VIGNETTE > Cypress Knoll

In either 1871 or 1885, depending on the historical source, Carmelita and Hugh Boyle built a house at #10 Manor Terrace and named it “Cypress Knoll”. In 2004, new owners of the house hired contractors to replace several posts and piers under the house to shore up the foundation.  On April 24, 2004, workers found a redwood box directly below a pier near the center of the house. The box was removed and identified as a coffin. The County Coroner immediately took over the investigation and consulted archeologists and historians.  It was determined that the coffin had been made before 1885. Inside was the body of a Caucasian male in his late thirties or early forties, between 5’-8” and 5’-10” tall.  He was wearing finely woven wool pants and a matching silk-lined coat.  Several glass buttons were also in the coffin.  In spite of considerable study and  DNA analysis, the identity of the gentleman remains a mystery.