Mysteries at the Indian Echo Caverns

There are many strange mysteries associated with the Indian Echo Caverns, located near Hershey, Pennsylvania. In 1919 a couple of local youths in the area were exploring the cave, when they stumbled upon a mysterious box, decorated with strange designs. The contents inside proved more mysterious. Inside the box the boys discovered random coins from throughout the World, some possibly minted as early as 480 B.C.  Also included was some jewelry, moon rocks, and instructions on making diamonds from lightning. (BTW it doesn't work!)  The young man who discovered this intriguing chest held onto it for many years until he decided to share his discovery with others. Eventually the proprietor of Indian Echo Caverns purchased the abstruse trunk and it is now on display in the gift shop.

If these young men had been exploring the cave a hundred years before they may have encountered quite a surprise if they bumped into William Wilson. Between the years of  1802-1821 William made the caverns his home. After his sister was executed for the murder of her two children, the man began to seclude himself from society. It's believed a pardon was granted from the state to William's sister, but he was unable to deliver it in time to halt the execution.

 From that time on Wilson went into a state of delirium, withdrawing from society and retreated into the caves to spend the last decades of his life.  It's believed he kept an account of his life spent in the cave and the stories have been published in the book "The Pennsylvania Hermit"  Read book here.

The mysterious box the young men discovered is not believed to have been left behind by Mr. Wilson. But some believe William Wilson may have left something else behind...his spirit. In several neighboring counties where Wilson lived previously. his spirit has been seen on horseback galloping to the local jailhouse. His sister Elizabeth is believed to haunt the areas around the cave, though it's believed she was never in the cavern. While clearing trees to make room for a parking lot, several workers claimed to witness a young female spirit wandering nearby. These tales may seem like modern folklore, and perhaps its not the spirit of Elizabeth or William Wilson. But long before either of these tales came about, the Susquehannock Indians who occupied the cave were awfully dreadful of the Rainbow room. Even to this day over a dozen witnesses have spotted the apparition of a Native American man holding a severed head.

Phantom of Penn's Cave

The Seneca Indian tribe originally discovered the majestic beauty of Penn's cave. They would often use the cave as a refuge during bad weather. The natural creek that flows through offered them great opportunities for fishing, provided natural refrigeration, as well as supply clean drinking water. But there are much darker tales on ways they used the cave to their benefit.

One particular legend that's popular in the State College area tells the tale of a Lancaster county trapper, who fell in love with a local Seneca tribeswoman. In the early 1800's a Frenchman named Malachi Boyer scoured through the mountains of Centre county looking for game to trap. While camping at Mammoth spring near the town of Bellefonte the man was introduced to local chief O-Ko-Cho, the two quickly developed a kinship and exchanged gifts. The local chief had seven sons and one daughter named Nita-nee. The young woman was often closely guarded by her brothers, but one day Malachi caught a glimpse of the beautiful maiden cleaning a deerskin in the nearby stream. It's believed the two immediately fell in love with one another. Native American tradition would never allow the two lovers to maintain a relationship, smitten with each other, the two planned an escape. They were subsequently captured by Nita-nee's seven brothers and were returned to an angered Chief O-Ko-Cho. The Chief instructed his sons to take the man to the cavern of water and dispense of him.

The brothers following through with their orders dragged the man to the Earth's opening and threw him into the dark waters below. For a week the desperate man swam through the murky abyss hoping to find an exit from his inevitable doom. The only pathway out was being blocked by the Seneca tribesmen, exhausting all his efforts the man crawled to deepest recesses of the cavern to pass away. He vowed to not allow the Native Indians watch him suffer through his death. The brothers eventually retrieved his remains, weighted them down, and disposed of them in the deepest cavity of the cavern.

The young Nita-nee has had her legacy remembered forever, her name has been bestowed upon the mountains of the area, as well as the famed mascot of Penn State University. Malachi Boyer's legacy may have been lost but many believe his spirit may still live on. Centuries later it's said on quiet summer nights you can hear echoes from out of the cave that resemble a person crying for Nita-nee. Even in death maybe love still lasts forever.

Thunderbirds of Pennsylvania

Native Americans often paid tribute to large predatory raptors. Most totem poles feature a likeness to a thunderbird perched high on top. The natives often held these mammoth birds in high regard. They believed these feathered creatures held supernatural powers, including the power to cause hazardous storms. It was believed that their flapping wings created thunder, while their dark ominous eyes were capable of causing lightning strikes. The natives passed these tales onto the early settlers, as well as stories of the monstrous birds swooping down to attack deer and even small children. They described the birds as having talons as large as human hands, glassy black beaded eyes, and heads larger than a yard long. But are they real?

It's quite easy to dismiss these tales as simple early American folklore passed down from generation. What's not so easy to dismiss is the inordinate amount of eyewitness accounts in the past two decades. Alarmingly a majority of these reports come from the black forest region of northern Pennsylvania. Several witnesses have reported immense birds roaming the area, ranging in size from 14 to 22 feet in length. Often they resemble small aircraft, yet have the appearance of a large bat. More shockingly is there are a host of witnesses in every county of Pennsylvania who can attest to spotting one of the gargantuan creatures. I do know one thing for certain, on future Outta the Way trips were gonna be keeping our eyes on the sky as well as the road.

