There are still historic mysteries to be uncovered, treasures to be unearthed, and important antiquities to be preserved. And they are all around us. Here are a few personal anecdotes:

1. The Phillips family was amazed recently to discover the existence in our neighborhood of an old gold smuggler’s cave dating back to a famous incident which occurred not long after the time of the siege of the Alamo. It has been untouched for more than 150 years.

2. When I was a boy living in Fairfax County, Virginia, one of my friends who lived a block away from my home discovered revolutionary war guns in a hidden chamber of his home. (The estate had once been owned by the Lord Fairfax family.)

3. A restaurant in a nearby town was purchased by some family friends. Under the restaurant is an underground escape tunnel that crosses main street and dates back to the Civil War.

4. The last time I was at Scotchtown, the home of Patrick Henry, I spoke to the docent who told me that when she was a girl, the Henry home and lands were essentially abandoned and in disrepair. She told me that she played hide and seek as a child in Henry’s cellar.

5. After this year’s Highlands Study Center conference, my daughter, Jubilee, and I stumbled across a not-so-hidden sign indicating the existence of a famous cave where Daniel Boone’s dogs fought wolves. The cave was on a private residence and hidden by a large shed, but visible from the street through the planks of the shed. Make sure to visit it when you go to next year’s Highlands Study Center conference on the Fifth Commandment.