Indian Echo Caverns and Lincoln Caverns (8/22/2024)

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Today was caverns day, starting with Indian Echo Caverns in Hummelstown, PA.

Panning activity

Looking back up the steps that access the entrance to
Indian Echo Caverns, that was used by the indigenous
Susquehannocks, an Iroquois tribe, that was to be
decimated by smallpox brought by the Europeans by 1670

Near the entrance with natural and artificial lighting,
algae and mosses tend to grow, creating a greenish tinge;
the cavern was known to early settlers and was
explored by area adventurers who left graffiti and soot

Flowstone formations on the "Ballroom" wall; 
John Bieber bought the property and commercialized the
caverns by creating safe pathways, installing lighting and
opening up new chambers, opening to the public in 1929

Stalactite formation (the "Corncob");
Mr Beiber lost the business to the bank during
the Great Depression, but in 1942, Edward S
Swartz, a Hershey native, purchased the caverns
and his family continues the operation

Unique flowstone formations

Stalagmite formation ("Cave Guardian")

Crystal Lake

Our tour could go no farther, but the caverns continue

"Wedding Chapel" (actual weddings
are held in the caverns

Stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone fromations (KSS)

[William] Wilson's Room, where a hermit
lived 1802-1921after the horrendous occasion
of delivering a stay of execution and pardon
for his sister (accused of murdering her
children) moments too late after her hanging;
Wilson's diary was hidden in the hole seen above

In 1919, three boys exploring the cave found a small
box (at lower left) filled with coins from around the world;
no owner came forth, and the boys took turns holding the
box, until one man was left; the survivor apparently
donated the box and contents for display, asking only
that they not be sold and his story was told to visitors

After lunch, we visited Lincoln Caverns in Huntingdon, PA.

The entrance to Lincoln Caverns was blasted c 1960s,
since the original entrance was right on US-22, which
required one to run across the highway after buying a ticket

Interesting fragmenting of blue limestone with
shiny calcite crsytals leaching through

A dead stalagmite no longer has water
dripping on it, and it dries and cracks

The main room of the caverns, which were discovered when
a steam shovel working on construction of a new US Route 22,
in 1931, dropped into the neighboring room; that room was
cleared for the highway, and this room was sealed off from
the road except for an entrance door; because the roof was
unstable, a brick column and steel beams were used to
create a wooden ceiling to protect from dropping shards

The cavern ceiling has since been sprayed with concrete to create a solid surface.

Flowstone formation; the owners of the
property opened the cave to visitors in 1931,
but had it up for sale in 1932

Mini popcorn formations of the beginning
dots of calcite nodules; we could not get a
photo of realistic-looking "popcorn"

The "Wishing Well" is full of coins; Myron Dunlavy, Sr
long wanted to own a show cave, and happened to drive
by the then-named William Penn Caverns that were for sale

"Frozen Niagara Falls" is 27.5 m/90'
long and 33.5 m/110" high; the Lincoln
Caverns is still run by the Dunleavy family

"Purity" lacks any impurities in the calcite,
and its biofluorescence was demonstrated

Cave bacon formation

Tours to Lincoln Caverns include a visit to Whisper Rocks, a cavern system discovered by 15-year old Myron Dunlavy, Jr in 1941, after years of trying to dig through sinkholes. This cave has been carefully explored and mapped, and did not open for public viewing until 1964.

Cave bacon can grow into cave draperies

Whisper Rocks (so-named because you can hear
whispering when it is windy) is known for the
soda straw formations that begin as hollow structures

When the soda straws are filled in or plugged,
they become cone-shaped stalactites

Here an artificial light has encouraged algae growth

Flowstone and stalagmite formations

A stalactite and stalagmite have joined
as a pillar or column

This is where Myron, Jr first entered the cavern (KSS)

Tamiko with a drape and stalagmites (KSS)

The sinkhole opening where Myron, Jr carved
through to the Whisper Rocks caaverns

Drive-by photo of the original
entrance to Lincoln Caverns

We had dinner at the Whiskey River Brewery and BBQ
in Wilcox, PA, which had no sign on the exterior
with that name, and is essentially a bar; we waited
30 minutes for a pulled pork mac 'n' cheese, and
received a beef brisket mac 'n' Velveeta