I am looking for information about a treasure hidden in the General Palmer Hotel several years ago. It was hidden by a boy who worked there named Brandon. He was a rather eccentric kid, prone to flights of imagination. He worked the night shift, and to my knowledge explored the hotel in great detail, finding hidden staircases that go nowhere, small rooms left forgotten and Prohibition-era tunnels that once led to the train depot.
He would tell me about his work there, it seemed to captivate his imagination. He came into possession of some items after his Aunt Kathy passed away. He was the sole beneficiary of her estate. He traveled a great deal on archaeological trips abroad and brought back some curious items.
Just before he graduated, his fiancé left him for reasons he never said. It was at this point sitting on the roof ledge late one night that he showed me the engagement ring she had returned and he said to me, “I have hidden a treasure in this hotel, I will add this to it tonight.”
I asked him questions and he told me that he hid clues throughout the hotel. His intent was create a mystery around the hotel, for the place to stir the imagination in others as it did in him.
I have lost contact with him, although I write frequent emails to him. I wish I could get ahold of him. I have been pondering this for several nights. I am sorry if this is a waste of time, but I was hoping that he might have spoken to someone else about this. I know a few members of the staff know about it, but I am hoping to find someone who knows more than I do.
Elliot Decker
Chicago
