Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There were
multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also a layer of
which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some original hardwood
floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut out in
the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is about 2'x2'. The
workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold it led to part of the
basement which I didn't even know existed. The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'. There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad
used to hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to
say, this is kind of exciting and scary at the same time. What do
you think this room could've been used for?

Sounds interesting - can you post pics?

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There were
multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also a layer
of
which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some original
hardwood
floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut out in
the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is about 2'x2'.
The
workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold it led to part of the
basement which I didn't even know existed. The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'. There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether
to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used
to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is
kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?


Root cellar

it puts the lotion on its skin

randy

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There were
multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also a layer
of
which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some original
hardwood
floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut out in
the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is about 2'x2'.
The
workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold it led to part of the
basement which I didn't even know existed. The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'. There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether
to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used
to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is
kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message

The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'. There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether
to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used
to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is
kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?

Root cellar would be my guess. See if there is any evidence of onion skins,
potatoes or whatever that did not rot away over the years. Root cellars
were a part of every farm home.

A root cellar would definitely have had a bigger opening than 2x2, and it
would have more likely have been in or next to the kitchen via a trap door
or regular door, but with stairs in either case. Have you been in it?

The underground railroad concept is intriguing! Or maybe smuggling,
organized crime, rum running, etc. I doubt it was "it puts the lotion on
its skin," but that was a darned funny comment.


"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
. com...

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message

The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'.
There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor
is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know.
I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether
to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used
to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is
kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?

Root cellar would be my guess. See if there is any evidence of onion
skins,
potatoes or whatever that did not rot away over the years. Root cellars
were a part of every farm home.

"Chew Me" wrote in message
news:SiUQd.1122$iz2.289@edtnps91...
A root cellar would definitely have had a bigger opening than 2x2, and it
would have more likely have been in or next to the kitchen via a trap door
or regular door, but with stairs in either case. Have you been in it?


The 2 x 2 opening was hidden. Possibly another opening that is also hidden
over the years. Old houses can be a mystery.

Have you tried digging up the cellar floor? Any skeltons?

Perce


On 02/16/05 09:49 pm Dorthy Fuller tossed the following ingredients into
the ever-growing pot of cybersoup:

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There were
multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also a layer of
which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some original hardwood
floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut out in
the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is about 2'x2'. The
workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold it led to part of the
basement which I didn't even know existed. The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'. There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?

Dorthy Fuller wrote:
Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There were
multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also a layer of
which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some original hardwood
floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut out in
the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is about 2'x2'. The
workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold it led to part of the
basement which I didn't even know existed. The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'. There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?


Scary? you afraid of the ghost of the dead people
buried down there coming up and creating havoc?

Seriously, I agree with others that suggested it
was a root cellar, may have also served the
purpose of storing other things also. Probably
not built as a hiding spot unless you find another
entrance or rather an exit to the outside of the
house but may have served that purpose.

ROTFLMAO!

xrongor wrote:

it puts the lotion on its skin

randy

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message
...


Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There were
multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also a layer
of
which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some original
hardwood
floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut out in
the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is about 2'x2'.
The
workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold it led to part of the
basement which I didn't even know existed. The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'. There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether
to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used
to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is
kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?

We'll know for sure if he bumps into Geraldo.

Chew Me wrote:

A root cellar would definitely have had a bigger opening than 2x2, and it
would have more likely have been in or next to the kitchen via a trap door
or regular door, but with stairs in either case. Have you been in it?

The underground railroad concept is intriguing! Or maybe smuggling,
organized crime, rum running, etc. I doubt it was "it puts the lotion on
its skin," but that was a darned funny comment.


"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
.com...


"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message



The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'.


There


are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor


is


dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know.


I


had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether
to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used
to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is
kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?


Root cellar would be my guess. See if there is any evidence of onion


skins,


potatoes or whatever that did not rot away over the years. Root cellars
were a part of every farm home.

Dorthy Fuller wrote:
Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There
were multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also
a layer of which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some
original hardwood floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for
the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut
out in the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is
about 2'x2'. The workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold
it led to part of the basement which I didn't even know existed. The
basement walls are all old quarry stone and there isn't a way to
access the room from the basement. Anyways, there is a room down
there which is approximately 14'x16'. There are no stairs, and the
ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is dirt in this room
vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I had asked the
workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether to somehow
have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad
used to hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to
say, this is kind of exciting and scary at the same time. What do
you think this room could've been used for?

