Hidden inside a historic 19th century house on East Fourth Street in Manhattan is a secret sanctuary.

Ever since the Merchant’s House Museum opened its doors to the public in 1936, visitors have lined up to get a taste of “old New York.”

The Treadwell family lived there from 1835 until 1933. Their residence is frozen in time, from a ruby-red front parlor complete with its original piano to the kitchen with its cast-iron coal-burning stove.

But when visitors head upstairs to the bedrooms on the second floor, there’s something strategically hidden within the walls of Manhattan’s first landmarked building is a link to the Underground Railroad.

https://ny1.com/nyc/manhattan/news/2026/02/10/safe-house-linked-to-the-underground-railroad-discovered-in-manhattan