A Race to Solve the Mystery of the Subterranean Chambers

In Ossining, N.Y., the craftsmanship of subterranean rooms, believed to date to the mid-19th century, raises questions about their purpose.

It started with an ever-expanding sinkhole at the entrance of the Mystic Pointe condominiums here and led to an excavation this spring that revealed an underground complex of brick chambers with vaulted ceilings.

Now the subterranean structure, believed to date to the mid-19th century, is a mystery just begging to be solved. Is it as pedestrian as a root cellar? Or as storied as a stop on the Underground Railroad? Does it stretch beyond the cluster of at least nine known rooms to connect to tunnels elsewhere? More