Underground railroad is possible in northern Ohio, but I am going to bet
on something a little more recent, like the 1920's. A lot of booze was
brought in across lake Erie during prohibition and a lot of speakeasys had
hidden cellars.


--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Joseph Meehan wrote:
Dorthy Fuller wrote:

Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There
were multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also
a layer of which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some
original hardwood floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for
the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut
out in the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is
about 2'x2'. The workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold
it led to part of the basement which I didn't even know existed. The
basement walls are all old quarry stone and there isn't a way to
access the room from the basement. Anyways, there is a room down
there which is approximately 14'x16'. There are no stairs, and the
ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is dirt in this room
vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I had asked the
workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether to somehow
have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad
used to hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to
say, this is kind of exciting and scary at the same time. What do
you think this room could've been used for?


Underground railroad is possible in northern Ohio, but I am going to bet
on something a little more recent, like the 1920's. A lot of booze was
brought in across lake Erie during prohibition and a lot of speakeasys had
hidden cellars.


i would bet the booze. my old family farm was in southern ohio and was
used for escaping slaves. but once in ohio they were safe especially
north ohio.

Most likely it is part of an underground railway for hiding slaves.

Subject: What could it be for?
Newsgroup: alt.home.repair
= Dorthy Fuller = wrote:

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?


Can you take some pictures and post them to a website?


--

Kadaitcha Man admits she's in the "oldest profession"

Message-ID: ic-smelling-bum-bailiff.net

"I am what is known as a professional ****."

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

I bet it's part of the US's first nuclear defense system, built in
about 1779. The plan was to launch nuclear missles from people's
basements, as Britain could not see the launch sites withh their
satellites if they were concealed in homes.

However, after the silos were built, the entire plan was scrapped
because the designers realized that nuclear bombs and satellites would
not be invented for almost 200 years.

Archetypal Jungian dream room.

However, after the silos were built, the entire plan was scrapped
because the designers realized that nuclear bombs and satellites would
not be invented for almost 200 years.

Can't you get anything right? It's NU-QU-LAR.

Why would you need to hide slaves in northern Ohio? I'm guessing root
cellar. I have no idea what a root cellar is.

Didnt John Wane Gacy live in Ohio for awhile before Chicago.

In article ,
Dorthy Fuller wrote:

[snip!]

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?


Lots of things. Hiding liquor during Prohibition. Hiding valuables at
any time. (My house has a secret compartment that the original owner
used to store his silverware in.) It could have been part of the underground
railroad, like you suggested. Ohio is a bit far north, though.


Dimitri

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in
:

Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There
were multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also
a layer of which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some
original hardwood floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the
strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut
out in the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is
about 2'x2'. The workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold
it led to part of the basement which I didn't even know existed. The
basement walls are all old quarry stone and there isn't a way to
access the room from the basement. Anyways, there is a room down there
which is approximately 14'x16'. There are no stairs, and the ceiling
height is only about 5' tall, the floor is dirt in this room vs.
someone had concreted the basement that we know. I had asked the
workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether to somehow
have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad
used to hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say,
this is kind of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you
think this room could've been used for?



Fall out shelter???

On 17 Feb 2005 10:35:17 -0800, wrote:

| Why would you need to hide slaves in northern Ohio? I'm guessing root
| cellar. I have no idea what a root cellar is.
|

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 applied to the entire United States. It
prohibited anyone from assisting slaves to escape from their masters,
among other provisions. Northern Ohio was a main route on the
underground railroad. In this area, most of the "conductors" on the
railroad were Quakers. There was a substantial Quaker population in
Ohio and Indiana in the early- and mid-19th century. Many of them had
themselves migrated from North and South Carolina to avoid life in the
dominant slave-owning society there.

However, if the house is really only a century old, it is not old
enough to have been a station on the underground railroad. It would
have to have been built before 1860 or so, and probably a little
earlier. Maybe it's older than the OP thinks. Except for this, it does
sound like a hiding place for escaping slaves.

The room sounds too large and too deep for a root cellar to me, but
I'm no expert.

