Howe Caverns is a

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

Howes Cave Howes is an English topographic name and surname. Howes is from the plural of the word howe referring to a barrow originating from the Old Norse word ''haugr'' meaning hill, mound or barrow. Howes can refer to: People * Alex Howes (born 1988), ...

Schoharie County, New York Schoharie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning ...

. Howe Caverns is a popular

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or an exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural ...

, providing visitors with a sense of

caving Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology ...

or spelunking, without needing the advanced equipment and training usually associated with such adventures. Howe Caverns is the second most visited natural attraction in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a U.S. state, state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the List of U.S. ...

, after

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

Geology

Geologists A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...

believe the formation of the cave, which lies below ground, began several million years ago. The cave walls are composed mainly of two types of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

(Coeymans and Manlius) from different periods in the Earth's early history, deposited hundreds of millions of years ago when the Atlantic Ocean stretched far inland. The cave contains an underground lake, called the Lake of Venus, as well as many speleothems.

Discovery and development

Howe Caverns is named after farmer Lester Howe, who discovered the cave on May 22, 1842. Noticing that his cows frequently gathered near some bushes at the bottom of a hill on hot summer days, Howe decided to investigate. Behind the bushes, Howe found a strong, cool breeze emanating from a hole in the Earth. Howe proceeded to dig out and explore the cave with his friend and neighbor, Henry Wetsel, on whose land the cave entrance was located. The cave remains a constant temperature of , irrespective of the outside weather. Howe opened the cave to eight-hour public tours in 1843, and, as business grew, a hotel was built over the entrance. When Howe encountered financial difficulties, he sold off parts of his property until a limestone

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mining, open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock (geology), rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some juri ...

purchased the remainder. The quarry's purchase included the hillside, which encompassed the cave's natural entrance. Eventually, the cave was closed to the public, until an organization was formed in 1927 to reopen it. The organization spent the next two years undertaking development work to create an alternative entrance into the cave. After completion of the work – including

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They ar ...

s, brick walkways, lighting, and handrails – the cave was reopened to visitors on Memorial Day, May 1929. The standard tour lasts about 80 minutes and shows the majority of the cave. Visitors begin at the elevators and continue to the end of the Lake of Venus, which marks the end of the developed property. Beyond this point lie about of unconditioned and destroyed caverns, which led to the quarry and the natural entrance. After a boat ride, visitors turn around and walk back the way they came, with two additional stops.

Developments since 2000

In 2008, the cave was purchased by private owners. In 2011, an adventure park attraction was assembled, initially featuring only a

ropes course A ropes course is a challenging outdoor personal development and team building activity which usually consists of high and/or low elements. Low elements take place on the ground or above the ground. High elements are usually constructed in tre ...

and zip line. Since then, an H2OGO ball has been added, along with a rock wall,

air jumper Inflatable castles (also called closed inflatable trampolines (CITs), bouncing castles, bouncy houses, bounce houses, jumping castles, jumpers, bouncy castles, moon bounces, or moonwalks) are temporary inflatable structures and buildings and simi ...

, and a gemstone mining building. On July 8, 2015, one of the H2OGO water attractions was stolen. Howe Caverns offered a reward to anyone providing information that might lead to an arrest of the thief or thieves. In May 2015, Howe Caverns officials re-opened the natural entrance of the cave to public tours. The newly-opened section of the cavern had not been seen since 1900.Martin, Josh. "Century old cavern to open at Howe Caverns", WBNG News, Binghamton, April 21, 2015
"It was closed to begin with because the property had been previously owned by several cement companies that took over in the late 1800s", said Guy Schiavone, Howe Cavern's specialty tour director.Hunter, Matt

twcnews.com, April 21, 2015. The two-hour "Signature Rock Discovery Tour" simulates natural cave exploration with the assistance of a guide, in a section of the cave that had not previously been open to the public. There is no artificial lighting in this part of the cavern, so visitors are supplied with their own portable lamps, as well as a suit appropriate for the muddy and cold journey. The expanded tour includes the remains of Howe's original tourist boat, signatures along the rock left by cavern adventurers more than 100 years ago, and a “Music Hall” where sound echoes exceptionally well. The tour usually ends at the "Lake of Mystery", as visitors would have to crawl through a muddy passage filled with water inches away from the ceiling, to proceed any further. The store at Howe Caverns sells "cave aged" cheese that is stored in a locked room by the elevators. Weddings are performed deep in the cave, on top of a calcite formation that resembles a heart shape."Weddings in the Cave!", Howe Caverns
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Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology

The Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology is located next to the caverns in a former hotel. The museum features exhibits relating to the cave's geology and formation, rock and mineral specimens, the history of the cave's discovery and tourism, wildlife found in the cave, and the area's cement industry.

References

External links

Cave House Museum of Mining & Geology

{{authority control Caves of New York (state) Limestone caves Show caves in the United States Landforms of Schoharie County, New York Tourist attractions in Schoharie County, New York Museums in Schoharie County, New York Natural history museums in New York (state) Geology museums in New York (state)