Swatara Creek Adjacent to the Entrance into Indian Echo Caverns (© Echo Caverns were first commercialized in 1929. You can see where William slept on a stone shelf reached by climbing a rope ladder. William lived, cooked his meals, read his bible by candle light and eventually died at 56 in his cavern. He spoke to no one, and only emerged long enough to work on a farm to earn what little money he needed to survive. So distraught was William, he chose to spend the last 19 years of his life, between 18 as a hermit in his own cavern. Riding back to save his sister, William encountered one delay after another, and arrived just over 20 minutes to late to prevent the hanging. William was able to obtain a pardon for Elizabeth based on new evidence. In the early 19th century, William Wilson’s sister, Elizabeth was convicted of murdering her twin infants, and was sentenced to death. The last chamber on our tour was Wilson’s Cavern, and the story of how it acquired its name is a tragic one. From how a giant’s footprint on the ceiling of the Blue Room, to the ghost of a native American man holding the severed head of a white man with a white beard who allegedly haunted the Rainbow Room, we were all enthralled. This was where our guide kicked the myths, tall tales and ghost stories into high gear. However the underground pools, the Blue room, The Rainbow Room and the Wedding Chapel had an eery beauty that made the entire tour a unique experience. Up to this point, the caverns were interesting, but not exactly WOW material. Many of the explorers left behind carvings of names, initials and dates in the rock, which can be seen throughout the caverns. Of course, exploration of the caverns was, for the most part, a positive exercise. Too bad they didn’t have the option of plaster stalagmites made in China. the explorers did no favors to the natural integrity of the caverns by breaking off souvenirs to take home. They left considerable damage in their wake. Unlike the Susquehannocks, who would not have disturbed the caverns, these explorers had no awareness of the fragility of million plus year old formations. No doubt, far fewer calamities would have befallen the early explorers had they been in possession of even a fraction of this light. If there is a power outage, a generator will insure uninterrupted illumination. Wall in the Eastern Cavern Showing the Beautiful Rock Striations (© the caverns are lit by over 1,700 lights. This natural wonder is believed to be between one and two million years old. Then there was the pillar created when “tite” and “mite” grew toward each other, one inch every 150 years, until they met and married, so to speak. A large stalactite looked like an ear of corn. A stalagmite in the center of the room had what appeared to be a smily face on top is called the guardian angel. There we saw both stalagmites (growing down from the ceiling) and stalactites (protruding from the cavern floor) formations. Next, we ventured into what is known as the Indian Ballroom, a large chamber where the Eastern and Northern Caverns intersect at right angles. But with a little imagination, anything is possible. Simon looked very carefully, but saw nothing of the kind, nor did some of our fellow tourists. Near the entrance of the caverns, there are what appear to be smoke stains on the wall, and if you look carefully, there is an Indian painting of a man holding a torch. Although there is no physical evidence to confirm this, it is believed that Susquehannock Indians used the caverns as shelter from severe weather, and because of it’s constant temperature of 52 degrees, as a place to store food supplies. Our tour began at the entrance of the caverns, which lay at the bottom of 71 stairs. If it falls on your nose, it’s seven years.” Since water also dropped on my shoulders, hands and neck, I wondered if I had just acquired a lifetime of fortune. “If it falls on your head,” he said, “it means you’ll have one year of good luck. “It’s supposed to bring us luck.” At least that was one of the yarns spun by our guide. His guide work was impeccable, but he displayed obvious displeasure at the drops of water that plopped down on him from the ceiling. The one being who didn’t seem to be having fun was Otto. But it wasn’t only the kids who were enjoying the experience. Entry Cavern of Indian Echo Caverns, Hershey, PA (© 440 million year old limestone caverns are a popular attraction located near Hershey, PA, and make for a pleasant family outing.
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