"Section 7

And be it further enacted, That any person who shall knowingly and
willingly obstruct, hinder, or prevent such claimant, his agent or
attorney, or any person or persons lawfully assisting him, her, or
them, from arresting such a fugitive from service or labor, either
with or without process as aforesaid, or shall rescue, or attempt to
rescue, such fugitive from service or labor, from the custody of such
claimant, his or her agent or attorney, or other person or persons
lawfully assisting as aforesaid, when so arrested, pursuant to the
authority herein given and declared; or shall aid, abet, or assist
such person so owing service or labor as aforesaid, directly or
indirectly, to escape from such claimant, his agent or attorney, or
other person or persons legally authorized as aforesaid; or shall
harbor or conceal such fugitive, so as to prevent the discovery and
arrest of such person, after notice or knowledge of the fact that such
person was a fugitive from service or labor as aforesaid, shall, for
either of said offences, be subject to a fine not exceeding one
thousand dollars, and imprisonment not exceeding six months, by
indictment and conviction before the District Court of the United
States for the district in which such offence may have been committed,
or before the proper court of criminal jurisdiction, if committed
within any one of the organized Territories of the United States; and
shall moreover forfeit and pay, by way of civil damages to the party
injured by such illegal conduct, the sum of one thousand dollars for
each fugitive so lost as aforesaid, to be recovered by action of debt,
in any of the District or Territorial Courts aforesaid, within whose
jurisdiction the said offence may have been committed."

Did you buy the house from Michael Jackson?

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote:
I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There were
multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also a layer of
which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some original hardwood
floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut out in
the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is about 2'x2'. The
workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold it led to part of the
basement which I didn't even know existed. The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'. There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?

Does the wall dividing the dirt-floored area look newer / different than the
rest of the walls of the foundation, or the same age / same construction?
Possibly the house was simply added onto back in the past, and access hole was
added to be able to access the new crawlspace (OK, so 5' isn't really a
crawlspace, but it sure ain't a functional basement, either).

Hard to believe it's a root cellar -- the access sounds incredibly
inconveniently placed.

D. Gerasimatos wrote:
In article ,
Dorthy Fuller wrote:

[snip!]

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad
used to hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to
say, this is kind of exciting and scary at the same time. What do
you think this room could've been used for?


Lots of things. Hiding liquor during Prohibition. Hiding valuables at
any time. (My house has a secret compartment that the original owner
used to store his silverware in.) It could have been part of the
underground railroad, like you suggested. Ohio is a bit far north,
though.

No Ohio was not too north. I know of at least one location in Columbus
Ohio, very nice place BTW and there were a number of stations along the
north shore of the Ohio river.



Dimitri

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

It could have been just a normal crawlspace, with the access hatch
eventually covered by new flooring added later on.

When I had my new hardwood floor installed, I also had a problem about what
to do with the 2'x2' access hatch to my crawlspace. It's not a good ideay
to close it off, since crawlspace access is very convenient for electrical
and plumbing work. The floor installer suggested covering the hatch with
hardwood with two inlaid brass handles, and creating a hardwood frame around
the hatch. Everything is flat and looks pretty good. The hatch can be opened
when necessary but is otherwise unobtrusive. A cutoff wooden ladder rests on
the edge of the hatch access hole to provide "stairs" to the crawlspace
floor.

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message
...
Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There were
multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also a layer
of
which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some original
hardwood
floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut out in
the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is about 2'x2'.
The
workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold it led to part of the
basement which I didn't even know existed. The basement walls are all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'. There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided whether
to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used
to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is
kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?

Dorthy Fuller wrote:
Hello,

I recently was having some flooring pulled up, to have hardwood
floors
installed. This is a century home without a known history. There
were
multiply floor coverings along with a layer of plywood, and also a
layer of
which looked like barn siding. Underneath it all was some original
hardwood
floors which are in terrible shape. Now the for the strange part.

At the back of the main floor stairs which lead upstairs, was a cut
out in
the floor near the wall. The cut out size in the floor is about
2'x2'. The
workers lifted this section out, and lo and behold it led to part of
the
basement which I didn't even know existed. The basement walls are
all old
quarry stone and there isn't a way to access the room from the
basement.
Anyways, there is a room down there which is approximately 14'x16'.
There
are no stairs, and the ceiling height is only about 5' tall, the
floor is
dirt in this room vs. someone had concreted the basement that we
know. I
had asked the workers to hold up on further work until I decided
whether to
somehow have them add stairs (for whatever reason).

