Few people know about the
mysterious tunnels, hidden in
the depths underground,
between Tyler mansion and
the Orangery.
The tunnels are believed to
have been dug in the 1930s
when Tyler was built to act as
a pathway to avoid the elements
during inclement
weather.
The kitchen area of the
mansion is the entrance to the
tunnels, and the exit is adjacent
to the side door of the
Orangery.
Stella Elkins Tyler, a sculptor
and painter, used the
Orangery for her creative
work.
“The tunnels were a means
for Mrs. Tyler to access her
studio,” said Tobi Bruhn,
executive director of the
Bucks foundation. “They
gave a weather-protected
pathway to the Orangery.”
And by its name, the
Orangery was used as a place
to grow and house orange
tree. The Tylers’ servants
would also pass through in
order to gain access to refrigeration
facilities in storage
areas connected to the tunnels.
When Bucks was founded
in 1964, the tunnels were
closed to all but a restricted
few, and most on the campus
never learned about what lay
beneath the estate.
These select few use the
tunnel for maintenance and
storage. Numerous pipelines
now run through the tunnels
to modernize the mansion.
“The tunnels carry the heating
ducts from the furnace,”
said Professor Lyle
Rosenberger of Bucks’
Historic Preservation program.
“They bring the ducts
from the heating plant to the
Orangery and Tyler
Mansion.”
The passage, from Tyler
Mansion to the area right outside
the tunnels, has an eerie
aura when traveling from a
sophisticated estate.
The tunnels are behind
many locked doors and are
barely visited by administrators.
“I only came down here
once before,” said Debbie
Blough of the Tyler
Foundation.
Upon entering the tunnel,
the temperature drops and
earthy, stale air hangs. One
step into the tunnels, a wall of
chilly, damp air hits you. The
ceilings are low, making it
difficult to navigate through
for anyone taller than 6-feet.
The main tunnel goes
straight through to the
Orangery. Off of the main
tunnel, there are several
smaller tunnels leading to
mostly dead or unknown
ends.
The smaller tunnels make
the underground pathway
even more mysterious. The
history can be seen in every
crack of the wall and every
narrow line of stone. Under
the Orangery, coves are splattered
about.
The stone walls look much
older than walls built during
the same period as the mansion.
Rather, they resemble
the stone walls of houses
built during the American
Revolutionary period.
The large rock that Tyler
mansion was built on is
believed to be a part of council
rock, a meeting area used
by the Lenape Indians-later
giving name to the high
school.
Council rock was also one
of the reasons that the house
was built in its location; the
original name of the mansion
was “Indian Council Rock.”
Could the large room of the
tunnels date back before the
house? No one knows.
But for most students, faculty
and staff at Bucks, the
underground tunnels will
always remain a mystery.