Indian Caverns
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 generally low-ceilinged and closer to the surface (as shallow as 15 ft) with a couple of wide rooms and extensive speleothem
formation. The Giant's Hall area consists of several large passageways, up to 60 feet high, but with fewer speleothems - though it does include the largest sheet of flowstone
in the northeast and a substantial rimstone pool. The lowest point of the cave is approximately 140 feet beneath the surface and the cave temperature is a constant 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius).
Artifacts found in the cave indicate that it was inhabited as long ago as 8000 BCE. The earliest tribe known to have used the cave were the Susquehannock
s, circa 1600 CE. It was later used by Algonkian
(including Lenni Lenape) and Iroquois
(probably Mohawk
) tribes through the early eighteenth century. Examples of the artifacts are on display in the cave and include arrow and spearheads, tobacco pipes, tomahawks, punches, banner stones, a bone flute, and pottery shards. They also include a rare effigy of the Algonkian guardian spirit, Mesingw.
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 has since been identified as zinc sulfide
reacting with calcite
in the limestone. The cave also contains a "musical rock", which resounds with a bell-like tone when struck.
Indian Caverns was known about by European settlers from the late eighteenth century. From about 1816, it 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 14, 1929. Wertz opened the cave after two years of excavation and about half a million dollars worth of investments. Wertz, along with his family, moved to florida during the great depression, but returned each summer to run and upkeep the caves. Before the Indian relics were found inside the first few chambers in the caverns, the cave was planned to be called "Franklin Cave", but it seemed more appropriate to be called "Historic Indian Cave". Then in the late 1930's - early 1940's the name was changed to "Indian Caverns". 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. 2011 marks the 83rd year that Indian Caverns has been open, and it has never been closed a year. The Wertz family still owns and operates the caverns, with the 4th generation today. Guided tours covering nearly a mile of cavern currently run about 45 minutes.
The
Show cave
Show caves — also called tourist caves, public caves, and in the United States, commercial caves — are caves that are managed by a government or commercial organization and made accessible to the general public, usually for an entrance fee...
in Spruce Creek
Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania
Spruce Creek is a small unincorporated community in Spruce Creek Township of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was a stop on the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line, lying along Spruce Creek at its confluence with the Little Juniata River...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a horizontal karst cave of Ordovician
Ordovician
The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic Era, and covers the time between 488.3±1.7 to 443.7±1.5 million years ago . It follows the Cambrian Period and is followed by the Silurian Period...
Nealmont/Benner limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, 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 generally low-ceilinged and closer to the surface (as shallow as 15 ft) with a couple of wide rooms and extensive speleothem
Speleothem
A speleothem , commonly known as a cave formation, is a secondary mineral deposit formed in a cave. Speleothems are typically formed in limestone or dolostone solutional caves.-Origin and composition:...
formation. The Giant's Hall area consists of several large passageways, up to 60 feet high, but with fewer speleothems - though it does include the largest sheet of flowstone
Flowstone
Flowstones are composed of sheetlike deposits of calcite formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution", or limestone caves, where they are the most common speleothem. However, they may form in any type of cave where water enters that...
in the northeast and a substantial rimstone pool. The lowest point of the cave is approximately 140 feet beneath the surface and the cave temperature is a constant 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius).
Artifacts found in the cave indicate that it was inhabited as long ago as 8000 BCE. The earliest tribe known to have used the cave were the Susquehannock
Susquehannock
The Susquehannock people were Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans who lived in areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries from the southern part of what is now New York, through Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Susquehanna in Maryland at the north end of the Chesapeake Bay...
s, circa 1600 CE. It was later used by Algonkian
Algonquian peoples
The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds. Today hundreds of thousands of individuals identify with various Algonquian peoples...
(including Lenni Lenape) and Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
(probably Mohawk
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
) tribes through the early eighteenth century. Examples of the artifacts are on display in the cave and include arrow and spearheads, tobacco pipes, tomahawks, punches, banner stones, a bone flute, and pottery shards. They also include a rare effigy of the Algonkian guardian spirit, Mesingw.
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
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
, but has since been identified as zinc sulfide
Zinc sulfide
Zinc sulfide is a inorganic compound with the formula ZnS. ZnS is the main form of zinc in nature, where it mainly occurs as the mineral sphalerite...
reacting with calcite
Calcite
Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380-470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.-Properties:...
in the limestone. The cave also contains a "musical rock", which resounds with a bell-like tone when struck.
Indian Caverns was known about by European settlers from the late eighteenth century. From about 1816, it 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 14, 1929. Wertz opened the cave after two years of excavation and about half a million dollars worth of investments. Wertz, along with his family, moved to florida during the great depression, but returned each summer to run and upkeep the caves. Before the Indian relics were found inside the first few chambers in the caverns, the cave was planned to be called "Franklin Cave", but it seemed more appropriate to be called "Historic Indian Cave". Then in the late 1930's - early 1940's the name was changed to "Indian Caverns". 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. 2011 marks the 83rd year that Indian Caverns has been open, and it has never been closed a year. The Wertz family still owns and operates the caverns, with the 4th generation today. Guided tours covering nearly a mile of cavern currently run about 45 minutes.
Halloween Tours
Indian Caverns also leads halloween tours the last three friday and saturdays of October. It is completely run by volunteers and has a very good rating. Visitors get to take the tour through the beautiful caverns and get some fun scares along the way. These tours are not recommended for children under 12 years of age.The