March 24, 2026 – Congresswoman Clarke who also Chairs the Congressional Black Caucus had the opportunity to be briefed by DHC Partner Arthur Goldstein about the newly discovered connection to the Underground Railroad. 

For the first time in over a century, a fully intact Underground Railroad site has been discovered in Manhattan at the landmark 1832 Merchant’s House Museum on East 4th Street. A narrow passageway, secreted beneath a built-in chest of drawers on the second floor, descends 15 feet to the ground floor. Two years of research points to a remarkable conclusion: the Merchant’s House is the earliest known site of Underground Railroad activity in New York City.

With this discovery, the Museum will expand its story beyond the domestic life of a wealthy 19th-century family to include the abolitionist movement and the early Underground Railroad.