Throwbacks from the Past Found in the Lemp Mansion

During the Halloween Bash of 2014, a band played in the William Lemp Suite. The music was rather loud, and the sound vibrations caused a section of the ceiling to collapse, exposing part of an old mural. No one knows the exact date when it was painted. But it is suspected that the mural was covered up for over 80 years. It isn’t uncommon for maintenance crews to find hidden remnants of the mansion's past during renovations. If you look in the William Lemp Suite, you will see what looks like small brass switch plates on the walls. These were once string pulls that were connected to bells located in the servant areas of the mansion. If a particular bell rang, servants knew where to report. You can also see pipes extending from the walls that once fueled to old gas lamps. In the basement, there is an old wrought iron gate. This was actually the door to the elevator that traveled between the basement and the second floor. On the third floor is a hidden staircase that once led to an old widow's walk. Today the stairs serve as maintenance access to the roof. If you look hard enough, you can find several throwbacks from the mansion's past. The Lemp Mansion was known in its day to have the latest technology of the era installed. Today, some of these outdated amenities are still functional. But unfortunately, these once amazing innovations go unnoticed by guests. When they are noticed, they are usually dismissed as obsolete relics.