The Calumet news., 1912-08-02
THE CALUMET NEWS

the days Of our Reyol6tionar, fathers
is the Cen Knox headquarters house.
situated near the little village of N0h
Gate. some tiye miles southwest ot
New uburgh. y. Y. The housc was buil.
about the year 1884 by John Ellison
and was still the propcrt, ot he Hili-.
sons az the time OF the Revolution.
The house is interesting n itself
aside from ITS historical associations.
In one room there IL a secret treasure
vault dua under the noor with a care
rully constructed trap door opening
down into H. The hole is large enoush
for several men To hide m IT, and is
supposed 10 have been mndc durine
Revolutionary times TO hide the v'tlua-
bles ut the house or on a pinch 60 ""n-
real aE Amoiican or two in case OF 8
sudden raid by the British soldiers
In another room there are two small
clos,t ts made in the chimney above ths
Fireplace and concealed by panels IA
every way like the others with which
the Wou above the aroplace Is faced,
except that they now hlyc hey holes
uud hinges. In former times ,hey are
supposed 10 have been looked and
opened by the pressure of secrt
springs. They must have looked eN-
actly ike the other panels, and no one
could have told that there We're secret
rec,ssos behind them. Valuable papers
and Jewels might have been hidden Ia
them ln dime Of neod
Another Interesting feature OF the
lld house IS found in the large han
that runs directly through the middle
of the main building 4 thick stone
partition with narrow door p1ss.nS
through it. divides this han midway n-
,o two parts and from the front pari
a stairway leads 90 the upper rooms Of
The house. At the first landins on
these stairs where ;hey make "a turn
Is a large square mole cut through the
thick wall Of the partition ana !ookins
tery much like The omlasme of for,
and probably this Is what it was in
tended for ana embrasurc through
which the Americans cocl9 fire ON the
Indian or other enemies should thoy
attack the house and break in tho door
it either end Of the hail At least it
would answer such a purpose very
well. and there seems 10 be no need
ur it for either light or ventilation.
Running from the second floor to the
sarret in the main building is another
uuasity. a very queesly constructed
stairway, known as the witches stair
way possibly because the stairs go al
most straight up, and yc, one can walk
up them cutie easily without the aid If
the hands. rhe steps are made in the
orm of right angled trignglcs, So
placed on alternate sides of the steep,
narrow, bOXlille stairway as 10 enable
one 10 walk up the stairs by swinging
the feet alternately upward from thc
step below 10 the step above oH The
opposite side. \ very convenient ar
ungcment whore the stairs must occu-
py little space. but It is almost Ike u
ladder.
The Gen. Knox headquarters houst,
like all old houses, has its legends,
weird ana otherwise. From one of its
rooms in Revolutionary times Young
girl is said to have disappeared ona
dark night never again 90 be seen
alive. and this room is now declared
to be haunted .bs' her. GHcaSs spirit
There is also Legend of secret
passage running frtm the old house
To Murdcrer's creek, a quarter OF
mile away. and OF "a buried treasurc,
but The secret funnel aDpcars hal!lN
probable ON account Of the rocky ma
turc of the ground through Whiah 10
would have To be dug, ana the buried
treasure has never yet been found.