Man Discovers Treasure Worth Thousands in Walls of Home
When Nick Drummond bought a home in upstate New York to restore, he knew the walls would have some secrets - he didn't realize those secrets would end up being worth thousands of dollars.
Nick Drummond is an architect with a passion and talent for historical restoration. Last year, he and his partner left their home in Baltimore so Nick could take a position in Cooperstown, NY and his partner Patrick could open his own floral design shop.
When a foursquare home they had admired came up for sale - they couldn't resist. While the home needs tons of work to return it to a semblance of its former glory - it wasn't long before the home started sharing its secrets with Nick and Patrick.
Nick says when they bought the house, they were told it was built by a childless German baron who turned to bootlegging illegal liquor in the 1920s.
Nick says the story seems to be at least partly true:
While repairing trim as part of a larger renovation, we discovered multiple false walls and secret compartment under the floor in our mudroom. The foundation walls and floors in the mudroom are lined with intact cases of 1920s whiskey.
Compartments are being discovered throughout the house. "We still can’t believe it. It’s so amazing it’s been sitting here so long, and no one ever knew!"
Even after the initial discovery, more and more bottles are being found.
"It's hard to say at this point how many full bottles we have; my guess is half of the upright bottles. (The upside down bottles in each bundle appear full, likely because they kept the corks wet). The other bottles dried out. So we may have around 20 or so full bottles so far, out of the initial 7 bundles," Nick says.
Nick says he's been contacted by auction houses and collectors who say the value of some of the bottles range from $500 - $1200.
To keep up with Nick as he renovates the 'Bootlegger Bungalow' and perhaps makes more discoveries, follow his adventures on Instagram and Facebook at Bootlegger Bungalow.
"If he’s a childless baron.... HE WAS A BARREN BARON SMUGGLER SMUGGLER," Nick says.