious ritual and information. Of primary importance were the combination of the male, female and hermaphroditic principles, and also the 4 elements. The overwhelming concern of this pseudo-science was to transform lead into gold by means of a "Philosopher's Stone", specially made for this purpose. The symbol may be referring to a chemical combination or process involving copper. The circle with cross underneath (modern female symbol), is the ancient symbol for Venus, whose metal was copper. Her sacred island in ancient times was Cyprus (pronounced Kuprus, thus giving its name to the metal), the most important source of copper for the Eastern Mediterranean back then. Could this painted floor be referring to a water system being carried by copper pipes underneath?

Hakukze is right. It's telling you something about what's underneath. The symbols were normally placed with chalk, and meant to be temporary during construction (DigSafe). Chances are, there was a problem either anticipated or solved at this location, (or they were out of chalk) and they decided to identify it permanently. Check sewer outlets and water inputs or unions.

There is a drain in the concrete floor of the next room, that I assume goes straight to the city sewer. But the room in question has no water pipes in it - just gas pipes and the home's electric box. I also don't understand why, if it was a temporary construction symbol, they would have painted the pathway to it in the same colors from the steps in the next room over.

(not sure if your house is in the US or not) During the Great Depression, hobo's would make weird markings on the outside of towns and certain houses to let others know what to look for. It's a little improbable being that it's in a basement, but it's possible that it was a message that means "safe to rest your feet" or something strange like that. If the house was vacant for a while during the depression, it's possible it was used as a safe-haven. http://www.slackaction.com/signroll.htm

sadly you might have trouble finding blueprints on old houses. alot of them were built by the owners with help from family members (depending where the house is located i.e. countryside). try to find more history of the area surrounding the house to determine if it was a family built home. also look into finding popular construction companies that might have been in the area at the time the home was built. please post the style of the house to better help figure out what the floor symbol might mean.

djoules - "It's a skiing man!" Correction: It's a skiing woman. Thats the female gender symbol on skis. I think the answer is quite obvious... The man who built the house had a deaf-mute wife. He wanted her to go skiing with him, but sadly she did not know how and he did not know the sign language to teach her. So he drew that path, gave her a pair of skis, and she learned how to ski on the stairs... Yes, quite obvious...

its a warning that sumone might peep in through the keyhole while u are doing yoga..! :)

Turn the symbol upside down and you have what looks to be a paleohebrew symbol (also used throughout the lower middle east around 1200 BCE. In the early 20th century, there were a lot of Zionist groups in eastern US cities. Zionism at that time was a movement to repatriate Jews to Palestine in the hopes of starting a Jewish state. Check the ownership records and see if you have any Jewish families either owning or renting. Because of Anti-Semitism in the US at the time, they often held prayer or political meetings in secret. Just a chance, but it might be interesting to check it out.

It's a pagan symbol for Venus, probably left behind from some ritual.. http://www.goldentreewands.com/symbolmagic.htm .