Below the Surface

In my upper year, a group of determined Dunbar residents set out to access the tunnels and visit other dorms. (I hope our advisers aren’t reading this!) Armed with tools, we eventually found a way through our basement into the tunnel system — I remember a big room full of old furnishings in the dim light of our flashlights — and a way into Bancroft. With a little planning, we could sneak over after check-in. Although we feared being caught, the thrill was part of the fun. Eventually, the broken lock was discovered, and we did our best to look innocent.
Jess Isaacs ’02

__________

I was a scholarship boy at Exeter from 1955 till graduation in 1959. One of my duties was washing dishes in the dining halls, especially Dunbar. I ate in Webster, so I used to use the tunnel from Webster to Dunbar. (I believe the tunnel started in Bancroft.) Along the way, underground, was a bakery, and I became friends with the baker, named Armand LePage. After graduation I kept him on my Christmas card list and we kept in touch for many years.
Warren Harkness ’59; P’85

__________

I’m pretty sure I still have stuff in storage in the tunnel under Lamont.
Leah Kotok ’97

__________

Been there as a fac brat. They were our playground.
Scott Estey ’83

__________

I once had the opportunity to visit them with someone who had *ahem * access. But it was too creepy for me (long tunnels with minimal lighting, it just felt like a horror movie setup) and I backed out.
Julie Z. Stickler ’84

__________

Your mention of the tunnels and dining halls reminded me of a cherished memory. In 1968, several of us were waiters (and dishwashers) at the Dunbar Hall dining hall. We frequently brought out large trays of breakfast food to the faculty, typically with multiple plates full of food. One morning, I watched as the boy in front of me caught his foot on the sill and lurched off balance, losing hold of his tray. His sharp, panicked cry attracted every eye in the room. As all the faculty and students stared in horror, the dishes flew upward and forward. … Suddenly, in one impossible movement, the student waiter lunged forward and caught every single item again on this tray before any of the dozens of items hit the ground. There followed five seconds of absolute, stunned silence. Then, in unison every single person in the room stood up as one and the room erupted into applause. The thunderous ovation lasted for almost a minute before anyone sat down to breakfast.
Michael Fossel ’69

__________

Responses originally shared via email or on social media

__________

From the Editor

In the first half of the 20th century, meals at Exeter were served in individual dormitory dining rooms. To feed hungry students, food was ferried from basement kitchens beneath one dorm and delivered to others through a network of underground tunnels, then hoisted to servers via dumbwaiters.

Once Elm and Wetherell community dining halls were built, Exeter dined en masse, and the subterranean passageways were no longer needed. Some tunnels are boarded up; others are used for storage. But that hasn’t stopped curious students from seeking them out from time to time.

A 1977 story in The Exonian reported that “two enterprising students copied the keys to a tunnel [door] and they sold the keys at considerable profit to other students who intended to use them for illicit activities.”

This story was originally published in the winter 2026 issue of The Exeter Bulletin.