The limestone cave tourist destination[4] has been considered "a living cave" because its formations continue to grow.[5] It is open for the public to visit daily via guided tour, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Hours vary by season, and admission rates vary by age.[6][7]
Background
Given the large and accessible natural openings, these caverns were likely utilized for storage and shelter by the Susquehannock people who camped nearby prior to the 1700s.[8] The caverns also bear graffiti marks that were made by early American explorers who visited the system during the beginning of the nineteenth century.[9]
For nineteen years (1802–1821) the caverns were the home of William Wilson, who was also known as the "Pennsylvania Hermit."[10] Wilson withdrew from society after his failure to halt the execution of his sister Elizabeth for the murder of her twin sons. Following her death in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1786, William wandered westward across southeastern Pennsylvania, settling in the caverns in 1802.[11][12]The Sweets of Solitude: Instructions to Mankind How They May Be Happy in a Miserable World, an essay reportedly written by Wilson during his time in the caverns, was published following his death.[13]
During the early 1900s, the caverns became a popular exploration site for area Boy Scout troops. Sometime around 1919, a box labeled "diamonds in the rough" which contained coins dating to 488 B.C. and 1288, as well as coins from Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Egypt, England, France, Greece, Guatemala, and Italy, was found by Hummelstown resident Russell S. Zeiters while he and four of his boyhood friends were exploring the caves. The box also contained a gold-mounted aluminum cameo inscribed with "My Mother," a dozen moonstones, additional pieces of jewelry, and a bottle of alumninum paint powder. Experts at the State Museum of Pennsylvania subsequently examined the box and its contents and verified the ages of several of the coins it contained.[14][15]
Previously known as Wilson Cave, Hummelstown Cave, Stoverdale Cave,[16] Giant's Cave, and Indian Cave, this system of caverns was renamed Indian Echo Cave[17] when it was outfitted with electrical lighting, walkways and safety railings, and was located on the old Brehm farm roughly one mile from Hummelstown.[18] It opened to the public as a commercial attraction in 1929, and was operated by the Indian Echo Cave Company.[19][20]
Known as Indian Echo Caverns by the 1930s,[21] the attraction was purchased in 1942 by Ed Swartz, who had grown up near the caves and visited them as a child. Swartz subsequently went on to build a business reputation as a country and western entertainment producer prior to purchasing the cavern system.[22][23]
During the early years of Swartz's ownership, Indian Echo Caverns offered both country and western concerts, as well as guided tours of the caverns. Visiting performers included Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff and the Hoosier Hot Shots from the Chicago National Barn Dance. Those performances were discontinued in 1947 when attraction waned for the concerts, but rose for tourist visits to the caves.[24][25][26]
In 1971, Indian Echo Caverns was awarded the National Caves Association seal of approval and recommended to tourists as an attraction worth visiting.[27]
Interior of the show cave
The entrance to the cavern system that is used by modern visitors is located in a bluff along the Swatara Creek.[28] A second entrance that had been previously used by visitors was sealed for security purposes during the late 1920s.
The known portions of the caverns represent the intersection of two passages: the "eastern" cavern and the "northern" cavern, which meet at right angles to form a large space known as the "Indian Ballroom."
The geological system in which the caverns are located has been responsible for the creation of multiple sinkholes in an area stretching from Hummelstown to as far as Palmyra, and as far south as Middletown.
Temporary closures during flooding
In 1972 and 1975, Indian Echo Caverns was closed to tourists temporarily when the Swatara Creek overflowed its banks, filled the cave with water and left behind thick layers of mud when the waters finally receded.[29][30][31] The flooding in 1972 was a direct result of Hurricane Agnes.[32]
Elizabethtown is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 18 miles (29 km) southeast of Harrisburg, the state capital. Small factories existed at the turn of the 20th century when the population in 1900 was 1,861. As of the 2020 census, the population of the borough was 11,639. Elizabethtown is commonly referred to in south-central Pennsylvania as "E-Town." This nickname is also used for the local college and high school.
Dauphin County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 286,401. The county seat is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's state capital and ninth-most populous city. The county was created on March 4, 1785, from part of Lancaster County and was named after Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, the first son of King Louis XVI.
Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey, and Hersheypark, an amusement park.
Hummelstown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,535 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Middletown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Harrisburg. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 9,550. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Pennsylvania Dutch Country, also called Pennsylvania Dutchland, is a Pennsylvania Dutch cultural region spanning the Delaware Valley and South Central and Northeastern regions of Pennsylvania.
Laurel Caverns is the largest cave in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by volume and area. Located in the community of Farmington, it sits on the Chestnut Ridge near Uniontown, roughly 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania Route 39 (PA 39) is a 17.83-mile-long (28.69 km) state highway located in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. PA 39 runs from North Front Street near Harrisburg east to U.S. Route 322 (US 322) and US 422 near Hummelstown and Hershey. The route passes through the northern and eastern suburbs of Harrisburg and passes by Hersheypark, Giant Center, as well as the primary production factory for The Hershey Company. Between Harrisburg and Manada Hill, it is known as Linglestown Road, from Manada Hill to Hershey as Hershey Road and from Hershey to near Hummelstown and Hershey as Hersheypark Drive. Prior to the establishment of PA 39 in 1937, PA 39, had previously been designated as a route in northeastern Pennsylvania during the 1920s. That designation was deleted when it was renumbered US 11. As a result, PA 39 is one of a few routes which has a set of child routes which are no where near the primary route.
The William Penn Highway was an auto trail that ran from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the west to New York City in the east. It served as the Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway west of Reading and as its branch to New York City.
William Wilson — known as The Pennsylvania Hermit — became a figure in the folklore of southeastern and south-central Pennsylvania in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His sister Elizabeth had been condemned for the murder of her children, although many believed her to be innocent of those charges. A pardon for Elizabeth was granted by the state and entrusted to William, but he was unable to deliver it in time to stop the execution. Following his sister's death, William withdrew from society, wandering westward across southeastern Pennsylvania and ultimately living his last 19 years in a cave near Hummelstown.
Christian Lower was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.
Nativity B. V. M. High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown.
Hummelstown brownstone is a medium-grain, dense sandstone quarried near Hummelstown in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a dark brownstone with reddish to purplish hues, and was once widely used as a building stone in the United States.
Mauree A. Gingrich is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 101st District.
The 1998 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. The candidates were incumbent Republican Tom Ridge, Democrat Ivan Itkin, Constitutionalist Peg Luksik and Libertarian Ken Krawchuk. Ridge, a popular moderate, won with 57 percent of the votes cast.
The Middletown and Hummelstown Railroad is a shortline railroad which operates freight and tourist passenger trains between Middletown to Hummelstown, Pennsylvania.
Lavelle is a census-designated place that is located in Butler Township, Schuylkill County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. Situated on Pennsylvania Route 901, it was part of the Lavelle-Locustdale CDP for the 2000 census, before the communities were split into the two separate CDPs of Lavelle and Locustdale.
Christine L. Donohue is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Prior to her election to that court in 2015, she was an elected member of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, a seat she had held since 2008. She had also performed nearly three decades of service as a trial lawyer and litigator in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
Dean Theodore Stevenson was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania from 1966 to 1982.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
