Crystal Cave

Lindsay and I took Dylan to Crystal Cave today. It was the perfect day to go. Hot and humid outside but really nice and cool inside the cave.

Below is a little Crystal Cave history;
On Sunday, November 12, 1871, William Merkel and his assistant, John Gehret, were blasting for limestone on a farm owned by Merkel?s parents. At the time, crushed limestone was a valuable resource widely used by farmers to increase the fertility of soil.

To their astonishment, they noticed a dark, narrow hole in the side of the steep hill, eighty feet from Gideon Merkel?s farmhouse. They pulled away the surrounding dirt to reveal an opening large enough to penetrate. Once inside, darkness precluded further exploration.

The news of the potential cave discovery created much excitement in the small rural Kutztown community. Plans to explore this natural curiosity were made that same evening at a local tavern called Lesher?s Bar. Several adventurous neighbors, including John Gehret, went back a few days later equipped with ropes, ladders, coal oil lanterns, and torches. Their suspicions were confirmed. A good sized and well-decorated cave did exist on Gideon Merkel?s farm. Through word of mouth, nature?s silent development in the mountainside suddenly became big news.

A few weeks later, a group of 12 men organized an exploration of Crystal Cave. Once inside the cave, four of the men exited back outside and remained above ground. The rest of the group climbed through the cave for the next 1 ½ hours. They remarked about the sparkling diamond-like crystals that adorned the walls of the cave. As a result, the cavern immediately became known as Crystal Cave.

A local jeweler examined the small sparkling formations and determined they were not diamonds. Early explorers were disappointed by the jeweler?s assessment, however, their disappointment was soon replaced by joy when they realized the considerable dimension of the cave cavity and the abundance of ornate formations.