Plum Tree Massacre

Long before the lumber barons made 4th street their home, the area played an important role in Williamsport's history.

On June 10, 1778 the rich area would become forever remembered. Not for large, luxurious estates, but for impetuous bloodshed. American Indians and British Tories occupied a common plum thicket which grew nearby. The two armies hid between the trees and planned their violent attack on the local frontiersmen. An eventual surprise attack led to the scalping and murdering of 12 settlers. Shockingly 6 of the victims were children and 2 were women.

Shortly after, most of the other settlers left town and retreated to other areas of the state. The surprise invasion was deemed to be a short lived victory, eventually the settlers returned and the area thrived immensely. That very same plum field where so much adversity occurred helped to feed the local citizens for another century after the massacre. Today the plum tree thicket is long gone, and has been ironically replaced with a church.

Curse of Antes Fort, Pennsylvania

There are a number of homes in the Antes Fort area that the locals swear are haunted. Maybe it's not the homes that are haunted, but that the area's cursed.

Originally the land was used by the local Andaste Indian tribe until their chief, King Wi-daagh advantageously sold the region to emissaries of William Penn. A column from the former state capital building has been placed along a nearby river bank to commemorate the event. In a protest to the erroneous deal, the chief has vowed to haunt the land. Autumn time visitors often witness a ghostly mist appearing off the waters of the nearby Wi-daagh springs.

Another rather disturbing tale involves the towns founder. The tale states that shortly after the Revolutionary War, Colonel Henry Antes engaged in an early form of biological warfare. The Colonel purchased blankets from the Harrisburg area, which he then donated to the local Native American tribes in the area. His generous deeds were actually an act of malevolence. The donated blankets were actually full of the infectious small pox bacteria. This led to the untimely death of many of the local natives. The Chief of the nearby tribe vowed revenge, the lost vengeful spirits who were innocently murdered may not have rested since.

Picture Rocks, Pennsylvania

The tiny borough of Picture Rocks, Pennsylvania has less than 1,000 residents, but there's a history here that's centuries old. The first European settlers settled here in 1773, though the area was sacred to Native Americans long before we came here.

Originally the Munsee Indians made the community their home. The Muncy creek supplied freshwater and fish, while the nearby rock cliffs provided a great lookout for intruders. The Native Americans found much gratification in telling their story and history through pictographs. For decades the tribe had been carving numerous sacred symbols and animals on the imposing rock walls.

These pictographs had an impression on the original settlers who named the area Picture Rocks. Sadly over many years the pictographs have disappeared. Most lost to the course of Mother nature, but others by the malfeasance of man.

Siren of Loyalsock Creek

Coasting through the calm waters of the Loyalsock creek in Pennsylvania may be more hazardous than it seems. The small tributary of the Susquehanna river is mainly located in Lycoming and Sullivan counties. The creek was a principle means of life for the Native American tribes who once inhabited the area. Though the spirit of one may still be seeking revenge on unsuspecting rafters.

Legend states in the mid 1800's a beautiful young Indian maiden was brutally assaulted and murdered by a gang of settlers navigating the creek. Since then Sweet Cicely has been seeking vengeance. Using her sweet, engaging voice she's been luring unsuspecting victims through treacherous parts of the creek, hoping to lure them to an untimely death.

Indian Steps Museum

Embedded in the walls of the Indian Steps Museum are thousands of artifacts from various tribes of Native Americans. These relics are placed in such a way as to tell their story and to forever share their history and ancestry with visitors from all over.

The museum originally came to fruition after local Attorney John Vandersloot purchased a tract of land near the Susquehanna river. While excavating the land he unearthed numerous artifacts including arrowheads, stone tools and pottery. Some of these findings predate even the Egyptian pyramids.

In 1908 Attorney Vandersloot began to build a museum to forever enshrine his findings. In 1912 the museum was completed. Inside you'll find beautiful stained glass windows, a large sandstone table, stone stairs, and stone fireplaces all of which help to enrich the natural beauty.

After Mr. Vandersloot's passing the property was acquired by a few of the utility companies who operate nearby. Eventually the property made it's way into the hands of the Conservation Society of York County. Today they still maintain the museum, which has been regarded as one of the finest museums in the United States, as well as the nearly ten acres of beautiful river hills that surrounds it.

York County Hidden Treasures

Wallace-Cross Mill
Originally uploaded by B.B. Bellezza

In the August Outta the Way zine we'll take you on a stroll through the backwoods of rural York county. We'll take you on a visit to a few industrial giants from the past, including an iron furnace haunted by spirits, and an old family grist mill. Take a tour of a home built to celebrate the Native Americans. Walk amongst the thousands of artifacts on a land the Native Americans found to be very important. Lastly we'll visit a beautiful rural train town, still looking eerily similar to the days of the 1800's. Still awaiting it's chance to fully blossom. So get outta the way, because we're going Outta the Way!