Book Description

Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in rural and small town America during the roaring twenties? Or experience the great depression of the thirties? Or actually hear Franklin Roosevelt’s voice announce America’s entry into World War II? This book takes you on a journey to those times as seen through the eyes of Burrel Harman and his young family. Taking place in Newark, Ohio, Seneca and Smokehole Caverns and Petersburg, WV, The Cave Dwellers tells the story of the family’s adventures as Burrel fulfills his and his family’s dream to open to the public the unexplored cavern his grandfather had discovered on the family farm. When Burrel became the cavern’s first manager, his children, whether playing within the cavern’s stone walls, waking to the sight and sound of a carrousel in their yard, soaring over the 1000 feet peaks of Seneca Rocks in the open cockpit of a barnstormer’s airplane, or watching country music performances from their own front porch, life seemed enchanted. Then the lure of an unexplored cave took him to Smokehole Caverns where he worked with other fearless spelunkers to transform it from its primitive state to an underground wonderland, and to stay on as its first manager. After moving to nearby Petersburg, the family quickly adjusted to being “townies.” Then, unknown forces began to work behind the scenes to destroy life as they had known it. While they faced tragedies, loss of loved ones, and a bushwhacker’s bullet, nothing had prepared them for what happened next. As Burrel struggled from the depth of his despair to restore order to their family, and the children yearned for what they had lost, a stranger appeared and helped bring the magic back into their lives.