Pennsylvania Caves

[MD Dog]

Thanks for the insight Teddy, I sure hope I don't have to deal with any caves. I have a thing about cobwebs especially when they get in my face or hair. :P

 

[TeddyB1967]

LOL Chickennnnnnn J/K I don't blame ya tho, I dont like cobwebs any more than I like the creepy spiders that make them eeewww yuck!!! I'd rather come across a snake than a spider.

 

[MD Dog]

Snakes are gooooood eatin but not so for spiders :P

 

[Potter Poker]

Hey guys, I have about 54 hours time logged while spelunking in caves in Pa. and I have rarely encountered spider webs, or spiders, or snakes in any of the caves I have been in. However, bats are another story, encountered quite a few of those. They are quite harmless. Only encountered one spider, quite near the entrance to the cave, and only one small snake, also quite near the entrance. The temperature of the caves I have been in have all ranged near 54 degrees. Maybe that has something to do with the lack of insects and snakes in caves. (Also maybe the lack of a food supply deep inside the cave?)...pp

 

[MD Dog]

OK, I admit it I have claustraphobia :P, spiders and snakes aside, never been in a cave and probably never will. But if there happened to be one in my area of search that was undocumented I'd just have to call on you brave spelunker types like you Rich.

 

[planebill]

I took advantage of the nice weather and a little spare time to check out the Yordy's Bridge area of Swatara Creek for caves. West of the bridge is both banks are bottom land. To the east of the bridge there are 100 foot bluffs on the north shore. I parked by the bridge and got permission from an owner to walk along the creek on his property. He said that the farmer who owns the next area (where the cave is) may not be so accommodating but I pressed on anyway. I wasn't staying long and I learned in the Navy that it's always easier to get forgiveness that it is to obtain permission. Besides it's trout season....
About 1/4 mile up the creek from the bridge is a rock outcrop that had one "cave" entrance. Two different 3' x 3' holes in the rock face led to a 6' tunnel that ended in a 6'-8' deep pit. At the bottom of the pit was a shovel, a long metal pry bar and a 5 gal. plastic bucket full of rocks and water. There were signs of digging at the bottom of the pit however it did not appear recent as there was an accumulation of leaves at the bottom of the pit that covered most of the shovel. I did a quick sweep of the entrance and surrounding area with my MD with a few low quality hits. The ground was extremely rocky and full of shallow roots so I did not dig (plus I did not have permission).

Anyway, what I found did not seem sufficient to provide shelter to more than 1 or 2 settlers trying to seek refuge from marauding Indians. I did learn that farther upstream (east) is a limestone outcrop known as Blue Rock. I estimate this to be about another 1/2 mile up the north bank. There may be cave(s) there. I will check that out as soon as I can and report here.

 

[jeff of pa]

Very Cool Bill.

Being it is the SWATARA CREEK I am almost 100%
sure nobody owns the creek or the pathways along it.

I am going of course by Schuylkill County Tax records.

If I am right, & the caves are along the creek,
they would be public. this is why Fishermen don't
ask permission.

However you may want to call the courthouse tax room
and ask, just to be sure I know what I'm talking about.

Don't know if you have this map.
It is hand drawn in the 1890's
& not to scale.
it is from the Frontier Forts Book.

Yordy's Bridge now crosses in the area of where
it says "caves of Refuge"

 

[Rich in Central PA]

I believe what Jeff says is correct. You can walk along the creek or creek-bank as its public property; fishermen do it all the time. The exception is...............you can't just go on someone's (private) property to get to the stream/creek/river etc. That would be trespassing. But anyways, nice piece of work Bill...............Rich

 

[jeff of pa]

Here is what I am going by.

Here is the Swatara Creek in My County.
IF you Click on the areas beside the Creek & Road
it comes up NO RESULTS FOUND
this only applies to main Creeks though.

 

[planebill]

I had not seen that map. It shows the caves as being on the South bank but that bank is flat bottom land at least as far as the 90 deg bend to the south the creek makes. The one feature of note on that shore is that the remains of the Union Canal are there and the tow path is in very good condition. A local told me you could get to Blue Rock on that path but maps I have seen show Blue Rock on the other bank just past the bend. I will check it out and post the results. Probably not until next Tuesday though.