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad
used to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this
is kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?


Another possibility that hasn't been mentioned yet is that it used to
be a cistern to hold rainwater. I don't think that was a common thing
to do, however, I have personally seen one cistern and have heard of
others in old houses.

My guess is that it is simply an addition to the house, and when they
built the new foundation, they didn't bother to break a hole through
the old foundation to access the new. You should be able to easily
tell if this section of the house is an addition or not.

As others have said, it wouldn't be part of the underground railroad
unless the house was built before the 1860's.


Ken

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 19:50:49 GMT, (Tom Miller)
wrote:

| On 17 Feb 2005 10:35:17 -0800, wrote:
|
| | Why would you need to hide slaves in northern Ohio? I'm guessing root
| | cellar. I have no idea what a root cellar is.
| |
|
| The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 applied to the entire United States. It
| prohibited anyone from assisting slaves to escape from their masters,
| among other provisions. Northern Ohio was a main route on the
| underground railroad. In this area, most of the "conductors" on the
| railroad were Quakers. There was a substantial Quaker population in
| Ohio and Indiana in the early- and mid-19th century. Many of them had
| themselves migrated from North and South Carolina to avoid life in the
| dominant slave-owning society there.
|
| However, if the house is really only a century old, it is not old
| enough to have been a station on the underground railroad. It would
| have to have been built before 1860 or so, and probably a little
| earlier. Maybe it's older than the OP thinks. Except for this, it does
| sound like a hiding place for escaping slaves.
|
| The room sounds too large and too deep for a root cellar to me, but
| I'm no expert.


Another possibility:

My own house, built in 1921, has a 12' x 8' x 3' crawl space tacked
onto the end of the basement underneath part of the kitchen. It has a
dirt floor and a small opening about 3.5' square that leads into the
main basement at the top of the wall. The main basement is ordinary
height with a concrete floor. It took me quite a while to figure out
why this area was unfinished, until I was up in there fixing a pipe.
There's a boulder buried in the floor about the size of a Volkswagen
that I guess was too big for the builder to move or blast out. So they
just left it and built the house around it.

If it is a hiding place for escaped slaves, someone in town at the
historical society might be able to shed some light on it.

|
| "Section 7
|
| And be it further enacted, That any person who shall knowingly and
| willingly obstruct, hinder, or prevent such claimant, his agent or
| attorney, or any person or persons lawfully assisting him, her, or
| them, from arresting such a fugitive from service or labor, either
| with or without process as aforesaid, or shall rescue, or attempt to
| rescue, such fugitive from service or labor, from the custody of such
| claimant, his or her agent or attorney, or other person or persons
| lawfully assisting as aforesaid, when so arrested, pursuant to the
| authority herein given and declared; or shall aid, abet, or assist
| such person so owing service or labor as aforesaid, directly or
| indirectly, to escape from such claimant, his agent or attorney, or
| other person or persons legally authorized as aforesaid; or shall
| harbor or conceal such fugitive, so as to prevent the discovery and
| arrest of such person, after notice or knowledge of the fact that such
| person was a fugitive from service or labor as aforesaid, shall, for
| either of said offences, be subject to a fine not exceeding one
| thousand dollars, and imprisonment not exceeding six months, by
| indictment and conviction before the District Court of the United
| States for the district in which such offence may have been committed,
| or before the proper court of criminal jurisdiction, if committed
| within any one of the organized Territories of the United States; and
| shall moreover forfeit and pay, by way of civil damages to the party
| injured by such illegal conduct, the sum of one thousand dollars for
| each fugitive so lost as aforesaid, to be recovered by action of debt,
| in any of the District or Territorial Courts aforesaid, within whose
| jurisdiction the said offence may have been committed."
|
|

You moved into rob and laurie petries old house?

D. Gerasimatos wrote:

In article ,
Dorthy Fuller wrote:

[snip!]

The workers say it might have been part of the underground railroad used to
hide slaves. BTW, this is in Northern Ohio. Needless to say, this is kind
of exciting and scary at the same time. What do you think this room
could've been used for?



Lots of things. Hiding liquor during Prohibition. Hiding valuables at
any time. (My house has a secret compartment that the original owner
used to store his silverware in.) It could have been part of the underground
railroad, like you suggested. Ohio is a bit far north, though.


