Cave Rocks
Located in Caln Township, near the village of Fisherville and about two miles from Downingtown, Cave Rocks was once a striking natural landmark that also offered spectacular views of the Chester Valley. Perhaps the best description comes from one writer who depicted Cave Rocks as "a mass of huge boulders … promiscuously piled together by nature's hand, covering about one half acre of ground and capping a lofty eminence."
Cave Rocks was also described as a "tremendous hill of rocks," and was accessible via several winding paths beginning at its base along what is now Bondsville Road and East Kings Highway. The ascent took visitors through a dense forest, with the rock formations only becoming visible upon reaching the top.
Cave Rocks was located in Caln Township off of what is now Bondsville Road south of the village of Fisherville.
The site's distinctive rock formations at the summit, along with the massive boulders that had tumbled and stacked along the slopes and base of the hill, created an array of nooks, crevices, and several caves. The largest cave had a very narrow entrance that required visitors to crawl through, but inside, it expanded into a spacious chamber approximately ten feet high and thirty feet deep. These distinctive geological features added to the area's appeal for visitors and explorers, and ultimately inspired its name.
From the peak of Cave Rocks, visitors could take in panoramas stretching from Downingtown to Coatesville, with the villages of Thorndale and Gallagherville and many farms seen in between. The vantage point was so high that a visitor could even track a train as it traveled along the Main Line.
The location of Cave Rocks was noted on the 1873 map of Caln Township.
Very early on visitors began to chisel names, initials, and dates on some of the highest rocks in the formation. One visitor in the early 1900s remarked seeing an inscription from 1842, though there were certainly ones that had to have been much older.
Like many storied locations, Cave Rocks was also immersed in legend. It was said to have served as a hideout for the infamous Doan Brothers, outlaws who operated in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War. Another notorious figure, the bandit James "Sandy Flash" Fitzpatrick, was also rumored to have used the area as a refuge. Legend also had it that treasure was buried at Cave Rocks. Whether fact or folklore, these tales only added to the site's mystique and appeal.
This undated image shows an individual posing on one of the large boulders at the peak of Cave Rocks. Source: New York Public Library
In the 1800s, Cave Rocks was an especially popular attraction in Chester County and was even mentioned alongside Valley Forge and the Brandywine Battlefield. Its popularity drew locals and out-of-towners alike. Picnickers found it an ideal retreat, and it was a favorite destination as a field trip for organizations and schools. Many church groups, area YMCAs, local Scout clubs, the West Chester Bird Club, the "Snappy Hikers" which was a girls' outdoor organization from West Chester, the Yaqui Pedestrian Club also from West Chester, and numerous other organizations visited the site over the years.
Members of the "B. Natural Club" of Coatesville would often hike to Cave Rocks, and in 1880 two naturalists from West Chester announced finding a specimen of lichen not before seen in Chester County. This caused one newspaper to quip "our lichenologists are exceedingly happy over the find."
Outings to Cave Rocks were often mentioned in local newspapers including West Chester's Daily Local News and the Coatesville Record. This headline was from the Daily Local in 1906.
Out-of-town visitors would usually travel by train to see Cave Rocks. Those from Philadelphia or the Main Line would get off at Downingtown and walk up the Horseshoe Pike (now Route 322) and cut over on what is now Edges Mill Road to the base of the hill. Those coming from Wilmington or other areas to the south, or Reading from the north, would take the Wilmington and Northern Railroad to Coatesville and walk the remainder of the way to Cave Rocks.
On May 31, 1879, several young men from West Chester walked to Cave Rocks and back on the same day. The 20-mile round trip was worth it to see "this wonderful freak of nature."
Daily Local News from March 26, 1910.
The arrival of the trolley in Downingtown in 1902, and then to Coatesville a few years later, made travel easier and more convenient. One needn't walk ten miles one way from West Chester. Visitors could take the trolley to Downingtown and walk the remaining two miles or continue on towards Coatesville and get off along one of the stops near Thorndale. From there, they would walk up what is now North Bailey Road then turn right on the Old Kings Highway (now Route 340). Along the way, it was noted that visitors would drink from springs or knock on the door of a local farmer and ask for a cup of cold water. Walking further, visitors would also rest on the porch of the Caln Friends Meeting House before venturing to Cave Rocks.
Cave Rocks frequently appeared in news articles about fox hunting, as foxes often sought refuge among its boulders in a final attempt to evade their pursuers.
Cave Rocks was on a parcel of land owned by James Guie, Sr. (pronounced Guy). Guie was the proprietor of the nearby Eagle Paper Mill along Beaver Creek and was very courteous in allowing access to the site, and if he was around, would also point out interesting features to visitors. Guie died in 1893 and the mill was passed down to his sons James Jr., Richard and Adolphus. It may have been around this time that the sons started a small quarrying operation at the base of the hill. As a result, the very resource that made Cave Rocks valuable as a destination – its unique stone formations – would also lead to its end.
