This is probably the most fascinating story that we have heard about the HOMS and there are several versions of it! The short of it is that there is a tunnel that connects from the HOMS to another exit point on or off the property that was used for escape from the slave catchers.
The modern kitchen was originally a root cellar, and the tunnel reportedly exits the house via the root cellar north wall, which is the side of the house that was built into the hillside. There are several stories that have been passed down from former residents and told directly to us since we bought the house.
We think one makes the most sense and is the most likely to be true. Which version do you think it is?
The most common legend we have heard from several people says that behind the stove in the modern kitchen is where the tunnel for the underground railroad came in to the HOMS from the woods. It was reportedly closed it off when they made the original kitchen in the early 1900's and supposedly the tunnel is still underground somewhere. The kids in the neighborhood used to claim "I'm going to go to your house and to my house from all the tunnels" [in Pennsdale]. Of course, that really didn't happen. But those were the rumors!
Another variation of the legend is that the tunnel runs from the HOMS to the next house on the Underground Railroad, known as the Brick House. This is potentially the most unlikely logical explanation as creating a tunnel in dirt of such expanse and distance and maintaining it seems like it would take a lot of time and energy.
The most recent variation we heard was from a local about 6 months ago - that the tunnel from the HOMS connects to the HOMS smokehouse. We recently took a peek inside the lower-level smokehouse door - the floor is dirt and there is an arch that could have been an access point to a tunnel that appears to have some stones filling in the space below the arch. It is hard to see due to the limited range we could open one of the doors with. We will be investigating this space in full another day when we have the time to dig out the floor to be able to fully open both doors and (eeee!) crawl inside.
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