The Pavilion Station

Reaching the west side of the trestle, our conductor stops the car to discharge passengers at the Pavilion Station. Here passengers can climb off, stretch their legs, and enjoy a scenic view of Mauch Chunk and the deeply carved Lehigh River gorge. A small and appropriately rustic log pavilion offers an overlook, shelter, and seating. Since cars come by at regular intervals, some riders take full advantage of this natural setting, opening their picnic baskets, eating a casual lunch while admiring the wonderful view, and eventually continuing along on a later car.

Soon we pass by a small stream of water that flows down the rock face on the right. Its source above is Indian Spring. The railroad's stationary engines needed water to generate steam, which created lifting power. Pipes from this natural spring fed water by gravity into a reservoir on the south side of the Mt. Pisgah engine house.

Coasting comfortably on the tree-lined, six-mile run toward Mt. Jefferson, we pass over a small trestle about 60 feet long. Below and to the left are the Old Tunnel Mines (now called Hacklebernie), which include the oldest large underground tunnel in the United States. Managers of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company diligently searched these mountainsides for coal seams closer to the Lehigh River than the Summit Hill deposits. The Hacklebernie mine, driven between 1824 and 1827, seemed promising, but the coal extracted proved to be low in quality and in quantity. They made little money from this particular venture.

NEXT STOP: Five Mile Tree

Return to Switchback Home Page.

Return to the Switchback Trail Map.