Indian Caverns
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indian Caverns is a show cave in Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a horizontal karst cave of Ordovician Nealmont/Benner limestone, estimated to be about 500,000 years old. It is the second-largest cave in Pennsylvania and the largest limestone cave. Indian Caverns consists of two sections, originally separated by a 14-foot wall: the "Historic Cave" and the "Giant's Hall". The "historic" part of the cave is low-ceilinged and closer to the surface (as shallow as 15 feet) with a couple of wide rooms and extensive speleothem formation. The Giant's Hall area consists of several large passageways, up to 50 feet high, but with fewer speleothems - though it does include the largest piece of flowstone in the state. The lowest point of the cave is approximately 140 feet beneath the surface and the cave temperature is a constant fifty-six degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Centigrade).
Artifacts found in the cave indicate that it was used by the Susquehannock people circa 1600 CE, and later by Lenape (Algonquian) and Iroquois (probably Mohawk) tribes through the end of the eighteenth century. Examples of these artifacts are on display in the cave and include arrow and spearheads, pipes, tomahawks, drills, a bone flute, and pottery shards.
One room, the "Grotto of the Wah-Wah-Taysee", features a phosphorescent mineral deposit in the ceiling and walls. It was originally thought to be radium, but is now believed to be zinc sulfide reacting with copper in the limestone.
Indian Caverns was visited by white settlers from about 1816 and was one of several caves used as a hideout by the outlaw David Lewis until his death in 1820. The entrance and grounds were bought in 1928 by Harold Wertz, Sr., a local entrepreneur, and the cave was opened to the public on June 15, 1929, as "Historic Indian Cave". It was a popular destination during the Early Auto Era due to the Edwardian fascination with the "wonders" of nature and has remained in continuous operation since. The name was changed to "Indian Caverns" in the 1930s. Guided tours covering nearly a mile of cavern currently run about 45 minutes.
[edit] See also
List of caves in the United States
