WSS Dorchester Cave Project

Historic photos from when Gary K Soule of the WSS who first discovered the Dorchester Cave and saved it in October 1972. Three of the photos show the impressive walking passage called Pennings Hall. It was named after John Pennings, who owned the Dorchester Nursing Home at that time. It is in the South Dorchester Cave section.

The blasted open discovery entrance to the North Dorchester Cave. A similar opening existed for the South Dorchester Cave. It is the same cave with 55 feet of cave passageway in the middle removed for the basement.

Looking at the excavated basement and opening to the South Dorchester Cave. The old Egeland Memorial Hospital boiler room is shown on the surface. This building wing has since been torn down and the nursing home dining room wing exists here today.

The six foot long cement tunnel under construction to the South Dorchester Cave. It runs between the basement wall and the bedrock side of the blasted out basement excavation. The forms were just temporary until the cement hardens.

One of two padlocked steel doors that permit access to each section of the cave. This is the South Dorchester Cave entrance.

Looking into the open entrance of the North Dorchester Cave, which is smaller.

A view just inside the South Dorchester Cave as the passageway starts to drop down and open up and get bigger. It gets much larger yet until full walking height passageway is reached!