Lansdowne Resident Discovers Hidden Link to Underground Railroad in Her Basement

Alexandra Poulos uncovered a room beneath the basement in her Lansdowne house that may have been part of the historic Underground Railroad that helped slaves escape to freedom in the 19th century, writes Laura Belt for the New York Daily News.

Although she had been tipped off to its possible existence years before by a neighbor, Alexandra had always dismissed it as an urban legend.

“There was a neighbor out back, an old doctor and his wife,” said Poulos. “She told my dad, ‘You know there’s a basement under your basement.'”

However, years later, after being alerted by the house’s current tenants that there was some damage in the basement, her curiosity prompted her to ask the contractors doing the repairs to dig a little deeper.

What they discovered, 14 feet below the basement, was a room six to eight feet wide and 15 feet long. And it may have been used to help slaves escape to the free territories as part of the Underground Railroad.

To find out, Alexandra consulted Rachel Moloshok of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, who could not confirm it, but noted the region “has been known as an abolitionist sympathizer area.”

Read the more about the find in the New York Daily News by clicking here.