A picture of James Guie Sr., that accompanied his obituary in The Jeffersonian (West Chester) on September 30, 1893.
In 1900, James Jr. and Richard Guie died within months of each other, leaving the mill and Cave Rocks property to the last surviving son, Adolphus. Two years later, in 1902, Adolphus sold the mill to Frank Rudolph but retained ownership of the quarrying operation. When Adolphus passed away in 1922, the Cave Rocks property was inherited by his son, Harry, who may have had little interest in continuing the quarry business. Instead, Harry focused on breeding beagles and raising chickens at his quite successful Beaver Creek Poultry Farm – an interest that dated back to his childhood when he earned the nickname "Chicken Guie."
Initially, the Guie's quarrying operations probably began small and most likely had little impact on the Cave Rocks' experience. However, much of the rock being quarried was a high quality 'greystone' which proved to be valuable building material. In 1913, the Hopewell Methodist Episcopal Church in East Brandywine Township was building a new edifice and used stone from Guie's quarry. Probably to save in building expenses, the men of the congregation quarried the stone and hauled it back to the church themselves.
The Hopewell Methodist Episcopal Church is seen here in an image taken by church member Edwin Wagner in 1920. In 1913, this new church edifice was constructed with stone quarried at Cave Rocks and was described at the time as the "Rural Cathedral."
In 1924, Harry Guie sold the 24-acre parcel where Cave Rocks was located to Edwin Wirth who significantly expanded the quarrying operations. A road was built around the base of the hill and a narrow-gauge railroad was constructed to the top. To transport the stone from the top, a small rail car was loaded with stone and lowered down the tracks by a cable attached to a gasoline motor. From there, trucks carried the stone to building sites throughout the area.
This headline appeared in the Coatesville Record on June 11, 1925.
Some of the stone was used in Downingtown to construct new buildings and homes. In 1923, the stone used in building East Ward School came from Cave Rocks. The following year Josiah Philips built his new home at 44 West Lancaster Avenue from stone quarried at Cave Rocks. A lot of stone was also used in road building with quite a bit being used in the Horseshoe Pike and Bondsville Road. In 1929, John Thorp used Cave Rocks’ stone to border the curving driveway to the basement of his West Chester funeral home.
In 1924 Josiah Philips built his new home at 44 West Lancaster Avenue in Downingtown (as seen in a current image) from Cave Rocks stone.
The wall of the driveway leading down to the basement garage of John Thorp's funeral home in West Chester was constructed of Cave Rocks stone in 1929. Current image from Google.
For a time after Wirth purchased the land, access to Cave Rocks remained open, though the number of visitors was declining. Despite the dwindling crowds, those who did visit continued to climb to the top, where the view of the Chester Valley remained spectacular. However, by that time most of the trees on the hill had been cut down and the quarry was slowly encroaching on the most-visited areas, significantly dampening the experience. A local newspaper stated that at the rate the quarry was expanding, "Chester County's great natural wonders will be no more." Another said that "the old picnic ground is being blown to pieces by dynamite." Amusingly, it was said that after every blast of dynamite workers would check the area for treasure – just in case the legends of hidden loot were true!
During this time, reports also surfaced that Cave Rocks was teeming with snakes – at least far more than in the past. The increase made the site even less appealing to visitors.
"Cave Rock Stone" is specifically mentioned in this 1927 advertisement from the Coatesville Record.
Wirth eventually closed the site to visitors and placed ads in local newspapers offering rewards for anyone caught trespassing, stealing, or vandalizing the quarry's property at Cave Rocks. An article on the 18th century bandit Sandy Flash appeared in the September 18, 1927, issue of the Sunday News of Lancaster and mentioned Cave Rocks as a possible location for his stashed loot. This could have resulted in unwanted treasure-seekers trespassing on Wirth's land.
Edwin Wirth placed this announcement in the Daily Local News in 1928.
These images of the Cave Rocks hill appeared in the September 18, 1927 issue of the Sunday News of Lancaster. The left image shows the steep railway that was built to transport the quarried stone from the top of the hill.
This recent image was taken across Route 340 (East Kings Highway) from the hill where Cave Rocks was located. The hill seen in the background was much taller before it was quarried in the early 1900s. The hill is on private property.
As the quarry expanded, much of what once made Cave Rocks special was lost, and over time, even the memories of its popularity faded. Today, the hill where Cave Rocks once stood is still visible from Bondsville Road and East Kings Highway, especially in the winter months. However, the site has been extensively quarried and is on private property. Most likely, little, if anything, of the original rock formations remain. Though many might pass by without a second thought, very few realize just how popular it once was.