The following by Ronald G. Taylor, Alma Town Historian 2008 Many times I have told family members of the days when I was 5 or 6 years old and my Grandparents Taylor took me to visit the Alma Hill Ice Cave. The reason I am repetitive to family about this cave is that I remember a trip with them going "rock hunting". My Grandmother Taylor, having been born and raised within a quarter mile of the ice cave on Alma Hill, knew exactly what she wanted for her flower gardens and was constantly making my Grandpa haul heavy stones so she could place them "just so" and plant her many varieties of flowers around them. When you enter the road (private property) into the area where the path leads to the ice cave, there was an old quarry of rocks....not just any rocks....these were like green glass and they contained rounded milk-white pebbles. My Grandpa owned a Terraplane automobile which had a fender well for spare tire. Shedding all doubt, Grandpa was forced to leave the spare tire home so he could haul stones in that well! I'm not sure that any of my family truly believed me about the green stones with white pebbles embedded. Now, my friend Mary Rhodes has discovered an 1897 clipping from the Wellsville Reporter which sheds some authenticity on the subject. If anyone ever finds one of those stones around Allentown laying in the sod please call me, it's probably one that my Grandmother dragged into town and I'd like the stone. Flash!!!! I had only published this story for about two hours and friend, Brian Lynch emailed me the picture of his rock, shown below the clipping......... Transcribed by Gary Goodridge September 23, 1897 THE ALMA CAVE And Oil Well Shooting Treated in a Letter to Bluffs, Ill., “Times”
In request The Reporter reprints from the Bluffs, Ill., “Times” the following description of a visit in this section: “After spending a day at the falls and Buffalo we took the car for Southern New York. Shortly after our arrival we went to see an oil well shot twelve hundred feet beneath the surface. This was to have taken place about 9a.m. but owing to some delay we were obliged to linger at the place until 4p.m. I was more fortunate than some of our party, having formed the acquaintance of some very estimable people Mrs. Sherwood and after conversing with them for a time we repaired to their camp nearby were we partook of an excellent dinner prepared by natural gas. Near there was a spring of water clear as a crystal, around which grew tall ferns. After spending a few minutes here and swinging in the large swing by camp we went once more to the top of the bluff to see the well. After the nitro-glycerine had been placed a lady from Minnesota dropped the “Go Devil” which caused the explosion. In a few minutes after a large stream of oil and water was thrown about two hundred feet above the top of the derrick causing a rumbling noise and resembling the description given of a geyser. The next place we visited was the cave of Alma which is situated on the top of a high bluff. Tourist go there in the summer and take cream with them and freeze it in the cave. Is is surrounded and covered with huge conglomerated boulders, made up of snowy white pebbles, mica, etc. At the doorway was written “Fools Entrance,” fortunately I didn’t enter, but some of our party did. I am visiting with Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Hawkins whose home lies in the beautiful valley of the Genesee, surrounded by high bluffs of the Allegany mountains. The scenery is very beautiful and picturesque, especially in the early morning when the sun is just rising above the horizon. The fair opens this week and Mrs. Hawkins has placed on exhibition a powder horn and cane taken from a British soldier in the war of the Revolution, also a piece of the first calico made in America.”
Ada B. Rockwood
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Although Brian Lynch felt that the rock above was glass, I believe it to be a rock from Alma Hill. |
Clippings below submtited by Mary Rhodes from Wellsville Daily Reporter
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Below "rocks/glass" at Dyke Street Museum, probably from Alma...
(photos by Mary Rhodes) |
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The Alma Ice Cave
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