The Secret Brotherhood of Lowery

Where do I sign up?

by Paul Erskin

The mines in Lowery have been sealed for decades. OR HAVE THEY?

Locals may recall the legend of Thomas Bayard, who founded our fair town. The story goes that Mr. Bayard invested just about every dime into mining the natural cave systems beneath Lowery. He believed the profits would elevate his name to the heights of American elites like Dale Carnegie or John D. Rockefeller.

Of course history shows that Bayard’s fortunes took a sharp downturn. His “pit ponies” (as he called his beloved fleet of trained horses) didn’t end up hauling valuable ore or gold bars to the surface. Rather, the poor animals served as the canaries in the coal mine, so to speak. Their skeletons are still in those caves today.

One source claims Bayard’s crew ran afoul of wild animals in the tunnels, another says they hit a pocket of carbon monoxide, and dropped dead on the spot. Whichever is true (perhaps both), Bayard lost not just his prized work horses, but many of his human crew. 

Perhaps human lives weren’t as important to Mr. Bayard, as he’s only quoted mourning his “docile equine companions.” After blasting several caves to seal them shut, Bayard’s wealth was all but gone, and it’s said he took the position of mayor as something of a consolation prize. They say he worked his staff almost as hard as he worked his dearly departed horses.

Officially, Thomas Bayard lived the rest of his days in Lowery. Unofficially, he reportedly wasn’t ever seen in public again. 

This is when the secret society rumors truly begin.

Some say that old Mr. Bayard still believed there had to be something valuable in the caves. It’s rumored he began exploring them. Charting them. Some say he paid several schoolchildren to map out the caves, only to become lost in the labyrinth of tunnels. 

Whatever, the case, it was around Bayard’s sudden reclusive phase that the curfew was put into effect.

Did he find something? As recently as the 1980’s, supposedly a secret brotherhood has been meeting in the caves while the rest of us are inside after dark. What were they doing? Did they perhaps invent stories like the Bone King to keep people away from their discovery?

The answer is of course “definitely yes.”

Caving was something of a craze in the 1800’s. Particularly in the New England area, stories exist of taverns operating in caves. Weddings have been held in caves. Is it really so absurd to think Thomas Bayard crafted something of a base of operations out in the tunnels?

Keep an eye on this one, folks. I feel like I’m just barely scratching the surface, but I plan to revisit this topic very soon.

Until next time, keep an eye on the rich and powerful. They may be plotting against us!

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