Lincoln Caverns and Whispering Rocks

Am I the only one who feels as though I'm in a scene from "Alien" while looking at this picture?

Overview

My girlfriend Cassidy and I spent a portion of a Saturday morning trying to figure out where we should go for the remainder of the day. I always suggest state parks, but I often feel guilty that the two of us tend to do things more in my interest than in hers. I asked her what she wanted to do instead.

After looking at some websites, Cassidy mentioned Lincoln Caverns and Whispering Rocks. I've seen signs for the caverns dozens of times while driving on Route 22 to Canoe Creek State Park and the Lower Trail, but I never felt compelled to venture all the way to Huntingdon just to see rocks.

The idea was something out of the norm, though. I never visited a cavern before, and the whole point of my adventuring is to visit just about every outdoor feature there is in Pennsylvania. I agreed to the idea, and our journey was set.

The tour

The tours last about an hour and feature two caverns. The tour guides provide geological and historical information about the area. Most of the facts were new to me, and the kids on our tour seemed to take great interest in what the tour guide had to say. They asked more questions than any of the adults did throughout the tour. It's great to see children fascinated in learning.

The caverns' "rooms" vary in size from extremely tall and narrow to very low and wide. You won't have to crawl on hands and knees at any point, but taller guests will need to duck at certain spots to avoid concussions. Likewise, some of the passages require side-stepping to get through. I got caught once or twice because of my backpack.

Even though the caverns are millions of years old, they haven't stopped developing.

Many portions of the caverns are still "active," which means the structures inside them continue to grow. The walls are covered with a lot of moisture, and the ceilings drip often. This moisture solidifies into rock formations on the ceiling, ground and walls. Even though it looks dirty, the moisture is harmless, our tour guide assured us. I took my chances anyway and attempted to avoid the drops as if the water were acid.

The tour guides are friendly, but strict about one policy since the caverns are still active.

The number one rule on the tour is to not touch anything other than the hand rails and the floor. Pieces of the cavern have been broken because of human error. For structures like stalactites, it takes about 100 years for them to grow just an inch. One stupid mistake can send something that has been developing for thousands of years back a few centuries or more.

Despite the caverns being damp all the time, they manage to provide a comfortable atmosphere.

Warmer clothes are suggested, however, since the caverns maintain a constant temperature of about 52 degrees, according to the Lincoln Caverns website. The coolness feels great on hot, muggy days, though.

Even though the caverns are cold and damp, they shouldn't deter possible visitors.

The tours are accessible to most people. Cassidy and I were accompanied by adults and children alike, including some toddlers. I don't recommend bringing infants, however, unless you want to hear nothing but crying echoing off cave walls for 60 minutes.

History

This is the sinkhole that Myron Dunlavy Jr. was believed to have
fallen into when he discovered Whispering Rocks in 1941.

The caverns were destined to be a tourist attraction since their founding in May 1930 during the construction of Route 22.

The Stewart family, which farmed on the property where the caverns were discovered, opened the site under the tongue-twisting name "Hi-Way-May Caverns" on June 25, 1931, according to the Lincoln Caverns website.

The Stewarts were, I hope, better farmers than entrepreneurs. The business flopped, and the family put the caverns up for sale just one year in business. Despite caverns not being the most sought-after real estate, the Hi-Way-May Caverns sold in no time, thanks in part to the fascination of Myron Dunlavy Sr.

Dunlavy was a manager for the New York Telephone Co. and had such an interest in caves that he often put ads in the paper seeking ones for sale, according to the website. Dunlavy inked a five-year lease / purchase agreement with the Stewart family from 1932-37.

He changed the caverns' ridiculous name to the more sensible "William Penn Caverns" during this time frame. Dunlavy would later alter the name to "Lincoln Caverns" after his favorite U.S. president, Abraham Lincoln. The website doesn't explain why Dunlavy considered the name change, but the guide during our tour said the change came out of customer frustration.

A separate tour in Centre Hall was Penn's Cave, which offers boat tours inside the caverns. Customers who came to William Penn Caverns were disappointed to find out that no boat tours were offered. They cited the likeness in names between the two tours as the reason for the confusion. Dunlavy changed the name to prevent future issues, the guide said.

While Dunlavy mostly started the cavern business himself, he was not alone in operating it. Members of his family would take interest in the caverns, as well. Dunlavy's son, Myron Dunlavy Jr., came to Huntingdon to work at the caverns and to attend Juniata College.

The younger Dunlavy helped contribute to the business by searching for other caverns in the vicinity. He stumbled (and I mean that as a matter of fact) into what would become Whispering Rocks in September 1941. Dunlavy Jr. fell into a sinkhole about 15 feet deep and had to crawl his way through complete darkness to get out, according to our tour guide. Both he and his father shared interest in preparing Whispering Rocks for business, but the discovery was made just months prior to the United States entering World War II. The website states Dunlavy Jr. served in the military during this time, and the Whispering Rocks project wouldn't be finished until 1961.

Since then, Lincoln Caverns and Whispering Rocks have remained a family operation. Ann Dunlavy, Myron Dunlavy Jr.'s daughter, came to Huntingdon in 1972 and worked as a tour guide. She eventually became manager of the caverns in 1977. Ann's mother, Marion, serves as secretary-treasurer of Lincoln Caverns, according to the website. As for Myron Jr., he served as president until his death in December 2005. Ann continues the operations Lincoln Caverns today.

Directions

The full name of the attraction is Lincoln Caverns and Whispering Rocks. The location is a bit vague, but the caverns are between Alexandria and Huntingdon, about 30 minutes outside of Hollidaysburg. If you type "Lincoln Caverns" into a GPS, the location will likely come up. Just in case, the exact address is "7703 William Penn Highway, Huntingdon, PA 16652." The parking lot is just off Route 22. There are plenty of bright yellow signs along the way to guide drivers.

Much of the information in this post, especially the historical details, is courtesy of http://lincolncaverns.com/.

All photos were taken by me during a tour.