Luray Caverns, previously Luray Cave, is a cave just west of Luray, Virginia, United States, which has drawn many visitors since its discovery in 1878. The cavern system is adorned with speleothems such as columns, stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and mirrored pools. The caverns host the Great Stalacpipe Organ, a lithophone made from solenoid-fired strikers that tap stalactites of varied sizes to produce tones similar to those of xylophones, tuning forks, or bells.

A Smithsonian Institution report of July 13 and 14, 1880, concluded: "[I]t is safe to say that there is probably no other cave in the world more completely and profusely decorated with stalactite and stalagmite ornamentation than that of Luray."

Luray Caverns is privately owned by the Graves family, who have lived in Luray for many years. Theodore Clay Northcott, great-grandfather to the owners, purchased the land on which the caverns are located in 1905.

Description

thumb|right|Sign at Wishing Well rock formation describing donations made to Page County charities

Visitors enter the cave via a path that curves downward through the caverns, eventually reaching Dream Lake, The Saracen's Tent, The Great Stalacpipe Organ and some large stalactites and stalagmites. The path proceeds to the Wishing Well and a war memorial honoring veterans from Page County. It then ascends to a small passage past the Fried Eggs rock formation and returns to ground level through a smaller passage to the entrance. The entire trek is long and can be completed in 45 minutes to 1 hour. Visitors can carry small pets on the cave tour, and leashed pets are permitted on the grounds outside the cave. The caverns now offer a step-free access. While this extended pathway will allow for wheelchair access, the caverns are not advertised as accessible.

History

Discovery

Luray Caverns was discovered on August 13, 1878, by five local men, including Andrew J. Campbell (a local tinsmith), William Campbell, John “Quint” Campbell, and local photographer Benton Stebbins. The Colonel billed the sanatorium as the first air-conditioned home in the United States. On the hottest day in summer, the interior of the house was kept at a cool and comfortable . By sinking a shaft in diameter down to a cavern chamber and installing a fan powered by a electric motor, Northcott's system could change out the air through the entire house about every four minutes. Tests made over successive years by means of culture media and sterile plates were considered to have demonstrated the "perfect bacteriologic purity" of the air,

Commercialization

thumb|The plaque outside Luray Caverns declaring it a Natural Landmark

Portions of the caverns are open to the public and have long been electrically lighted. The registered number of visitors in 1906 was 18,000,

In 1974, the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior designated Luray Caverns as a National Natural Landmark.

Luray Caverns is home to a commercial rope course and hedge maze. The maze contains 1,500 dark American arborvitae which create a path for visitors. Three museums are also on site and included with the general admission. The Toy Town Junction Museum offers an array of vintage miniature trains, dolls, and other collectible toys on display. The Car and Carriage Caravan Museum features an impressive collection of over 140 items relating to early transportation including a Conestoga wagon and an 1892 Mercedes-Benz. The Shenandoah Heritage Village is home to a collection of historic Shenandoah Valley buildings from rustic 19th-century life and the Luray Valley Museum contains many regional artifacts of significance including a 1536 Zürich Bible and a patented dog-powered butter churn.

Geology

thumb|right| Luray Caverns Ballroom of stalactites, 1882

The caverns are situated in the Shenandoah Valley, just to the west of the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains in Luray, Virginia. The valley extends northeast to southwest along the northwest side of the Blue Ridge. Cave Hill, above sea level, had long been an object of local interest on account of its pits and oval hollows or sinkholes (known as karst) through one of which the discoverers of Luray Caverns entered.

See also

  • List of National Natural Landmarks in Virginia

References

Further reading

  • Ryder, J.A. (1881), "List of the North American species of myriapods belonging to the family Lysiopetalidae, with a description of a blind form from Luray Cave, Virginia", Proceedings of the U. S. National Museum, 3: 524-529.
  • Luray Caverns official website
  • Stalacpipe.net
  • Audio and video of organ on Sound Tourism site