The Tunnel In The Basement
You've seen it in the movies a million times. Bunch of little kids discover some cool thing that's been lost for centuries, and have an adventure. Well, I've been there.
Last June, the Heisey Museum held our annual Children's History Day Camp. Twelve kids, ages eight to twelve, came to learn how to do archaeology. We showed them how to dig up artifacts in the yard, how to sift and record what they found. They enjoyed it the first day. The second day, we got rained inside.
Ten seconds' thought will show you that children, mud, and antique furniture are not the best mix. So we went down to the basement, to dig up the dirt floor there. And they discovered the tunnel.
Late on the second day, the kids struck a tunnel of some kind under the basement floor. Nobody had previously known it was there. They called me over, and I looked, and yes, it was a tunnel. They managed to dig out at least three feet of it. I went up to the office, and got my boss, and said,"We got a tunnel."
She looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out my ears.
She went down to look. The kids were hard at work, digging to see what they could find. They were having a great time. A reporter from the local paper later came, and wrote a story on us. The children who found the tunnel. The AP picked up the story, and it made national news. Googling "Heisey Museum Tunnel" came up with three thousand hits. Phone calls from all over the country asking about it. I was mortified, but those kids will never forget it.
It was last June. But it's been kind of on my mind lately. Because we're planning the same day camp for this year.
It'll be from June 13-15, and open to children from Clinton County ages 8 to 12. The cost is $70, with a $10 discount for members of the CCHS. The deadline for registration is April 20, 2007.
Want to hear more? Check out our website at http://www.clintoncountyhistory.com or call 570-748-7254.
I can't promise that we'll find anything as exciting as a hidden tunnel this year. But you never know.
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Comments
Beer cellar?
I've been called to many places where people have "found a hole." (I always get a kick out of that expression!) Typically, they're involved in some kind of dirtwork related to construction or landscaping, when all of a sudden, a hole appears. At least three times, after I've gone and stuck my head in the hole and then gone into the documents, I've found that there had been a brewery on the site, and that they'd dug out "caves" to store the beer in so it wouldn't get skunky. Some were very nice, brick lined vaults.
I do like the UGRR theory too, but my reading suggests that there's a bit of a mythology about all the tunnels and hiding places. It seems that they weren't always purposely made to hide escaping slaves; usually they were just re-purposed features of the house, such as a root cellar or crawl space. (Of course, when I was a kid, I thought that the UGRR was really a train, sort of like a subway, that ran under people's houses. I couldn't understand why the slave catchers could never hear that train!)
You're absolutely right
You're absolutely right about that, Paula, and it sometimes drives me a little crazy---You find a tunnel or a trap door, and everyone immediately jumps to the conclusion of "Underground Railroad". Mostly, however, that was much less common than people think. I have a small secret room in my own house---People have insisted it was for the UGRR, in spite of the fact that my place was built in 1884, well after the end of the Civil War.
I've been thinking the tunnel was for water, but there may very well be something to your "beer cooler" theory. In one of it's early incarnations, around 1833, the museum was a tavern, so that's entirely possible and would make sense.
I think I'll wait until those kids are older, however, to advance the theory that they dug up a tunnel used for storing alcohol.
US Hotel, Hollidaysburg
Beside the US Hotel in Hollidaysburg, such an excaation took place and an old brewery site was uncovered. They have since expanded the hotel facilities over top of that area. The US Hotel also boasts an old spittoon trough where there used to be running water under the foot rail at the bar! Neat! Anne H.
It's my fault
The US Hotel site was one of the places that called me because they "found a hole!" Did a little poking around, then found a photo of the canal basin that included the hotel and a big sign next to it that read "BREWERY." Found the photo hanging in a Hollidaysburg dentist's office, thanks to one of his patients that I just happened to talk to. History IS everywhere!
Fun!
That's awesome! Where did the tunnel lead, and what was found there? How old is the building? Maybe it was part of the Underground Railroad!
If you get HGTV in your area, there is a wonderful half-hour show called "If Walls Could Talk," which describes and portrays just this kind of discovery. It's all about people who find hidden passageways, secret rooms, and even unknown treasures in their homes! It airs at 7pm on weekday evenings in my locality.
My house is a boring ranch circa 1970. Don't misunderstand me . . . I love it! But I don't expect to find anything more exciting than a spider lurking behind a wall.
Thanks for the interesting story! Anne H.
The museum's 175 years old.
The museum's 175 years old. It may, in fact, have been part of the UGRR, but that's only suspicion. The church next door also may have been, and the tunnel does point in that direction. Having said that, I'm a bit skeptical that the tunnel was UGRR, but you never know!
It's still partially filled with dirt---I've dug part of it, but it still dead-ends. If you're ever in the area, feel free to stop by and ask---We'll gladly show you the tunnel and all the other cool stuff here.
Where are you located
I would like to make a day trip. Where are you located?
Clay hardens by immobility – men's minds by standing pat. Both lose the power to take new impressions. (Pinchot 1910: 138)
Location
362 East Water Street, Lock Haven, PA.
We're open from ten AM to four PM, Tuesday through Friday, other hours by appointment. We do request a donation for tours; three dollars for adults, a dollar apiece for children. We also have AAA and military discounts. The tour is worth it; generally takes about two hours, and very educational. We even show the tunnel by request.
For further information, feel free to check out our site at http://www.clintoncountyhistory.com or call at 570-748-7254.
Any Ideas
Any idea why the tunnel was there? Did you every find any documentation for its use?
Cool Story!
Clay hardens by immobility – men's minds by standing pat. Both lose the power to take new impressions. (Pinchot 1910: 138)
No documentation, but I'm
No documentation, but I'm reasonably sure it was for water drainage. Hard to say for sure, though, but those kids will never forget that summer.