INTO THE VOIDS: Hitchins House, a.k.a. the Summit Street mansion (2024)

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest report in a series about the famed Lockport Cave and the flood of rumors that persist about underground Lockport.

• • •

The mansion on Summit Street, also known as the Francis Hitchins/Pound House and Mount Providence on early records, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is frequently mentioned by Lockport residents when discussing underground Lockport. It has been labeled the most asked about local house by historian Ann Marie Linnabery, assistant director of the Niagara County Historical Society.

Dating from the early 1830s and constructed of large-block Gasport Limestone crafted by Irish canal stone smiths, 325 Summit St. was bordered on the north side by the Erie Canal.

Documents supporting the house’s National Register listing contain interesting descriptions of a tunnel, hidden rooms and small compartments all connected to Underground Railroad activity, giving credibility to the site as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

The Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center has Francis Hitchins, who lived at the house, recorded as an Underground Railroad (UGRR) agent. There is also a narrative that he traveled to Kentucky in 1861 to provide testimony that a former worker on his farm, Chancelor Livingstone, was a freed slave and this gave Mr. Livingstone his freedom.

Armed with this solid information, I entered the Summit Street house a few weeks ago looking for the secret rooms, tunnels, and other hints that some of the tales were true. I was greeted by owner Cindy Kurk, who was eager to continue our exploration of the site. A few years ago, Cindy had helped me with several newspaper articles investigating the mansion’s history, and we stayed friendly. As we toured, all was good; just what I wanted, nothing had changed. The fine cut stone, beautiful wide plank floors, fancy crafted woodwork, tall ceilings and many fireplaces remained.

I asked about the tunnel in the basem*nt and was directed to a steep wooden staircase behind a disused door. Cindy said “no one goes down there anymore.” The basem*nt was constructed of what looks like scrap canal stone and consisted of many small stone rooms.

National Park Service reports state that the tunnel travels underground to the banks of the Erie Canal. The evidence was still there, covered with a large stone slab, too heavy to move. Rumored to have been used in the Underground Railroad, the passage is now filled with sand and gravel. There has been speculation that this tunnel exists, dug into the bedrock by the many skilled stone workers in the Lockport area. It’s possible that it is a shorter tunnel leading outside to one of the many former buildings on the property, or just an underground room.

Later residents of the house told of cave-ins and sink holes in the back of the house that they believed were caused by the tunnel. Reportedly, the former longtime owner, Ray Ruhlmann, filled the tunnel when he became concerned about the safety of the children who were playing in the entrance; and as the story goes, the snakes were removed.

A house of mystery, there is a room under the kitchen that does not look like a storage area. The only entrance is from a trap door in the kitchen floor; the room is not accessible from the basem*nt. Further documentation shows a very narrow staircase behind one of the first-floor fireplaces, leading to the attic, and an entrance to a former kitchen cupboard on the floor of an upper closet.

Many Lockport residents have reported the story of the tunnel that runs from the house to a former speakeasy across Summit Street. I did not find evidence of this Prohibition-era tunnel.

Cindy Kurk added that the men who worked on the house were Irish and English and very skilled in tunnel and stonework. So, to her, stories of tunnels do not seem unlikely.

UNDERGROUND EVALUATION

325 Summit Street is one of the oldest houses in the city of Lockport and there is a lot going on underground: Hidden secret passages, two reported tunnels, an escape staircase and a history of involvement in the Underground Railroad. There was no mention or discovery of an entrance to the Lockport Cave. Still, it’s a place that should be further investigated and preserved for future exploration.

My thanks to Cindy Kurk for her assistance with this report. Cindy’s future plans include working on the final touch-ups necessary to prepare the house for guided tours so the public can learn and enjoy this unique piece of Western New York history.

'; var element = document.getElementById("sub_message"); element.appendChild(subMessage); console.log("Code Loaded!"); } else { var subMessage = document.createElement('div'); subMessage.id = 'sub-message-top'; subMessage.class = 'panel panel-default'; subMessage.style.backgroundColor = '#eee'; subMessage.style.borderRadius = '5px'; subMessage.style.padding = '10px'; subMessage.style.marginTop = '25px'; subMessage.style.marginBottom = '25px'; subMessage.innerHTML = '