Philips Cave, located in Redding, Connecticut
along with the other caves in this blog has a very distinctive history. Most of
the caves in New England have a historical
past or legend that couple with the caves physical attraction. While
intriguing, these allegories are generally difficult to support with factual evidence.
Philips Cave is a simplistic cave in that is has
a singular primary chamber and almost no elevation gains. This cave is easy to find
and overlooked by many of the local explorers. The fact that a lot of locals
show little to no interest in the cave is surprising considering that it has an
interesting affiliation to a hermit who is said to have lived in the cave in
the early 1800s.
How to get to the cave:
Philips cave is located within Putnam
Park—a well maintained historical park
where General Israel Putnam had encampments during the American Revolution—at the
intersection of Blackrock turnpike and Park Road in Redding, Ct.
You will find the entrance to Putnam Park
runs adjacent and to the left of the parking lot. A miniature blockhouse—once
used as a military lookout—welcomes the visitors who follow the gravel trail through
the park that is just about a mile long.
At the northern side of this trail, about halfway through, is
a placard with information on the myth of the cave. Based on the placard’s account,
it appears that the park had at one point created a railing for visitors to
hold on to, and even some steps leading to the entrance of the cave. But since that time the structures have
deteriorated.
The cave is located at the end of a stone side path a few
meters beyond the placard.
Exploring the cave:
The entrance to this cave is reasonably
large and easy to enter. The cave veers to the left with a slanting rock that
would promptly force a person to hold on to other rocks while descending into
the first chamber. From here the cave continues about thirty feet back and becomes
smaller at the end. About half way into the cave there is an opening overhead
that leads to a small chamber that is somewhat like a loft, where four people
could sit comfortably. This chamber located above the first compartment is
about fifteen feet long and about four feet tall in certain areas.
The rear of the cave leads to a
second entrance to the cave; although this method is much smaller to enter and
involves crouching or crawling to enter. The rear entrance is much smaller and
requires anyone to go single file in order to walk around.
Myth of the cave:
As stated earlier, Philips Cave,
as well as the others in the area, is somewhat shrouded in mystery. It is said
that the cave is named after a soldier returning from the Revolutionary War.
This soldier decided to live in the cave and to free animals from the local
farm owners. The Redding inhabitants decided to take matters
into their own hands and forcefully removed the soldier from the cave.
