East Village house reveals secret passage to the Underground Railroad

Museum researchers found a small hidden passage beneath a dresser at the Merchant's House that they say connects to the Underground Railroad, and the feature faces potential harm from a proposed neighboring development.

Researchers at the Merchant's House Museum uncovered a small hidden passage beneath a dresser drawer that opens to the basement pantry. The house was built in 1832 by Joseph Brewster, who owned it until 1835 and whose newly examined papers show antislavery activity. The passage is a compact two-foot by two-foot hatch with built-in wooden rungs, a design researchers say is unlike other local homes. The discovery has become part of a preservation conversation because a proposed residential building next door would share a wall with the feature. Known details: - The opening was found beneath a second-floor dressing-area drawer and leads to a ladder down toward the basement pantry. - Joseph Brewster is reported to have signed antislavery petitions and helped found or lead antislavery churches, and museum historians say he instructed builders to include a false floor in a nearby church. - The Tredwell family owned the house from 1835 until 1933, and the property opened as the Merchant's House Museum in 1936. - Museum researchers observed unusually thick sliding pocket doors and an atypical wall design that could have accommodated a concealed passage. - Museum staff say a proposed adjacent development that would share a wall could threaten the passage's preservation. Summary: The discovery offers new context for the Merchant's House as a site connected to antislavery activity and highlights an uncommon method of concealment within the Underground Railroad network. The museum is developing an exhibit and continuing research into the house's design and associations, while the potential effects of the neighboring development remain under discussion.