One other project I want to work on is locating Manada Fort which is indicated on your map. I have spotted a very likely location, based on the work done by the fort commission of the late 1800's. That site sits in a farmers field. I am attempting to locate the owner so that I can do at least a quick survey before the crops go in. It is a significant area to search so anyone interested let me know.

 

[jeff of pa]

MANADA FORT is easy to find.

take 443 West past PENN NATIONAL RACE TRACK
into DAUPHIN COUNTY to Manada Gap.
just past Manada Gap Rd. you will come to a bridge.
before Manada Bottom road.

Pull off at the Bridge.
on the South East Side of the Bridge you will
see a path that follows the Manada Creek.

you will see a Big Sign.

WARNING !​

Fort Indiantown Gap Military Reservation​

Follow that path down a short Distance.
I was told there is a Stone Marker.

Unfortunately, If it is on Gap Property,
Which I was told it is, By A Gap Offical,

Trespassing isn't a Problem, BUT detecting is.

hold for maps

 

[jeff of pa]

Present day Map.

& area Marked where I hope it is.
Just off gap Property.

The red dot above is where I THINK it is

I was able to gain Permission for the Meeting house land.
It's a Church now.

1890's Map to Follow

 

[jeff of pa]

1890's Map
Not to Scale

 

[fyrenut]

I would be interested in anything you have on Beaver County caves I know of about 15 or so in the county, but nothing more then locations

 

[Rich in Central PA]

I would be interested in anything you have on Beaver County caves I know of about 15 or so in the county, but nothing more then locations

Fyrenut........you know more than what the book has. Sorry, no caves are listed for Beaver County...........Rich

 

[fyrenut]

lol okay.. well I will say this.. they are not huge caves .. most are holes in the ground (no pun intended) types that I honestly have no clue cept on a couple of thier depth and whatnot. one that used to be used be the Aliquippi indians appears to me (tho I am not a geologist) to have been made more from running water, and goes about 300 yards or so from one side of a "finger" to another off of a hill.. there are a few interesting cubbies inside that I would love to check out with a MD now that I have one but its been ages since I was last in this one..I grew up pretty close to this one so we explored it as kids and basically walked/crawled thru the whole way to the other side..another is also fairly close to the first but has since been over run literally by a new expressway exit ramp and right of way for highway maintenance vehicles. the rest ae basically i know the locations seen most of em at a distance or explored the general openings (without a detector, but gonna remedy that this summer).

 

[dd2387]

Sounds like a great book you got there! I'm interested in the Berks, Potter, and Clinton county items and will gladly refund any postage or copy money. It's great to have someone that will share info like you do. Hope I can help you out sometime.

 

[Rich in Central PA]

Sounds like a great book you got there! I'm interested in the Berks, Potter, and Clinton county items and will gladly refund any postage or copy money. It's great to have someone that will share info like you do. Hope I can help you out sometime.

Yo Killer........There are NO caves listed for Clinton or Potter Counties.

There are 16 caves with 17 pages of info for Berks County:

1. Crystal Cave
2. Dietrich Cave
3. Dragon Cave
4. Dreibelbis Cave
5. Hobo Cave
6. Mohrsville Cave
7. Montello Cave
8. Noeker Cave
9. Onyx Cave
10. Pinnacle Caves
11. Schofer Cave
12. Sinking Spring Cave
13. South Temple Cave
14. Tuckerton Cave
15. West Reading Cave
16. Other Caves: Slate, Phillips, Merkle, Morgan, Conrad Weiser, Greshville

Entirely too much info to post here. If you know any particular cave you want info on in Berks County I can post that, but if you want all the 16 caves & 17 pages I will have to copy all the 17 pages and mail them to you. No problem. Let me know. PM me your address and I'll get it out to next week............Rich

 

[MD Dog]

Wow a cave with my name on it, I wonder if thats just a quinkie dink....

 

[PATreasureHunter]

Rich, what about any caves in Lancaster County? I know about the Lititz caves (I think there's a map in that book?), but is there any printed info about the Lititz caves, or any other Lanc. caves? Thanks!!!