In the late 1920s, Irwin Gilman was a successful salesman but the demand of his job and pending technological innovations caused him to reevaluate how he wanted to spend the remainder of his career.

“He and my grandmother discussed three entrepreneurial options: opening a ladies’ shoe store, running a parking garage or parking lot, or buying a cave and giving tours,” said Bob Gilman, the third-generation owner of Lost River Caverns in Hellertown.

According to family stories, his grandfather had never visited a cave until his wife took him to explore Crystal Cave in Kutztown. The two caves are about 34 miles and a 42-minute drive from each other.

“He took a mid-life course correction and purchased the cave in 1929. It opened for business in 1930,” Gilman said.

Gilman’s cave had a couple years of booming business from tourists eager to explore its wonders. The Great Depression and World War II occurred and left the American economy and worldwide economy in shambles, Gilman said.

Bob’s dad took over the business in the 1950s. Gilman and his sister, Beverly, took it over in 1988.

The cave is open year-round. It is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year. The address is 726 Durham St., Hellertown.

Cave Curiosity

“The caverns were discovered in 1883 by a limestone quarrying operation that was mining where the parking lot now stands. The entrance was accidentally created during this process,” states a booklet given to field trip leaders.

According to geologists, these caverns are about 250,000 years old.

Upon purchasing the cave, Irwin Gilman installed handrails, lighting and walkways to get it ready for the public.

The Hellertown tourist destination is named for “the lost river” that flows inside it.

There have been a few attempts to find out if and where the river flows outside the cave.

Bob Gilman made one of these attempts in 1983, when there was a drought and the river dried up. He went into a small tunnel where the water had flowed with the hopes of following it until he found the body of water where it ended.

“I got a few feet inside but then I got stuck,” Gilman said. “There’s super fine layer of silk that forms along the bottom like a layer of grease. I couldn’t get my grip or foothold.”

Gilman had to flip on his back and the ceiling was low enough that he could press his feet against it. Still laying on his back, He slowly shuffled and crawled back to where he had started his search.

Touring the Cave

Gilman estimated 35,000 people go through the cave each year.

“We get a lot of school groups in May during field trip season. That month is super busy every day,” he said.

Park and recreation groups, sports clubs, and families visit the cave during the summer months when schools are closed, he said.

He used to give tours, but now he leaves that up to his staff. He employs about 20 part-time or seasonal staff members as tour guides and gift shop cashiers, and full-time office staff.

“I love getting to see how the people react, share the history of the cave and learn more about it,” said Jay Bender, who has been a tour guide for about four months.

Bender will be a senior at Saucon Valley High School and Bethlehem Ara Vocation Technical School, where she is taking classes in protective service, fire, emergency medical services and military.

She had visited the cave a few times before applying for a job.

“They give us a lot of great learning tools, like a binder with its history and how the cave was formed.”

Each time she leaves the ramp by the gift shop and enters the red door into the cave, she has a new group of people and a fresh perspective. The tours last about 45 minutes.

“There are always new things to notice when you enter the cave. I could go in there 1,000 times and notice something new,” Bender said.

Usually, it is the children in a tour group that are the most observant and point out something new to her.

“Their favorite formation inside the cave is Oscar. He gets little drops of water on his back and flippers,” she said.

Oscar looks like a giant sea turtle that is sleeping. He is made of rimstone, which is deposits of calcite formed from slow moving streams, and flowstone, which is a formation that looks like a rock waterfall. Sheets of calcite build up when water flows down walls, over floor, and over older formations, she said.

“I liked some of the unique formations. I couldn’t believe how long it took for them to form. The big turtle, whale and shark were my favorite formations,” said Jonathan Piekarski, who attended Bender’s tour with a group from St. Matthew’s UCC in mid-July.

There’s another place within that cave that Gilman and Bender like to tell the visitors about since they cannot take them down there.

“The Queen’s Room is a regal, pristine experience. There was an incident in the early 1960s where an intruder got into Buckingham Palace and into the Queen’s bedroom before he was caught,” Gilman said.

When this area of the cave was discovered in 1963 during a drought that dried the river, the Gilman family wondered what it is like to get into the Queen’s room - all the difficulties and obstacles one would encounter trying to do so. This is how its name was chosen.

There are photographs on display in the museum to show its beauty. Except for this drought period, the room normally has neck-deep water and a temperature below 52 degrees. It’s completely dark in there, he said.

Weddings and dances

Today, the cave is a place for tourists and spelunkers - people who love to explore caves. But not too long ago it was also a place to exchange marriage vows and spend hours dancing.

“My favorite is the Crystal Chapel, where weddings were held from 1949 to 2009,” Bender said.

More than 100 couples were wed here. There is a small area for the bride and groom to stand with the officiant, and maybe a handful of guests.

Like a balcony in a theater, there is a raised area where a small number of musicians and their conductor performed the wedding music.

No need for a florist, as the chapel has its own cave flowers.

These are called anthodites, which are formations of aragonite or calcite. They create a spray of needles from a central stalk.

The wedding chapel was used as a dance hall in the 1880s.

“Back then, there was no air conditioning. Down here, it is always about 52 degrees. So, they came down to dance and have fun,” Bender told the church group.

Other places to explore

A visit to Lost River Caverns is not complete until guests have had a chance to visit its gift shop near the cave entrance, take a photo in the face-cutout stand outside the front door, explore its Jungle Garden with its tropical plants and explore other parts of the property.

The Gilman Museum is located on the top level and along the ramp going down to the cave’s entrance. It contains a full suit of armor, antique weaponry, animal specimens, rare fossils and unique minerals and gems. Gilman said it was collected over decades and passed down through generations.

Items in the museum caught the eye of Jonathan Piekarski’s mother during their visit.

“I enjoyed looking at the items in the museum area. They were interesting and contained some history about the cave,” said Anna Piekarski.

To commemorate the cave’s 75th anniversary in 2005, a gem mining area and quarter-mile nature trail were open to the public. They are right by the main parking lot.

The picnic grove is across the street and has a pavilion with wooden tables. There are no food services on the premises, but a small selection of snacks and drinks are available for purchase. Guests may pack picnic lunches or snacks to bring with them and eat during their visit. Nearby is an attractive covered bridge, which overlooks Silver Creek.

Lost River Caverns is not handicap accessible. Strollers are not permitted inside the cave.

For more information: https://lostcave.com.