Dimitri

Not so. I live at the shore of Lake Erie and many of the older homes
here were part of the underground railway. The freed slaves were not
safe until they got to Canada; boats picked them up here. They had to
be kept hidden here as there were many agents of the slaveholders
searching for them and, as posted above, the law was on the side of the
slave owners.


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"Dorthy Fuller" wrote

snip

Thanks for all the replies! Sorry I posted about an unknown history, we do
know the house was built around 1838. We had contacted our local police
department. Believe it or not, we are only allowed to gather some items and
suitcases for a couple hours here and then we will be notified when we can
return. They have the entire house yellow taped off, Police Line Do Not
Cross. This is now more scary than it is exciting! I will give another
update whenever we are allowed back inside and are given at least a clue as
what in the world is going on.

On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 23:40:35 GMT, "Dorthy Fuller"
wrote:

|
| "Dorthy Fuller" wrote
|
| snip
|
| Thanks for all the replies! Sorry I posted about an unknown history, we do
| know the house was built around 1838. We had contacted our local police
| department. Believe it or not, we are only allowed to gather some items and
| suitcases for a couple hours here and then we will be notified when we can
| return. They have the entire house yellow taped off, Police Line Do Not
| Cross. This is now more scary than it is exciting! I will give another
| update whenever we are allowed back inside and are given at least a clue as
| what in the world is going on.
|

Whoa! Guess I should have suggested the local historical society
sooner. :-)

Do let us all know whazzup.

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message
...

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote

snip

Thanks for all the replies! Sorry I posted about an unknown history, we
do
know the house was built around 1838. We had contacted our local police
department. Believe it or not, we are only allowed to gather some items
and
suitcases for a couple hours here and then we will be notified when we can
return. They have the entire house yellow taped off, Police Line Do Not
Cross. This is now more scary than it is exciting! I will give another
update whenever we are allowed back inside and are given at least a clue
as
what in the world is going on.


Have Y'all been Trolled?..Ross

"Ross Mac" wrote in message
...

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message
...


Have Y'all been Trolled?..Ross



I smelled TROLL on this one from the first post.

Notice the difference in the dates from 100 years old to 167+ years old.

Let's wait and see how it unfolds.

Colbyt

"Colbyt" wrote in message
...

"Ross Mac" wrote in message
...

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message
...


Have Y'all been Trolled?..Ross



I smelled TROLL on this one from the first post.

Notice the difference in the dates from 100 years old to 167+ years old.

Let's wait and see how it unfolds.

Colbyt


Latest news at www.tubgirl.com

Another possibility that hasn't been mentioned yet is that it used to
be a cistern to hold rainwater. I don't think that was a common thing
to do, however, I have personally seen one cistern and have heard of
others in old houses.


That occurred to me, too, but if it was a cistern, they'd probably
have parged the walls, the floor would be either clay or some
kind of masonry, and you ought to be able to see where pipes for
the downspouts and kitchen pump used to be.

My vote would be a root cellar - the only one I have seen was accessible
through trap door in kitchen. Any old canning jars, crocks or barrels
down there?

If the house is 100 years old, it is too new to have been part of the
underground railroad.

"Colbyt" wrote in message
...

"Ross Mac" wrote in message
...

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message
...


Have Y'all been Trolled?..Ross



I smelled TROLL on this one from the first post.

Notice the difference in the dates from 100 years old to 167+ years old.

Let's wait and see how it unfolds.

Colbyt



I noticed the discrepancy too so I did a ping plot on the OP's message
header and it came back as Cleveland, OH....so who knows....I'll have to
agree to wait and see what unfolds.....Ross

Ross Mac wrote:
"Colbyt" wrote in message
...

"Ross Mac" wrote in message
...

"Dorthy Fuller" wrote in message
...


Have Y'all been Trolled?..Ross



I smelled TROLL on this one from the first post.

Notice the difference in the dates from 100 years old to 167+ years old.

Let's wait and see how it unfolds.

Colbyt




I noticed the discrepancy too so I did a ping plot on the OP's message
header and it came back as Cleveland, OH....so who knows....I'll have to
agree to wait and see what unfolds.....Ross


I don't see any inconsistency as to the age of the home. Around here, a
century home is one that is at least 100 years old. There is no such
expression as a 1.67+ century home.
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