One of the most iconic things you'll see while driving down Main Street in Hummelstown is THE ARCH located on the town square. The "Arch" was constructed by John Bieber in 1930, initially as an advertisement for Indian Echo Caverns located approximately 1/2 mile south of the borough.
The historical marker is located to the right of THE ARCH and information contained within this post was obtained from it.
According to the marker it states that in the photos, the Arch is shown with its various modifications over the years. The trolley tracks ran centerered between the columns. The original Arch was constructed of wood and was raised on protective feet. It was used to announce events and as a welcome sign for visitors to the community. The Arch was removed from the square in 1955.
Indian Echo Cave, formely known as Echo Cave, is one of the foremost natural attractions in the northeastern U.S. and is comparable to the Luray Caverns of Virginia, noted for the type of beauty of its formations. It is considered to have nearly as much influence in putting Hummelstown on the map, as did the Hummelstown Brownstone Company.
In 1929 John Bieber opened the cave for visitors and installed a lighting system. One year later a second chamber was discovered and opend to the public. The Swartz family purchased the cave property in 1940, and it remains open to visitors.
In recognition of the original Arch and its relationship to the borough and Indian Echo Cave, the borough has created a replica to commemorate the Square and to serve as a community information kiosk.
Note: You can double-click on each photo to have it open up in a new window and in an enlarged size to see the details close-up.
1 comment:
I did not know about this arch and the historic cave. I would love to go visit there.
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