KANE — The Kane Historic Preservation Society is looking for pictures of the foundation of General Thomas L. Kane’s home.
While it may sound odd to some that the society is looking for pictures of a cut stone foundation of a building that has not been standing for 119 years, Kane Historic Preservation Society chairman Dick Bly said that many children played on the old foundation of Kane Summit, the home of borough founders General Thomas L. and Elizabeth Kane.
Bly remembers playing on the foundation of Kane Summit as a youth himself.
He remembers the cut-stone foundation being approximately four to five feet deep, and some of the stones had fallen — or been pushed — inside in stair-like fashion so it would be easier to walk inside. After viewing pictures of Kane Summit, Bly remembers the foundation rested underneath what would have been the mansion portion of Kane Summit. A wing to the home rested directly on the ground.
Bly said the society is looking for a photograph of the foundation. It not only has historical significance for being a part of the home of the borough’s founder, but also because the foundation itself was a part of many a childhood for people who grew up in Kane, he explained.
Board member Wendy Oakes said an old foundation stone from Kane Summit was removed from the site in the late 1960s. Oakes recalled that local stories say the late Dr. Mike Ibanez used the stone in the construction of his own home.
Board member John Marconi said that even a stone which stood straight up used to mark the way to the mansion is still nearby, although it is laying on the ground.
Kane Summit burned in 1896, after which Elizabeth Kane, then a widow, built Kane Manor on Clay Street where it stands today. The site of old Kane Summit is now home to the Kane Area High School, which was built on the site in 1970.
Anyone who may have a photograph of the Kane Summit foundation are asked to contact the Kane Historic Preservation Society at (814) 837-8752 or email at info@kanedepot.org.
