The Hunt for Red Oktober

One of most interesting things about owning an historic property is uncovering its many secrets. An antique house will inevitably keep some secrets tucked away, forever hidden in the past, and others will be revealed only with great effort, such as during a renovation. Many secrets, however, are in plain sight, like puzzles waiting to be pieced together. And so it is with the enormous galvanized steel tank secured with industrial sized rivets that lies in the far corner of our huge cellar at Resthaven. All who enter the cellar inquire about the tank, which I have affectionately named "Red Oktober" in honor of the Tom Clancy book. (It's fun to tweak my young son's imagination with stories about the Soviet era submarine in our basement.) Of course, the truth about Red Oktober is far less exciting. After wondering about it's purpose for years, I was informed that it is simply a huge water tank, a vestige of the Seabury era, when Resthaven served as a girl's boarding school. Water was pumped into the tank from Spring Brook, and then up to the main living areas for household use. Today, it is no longer hooked up the plumbing system, and is simply a reminder of a page in the history book of Resthaven.