Hidden NYC tunnel tied to Underground Railroad at risk of 'significant damage,' advocates warn

An Underground Railroad passageway in New York City was recently identified and is now under potential threat from proposed commercial development, according to advocates. 

The structure is described as "about 2 feet square and secreted beneath a built-in chest of drawers on the second floor, [and] descends 15 feet to the ground floor," according to a statement from the Merchant's House Museum.

Though the home dates to 1832, it's unclear when the passageway was built. 

The passageway was first found in the 1930s. Historians did not know until recently that Brewster was an abolitionist.

The concern is connected to the proposed development of a nine-story mixed-use building that could possibly damage the walls and foundation of the Merchant's House Museum, according to The Associated Press.

Emily Hill-Wright, the museum's director of operations, recently told the AP that engineers have raised concerns about potential structural damage.

"What our engineers are saying is that there really is no way that a building of that size is built immediately next door to the museum without causing significant structural damage to our historic building," she said.

New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission is set to make a decision on the development, but members of the community are raising concerns.

In a statement last week, Rev. Al Sharpton warned the site is at risk of "irreversible damage."

"When engineers tell me that an African American heritage site is in danger of structural compromise or any other sort of irreversible damage, I listen," Sharpton said in a statement.

The developer filed two earlier applications for construction on the lot; the most recent was approved in 2023, the Post also said. But Kalodop never began the construction and, in December, submitted new plans for a building that would have two more stories.

Helping enslaved people would have come at a great cost to Brewster, Harlem Historical Society Director Jacob Morris told The Associated Press.

"Bounty hunters were all over the place in New York City. They made their living on catching freedom-seeking Blacks," Morris said.

"If you got caught helping Blacks escape from slavery, a mob could come and burn down your house and beat you up. And maybe even tar and feather you, or worse."

The passageway discovery is one of many recent archaeological finds involving African American history.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.