Newel Post

While I am on the subject of staircases, I have been curious about what treasure may be hiding in the depths of my newel post. Well, more than curious, ever since I read this post by Kristin at 1902 Victorian, who was disappointed when she didn't find the much hoped for old house documents.

Unfortunately, I didn't learn about this until after all the woodwork was refinished, and now I am afraid to mess with it. If I broke the cap while prying it off, I'm pretty sure we couldn't replicate it. I know we have saved nearly every scrap of chestnut wood, but I don't think we have anything that thick.On the other hand, there could be something very valuable in there. No, I don't expect to find money, but blueprints would be terrific.

So the question is: should I pry the top off the newel post? I might get lucky, but the odds are against it. If I don't, I'll never know. Maybe I could get at it from the basement ceiling?

What would you do? Has anybody done this with success?