When you stop on the bridge, look away from the springhouse at the ditch lined with boulders. You may see spring water trickling down the ditch and under the bridge toward the springhouse. Follow the trickling water and look for the spring box - the rectangular structure on the corner of the building that looks like a well. This mechanism controls the flow of water from the spring into the springhouse, and is an original part of the structure that did not collapse with the rest of the building.
Now, make your way up the dirt path and onto the ramp toward the second floor entrance of the springhouse. Please watch your step - this path can get a bit slick, and there are tree roots growing across the path.
Once you have made your way to the back door, take a look inside. The second story of the springhouse may have been a general store, a loom house for textile production, or another storage area. There is a large loom set up inside the Rock House that you can see on a guided tour, of the type that could have been inside this space.
Right now, the second story is set up as a general store. We know there was a significant trading route that went through the Alexander property, and we speculate that travelers may have bought bulk goods from Hezekiah such as cups, bottles, jars, spices, teas, parchment, and other non-perishable goods. Since heat rises to the top of the springhouse, it is unlikely that perishable food products were stored on this level.
The ramp you are standing on that leads to this part of the building is also original to the 18th century. Given there was a road through the property, some have speculated that this second story entrance might have actually been the front of the building for travelers who could use this ramp to approach the springhouse on their horses or carriages.
Once you have explored the top floor of the building, go back down the hill, across the bridge, to the main path. Again, please watch your step.
