Highgate Manor, Highgate VT

"The Highgate Manor was built in 1818 by Captain Steve Keyes along with The Manor Mayfair, which was located directly across the green from the Manor. During the period of the Civil War the Manor was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad with tunnels running from under the house to the river. These tunnels are still in existence today under the Manor. The Keyes family owned the Manor until the year 1870 when the home was sold to Dr. Henry Baxter. As was the custom of the day, Dr. Baxter opened his practice in his home, The Highgate Manor. Bloodstains from his operating table are still visible on the wood floor in what is now the Library. It was during this time that the legend of the Highgate Manor started to grow. Many of Dr. Baxter's children did not live past the age of ten and died of strange illnesses. The town's people believed that the good doctor was using his children for experiments and that after their death they have since remained in the house to this day. Al Capone as well as many other high profile dignitaries frequented the Manor Estate and its speakeasy hidden in a cave beneath The Manor. The Manor continued as a vacation destination during the 1940s with the cost for a weeks vacation running about $20-$25. During this time Benny Goodman and other stars of the Big Band Era regularly performed in the Manor's ballroom specifically added for this purpose. Unfortunately, on May 22, 1950 part of The Manor's estate, the Manor Mayfair, was destroyed by fire set when a worker started burning leaves to close to the Manor. "