Per an April 9, 1990 Lebanon Daily News article by Pat Seaman, “Huddled against the hillside next to a waterfall and amidst a forest of hemlocks, sequestered in the mountains of Bethel Township, stands a rusti hand-hewn log cabin…. Off the beaten path…, the primitive structure sitting on a parcel in the Blue Mountains of Swatara State Park is totally hidden from passerby.”
“So how did Bordner ever find such a secluded spot? ‘I wanted to build a weekend shack in the mountains…I came out here and saw the waterfall and decided I’m not going t o build a weekend shack—I’m going to build a home…. Bordner spent 2 ½ years building his dream.”
Armar J. Bordner was a retired woodshop and drafting teacher in the Northern Lebanon School District. He and Margaret (Peg), his wife, were the parents of one daughter, Linda. Reportedly, in 1939 he and his students finished the cabin by hand using materials found on the site--logs and stone. “…His uncle cut down all the trees used to make the hand-hewn logs comprising the cabin. The corners were all fit together by hand, he notes, adding that he built the mammoth stone fireplace in the living room himself…. And that picturesque view, accompanied by its own symphony, is what Bordner wakes up to every morning. Bordner is quick to point out the name, “ACRIGGS” inscribed on one of the rocks by the falls is in memory of Colonel Benjamin, chief engineer of the old Union Canal.” Acrigg once owned the parcel of land on which the cabin sits. Inside is a raftered ceiling.
“Bordner is the first to admit that building his home was a lot of hard work and that he “ probabl would never go through it again’ …. But then maybe the agony is worth it just to enjoy the ecstasy of Bordner’s tranquil wilderness. After all, how many people fall asleep to the sound of water cascading down the mountain? How many people are awakened by the chopping of a woodpecker looking for shelter or have chickadees eating out of their hands?”
In the 1970’s, when the homes were taken by eminent domain for Swatara State Park, he resisted, and was awarded a lease that allowed him to stay in the cabin for a nominal annual rental fee until he died. Upon his death, the Boy Scouts rented the cabin for about $1 per year. They eventually turned the lease back to the State Park. In 2005-06,
The Bordner Cabin is currently a "point of interest" on both the Heritage and Swatara Water Trails; Using the criteria of workmanship, engineering, location, and age, in 2009, this site will qualify for the National Register of Historic Places.
Recently, Swatara Creek Watershed Association celebrated Armar Bordner Cabin's 75th anniversary (see attached link at top of listing).
Lock n Lock Please re-hide well as area sees visitors and cache should not be visible.