To discover if any physical evidence of the North Cellar Stair survived the ca. 1901 renovations, the Restoration Team excavated the walls and ceiling in the cellar.  After the wall surfaces were documented, the top, or newest, layer of plaster was removed.  The exposed surfaces were then redocumented to record any new evidence.  The excavation process was then repeated until all of the evidence for the Madison stair was exposed.  After excavations were completed an outline of the ca. 1812 stair was found where brown plaster infilled a hole in the ca. 1848 stucco created when the stair was removed in ca. 1881.   Additional evidence for the stair found surviving on the brick walls included large pockets that were used to support the stair’s framing.