Lewis County had its first historical marker erected in 1931. It was put up to mark the location of an “underground railroad” during the Civil War era. Hough’s cave was a shelter for the Negro slaves on their way to Canada for freedom. The cave was located on the old Horatio G. Hough farm, a mile south of Martinsburg on Route 12-D. Horatio Hough, father of Dr. Franklin B. Hough used this cave to hide the slaves in the daytime then, at night he loaded the slaves into his wagon and took them to the next depot.
The following was taken from an article in The Journal and Repubican Lowville, N.Y., Thursday, October 23, 1931:
“HOUGH’S CAVE COMES INTO THE LIMELIGHT - Was for Many Years Used to Shield Slaves on Their Way to Freedom In Canada—Horatio G. Hough and His Old Grey Horse -
Hough's cave in the town of Martlnsburg has all at once come into the limelight and is commanding a large degree of public interest. On a dark night three-quarters of a century ago a gray horse and wagon might have been seen quietly moving along the Martinsburg - Carthage road....
The horse was driven by Horatio G. Hough of Martlnsburg, and the wagon was loaded with negro slaves coming from the south and bound for Canada to obtain their freedom. These night trips were a common occurrence in the days before the Civil war and many slaves were transported through this locality to freedom across the border. In the day time Mr. Hough hid them in the gigantic cave on his farm; the cave for which a marker was erected and which was dedicated by the Lewis County Historical Society the past week.
After all these years the Hough cave has become famous, and although the tales surrounding it are few and vague, it is possible that in the near future the boulders which partially block the entrance may be removed and its interior thoroughly explored.
The late Mrs. Ida Damuth, who purchased the Hough farm and the cave from the widow of Horatio Hough, told her son, Roy Damuth, present owner of the farm, stories of the transportation of slaves through Martinsburg, when as a young woman she saw the old gray horse start out at night with its wagon loads. She never remembered that Mr.Hough was caught transporting the slaves, or that their hiding place was ever discovered.
As a boy Roy Damuth went Into the cave and he recalls an old boat some 20 feet back from the entrance and that the cave contained about three feet of water. Whether the boat is still there is not known, nor is its purpose in the cave. Gradually the entrance has been filled up with large and small stones and it has been many years since anyone has penetrated the interior.
Mr. Damuth is the son of the late Royal and Ida Damuth. Before her marriage Mrs. Damuth was the daughter of Lafayette Lee, whose father cleared the land across from the Hough farm and erected a home. With her parents she watched the slaves come and go for a considerable period.
Across the road, near the farm of Assemblyman Edward M. Sheldon, is a deep cut in the limestone, which is so deep that bottom has not been found. This is believed to have a connection with the Hough cave, passing under the present main highway, but the fact has never been proven.
Mr. Damuth's mother purchased 75 acres from the widow of Horatio Hough shortly after his death, and he has gradually expanded this until at present he operates a farm of 300 acres. The rock is all limestone in the vicinity of Martinsburg and may contain many hidden caves whose existence is not known.”