Sinkhole in Lebanon, PA yields a deeper mystery

[jeff of pa]

Ashley Norton has discovered a mystery in her backyard on Canal Street in Lebanon. When a sinkhole suddenly appeared in Norton's backyard it revealed a stone room that measured seven feet deep.



Backyard sinkhole reveals mysterious room

 

[Jason in Enid]

Sounds like an old cistern, but I would have a detector in the bottom of it before it was filled in!

 

[jeff of pa]

I thought the same on the Detector

Could also date to 1750's French & Indian war being the area saw allot of Fear and a few attacks. and there were block houses in the city

But being I didn't research the exact location yet.

 

[Doubter in MD]

Metal beams and a metal ceiling make me wonder. There aren't enough pictures to determine exactly what the beams and ceiling look like. Curious. And cool.

 

[jeff of pa]

Metal beams and a metal ceiling make me wonder. There aren't enough pictures to determine exactly what the beams and ceiling look like. Curious. And cool.

yea now that you mention it.
I think the metal beams would rule out anything before the Brick Factory.


I think 1700's they would have been cutting Trees and making Beams

 

[Jason in Enid]

 

[kingskid1611]

I wouldn't fill it in I would restore it and check the cracks

 

[jeff of pa]

Norton, who has an interest in local history, said she is curious about the structure and what it would have been used for.

yea some people claim to be interested in history , but at the same time can't wait to Bury it

 

[ARC]

Awful "clean" looking floor for "caving in". ?

 

[Doubter in MD]

Awful "clean" looking floor for "caving in". ?

I would tend to agree but it doesn't look as though a whole lot of dirt fell in when the "ceiling" collapsed. Maybe they just took pictures where the dirt wasn't. Seems unlikely but who knows.

What I do know is that I'd love to see a whole lot more pictures of this site.

 

[jeff of pa]

being it is a sinkhole, perhaps all the dirt sunk lower then the view we see.
it is possible it is much deeper.

I googled Brick Kiln and checked some images .
although this is above ground



it is round.

and then there is this one

 

[ARC]

Ill tell ya one thing... it would really suck to be mowing grass that day. heh

Sheesh let your dog out at night to use bathroom... dog gone ... so you walk out to look... you join him/her...
would make for painful LONG night.

 

[Gold Maven]

The walls aren't tight enough for a cistern,....root cellar perhaps?

 

[ARC]

I hope there is a "follow up"... I hate when something is on the news and then there is nothing else about it.

 

[Sheldon J]

Had something similar happen to me about a year ago...
Renter calls to tell me the ground out by my shop caved in....
Turned out to be an old brick water well from the early 1800's...
they had put a hunk of metal over it and then burred it....
metal rotted out giving way to a 16' deep hole in the ground, yeah I mowed there, and at one time had my PU parked there....
Took photos, marked the location and it tool over 3 yards of dirt to fill it up.....

Yes I know all the stuff they may have thrown down there but it was just to dangerous, was early spring and I wanted it filled before someone could fall in!!!

 

[pkb]

looks like steel beams were placed over the top then filled over

 

[Hitndahed]

Well,,
By chance it COULD have been the beginnings of some kind of "bomb shelter" too. But the walls aren't too solid.
The pics that were shown only portrayed one side and part of the ceiling,,, I would have liked to see the floor and the rest of the room.

"steel beams" gives you a pretty big time frame to work with. Just from what I saw in the report,, I would put this in the early 40s,, late 30s.

Jeff,,,have you heard anything else on this ? I haven't, but I would really like to know.

Hit

 

[jeff of pa]

Well,,
By chance it COULD have been the beginnings of some kind of "bomb shelter" too. But the walls aren't too solid.
The pics that were shown only portrayed one side and part of the ceiling,,, I would have liked to see the floor and the rest of the room.

"steel beams" gives you a pretty big time frame to work with. Just from what I saw in the report,, I would put this in the early 40s,, late 30s.

Jeff,,,have you heard anything else on this ? I haven't, but I would really like to know.

Hit

not yet. so far the news has just been airing the original report

 

[huntsman53]

IMHO, it was likely a rock lined cellar hole that was covered over in the late 1800's or early 1900's by a previous owner of the property. From what I have found, that type of steel beams and sheets were probably available from after the 1850's and especially after the 1860's on.


Frank