Forge Hollow Caves

From the Rome Daily Sentinel, November 30, 1937



Forge Hollow Caves Sources of Fossils and Many Legends

Legends of fact and fancy surround the two caves at Forge Hollow, which for decades have both mystified and amused natives of this territory on the Deansboro-Waterville road.
The rock formations within these caves have yielded many interesting fossils of scientific value. A scarab fossil, discovered by Amos Osborne of Waterville, has been taken to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, where it has been placed on exhibition.
The caves, located adjacently, are crammed with ice practically all fall and winter. Miniature cascades fall over the entrances to both.
Several legends are connected with the caves. According to one story, an explorer many years ago found a good-sized lake hidden in the inner recesses of one cavern. This allegation, however, has never been proved to the knowledge of present-day inhabitants of the area. At one time or another all sorts of ghostly and mysterious events are supposed to have taken place within the caves. The caves are low, and progress through them can be made only by crawling, so it is difficult to prove or disprove any of the characteristic myths told about them.
About 75 years ago the ravine formed by the caves was filled with a wide-spreading pond, extending from what is now a school house to the nearby hill. Across from the caves was a dam which operated "Finney's Forge," from which Forge Hollow derives its name.
The rock openings have no specific name, but are known merely as "the caves" to residents of Waterville, Deansboro and vicinity.