When we moved into the Keyhole House, we noticed an odd-looking panel nailed to the wall in the second-floor hallway. A few weeks later, we pried off the mysterious board and discovered two small steps descending into darkness. A flashlight revealed that taking a third step would result in a fall through the kitchen ceiling! We had discovered the remains of the servants’ stairs, a common feature in houses built around 1893. During the Victorian era, many middle-class families were able to afford a domestic servant who lived with them. Keeping a servant was an outward sign of respectability and status. Houses of a certain size were designed with two sets of stairs, so that servants could remain out of sight. These back staircases were frequently compressed into small spaces by ignoring building codes and safe stair layout. Steep, shallow steps of irregular heights combined with a servant in a long skirt, descending the stairs sideways while carrying a heavy tray, could be a recipe for disaster. As a result, these dangerous structures are often referred to as “hidden killers” or “death traps.”

Victorians were obsessed with propriety, from wearing appropriate clothing and extravagant home decor to serving lavish meals and employing servants. Ample funds and the right books on etiquette were important ingredients when climbing the social ladder. In the 1890s, the head of a household employing a domestic servant was often a merchant, manufacturer, or professional. However, it was also possible for artisans and semiskilled workers to do so as well. In 1892, Joseph Boynton was one of several carpenters hired to build the Keyhole House. His annual wages would not have exceeded $500. However, according to the 1891 census, Boynton and his wife Adeline had an 18-year-old domestic servant living with them, to help take care of their three children.