History

| History of Shenandoah Caverns | Famous Firsts |

| Shenandoah Valley - A Brief History | Shenandoah Caverns Pixie |

| Native Americans and the Shenandoah Valley |

History of Shenandoah Caverns

The history of Shenandoah Caverns is intertwined with that of the beautiful and historic Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and the Native Americans who once populated and traversed the Valley.

Most caverns in the Shenandoah Valley formed as water trickled through tiny cracks in the stone, dissolving the lime, enlarging the cracks. The cracks became crevices, then channels, and finally, tunnels. The formation of Shenandoah Caverns was a bit different. Shenandoah Caverns' spectacular formations resulted from this movement of water, but, as the great inland sea receded, violent earthquakes also created faults that hastened and changed the caverns' formation.

The beautiful flowstone, unique bacon formations and the thousands of stalactite and stalagmite formations are the result of water moving through limestone, picking up infinitesimal amounts of lime and depositing it inside the cavern.

The coloring of the cavern comes from pigments of iron, magnesium and other minerals through which the water seeps. The limestone deposits themselves are snow white.

Cascade Hall

A crevice caused by a blast during construction of the Valley Division of the Southern Railway in 1884 allowed vapor to escape and aroused the curiosity of several youths in the area.  With a rope, the daring boys descended through the fissure to a depth of 150 feet. They thought they might find water, but instead, their flickering candles revealed caverns of such size and beauty that they hurried back to the surface to share the news of their discovery.

While one of the greatest wonders of the natural world had been discovered that day, it wasn’t until 1884 that an effort was made to determine the extent of the caverns.  Even then, the crude illumination available to the two explorers didn’t allow them to appreciate fully the wonders beneath Cave Hill.

Development of Shenandoah Caverns began in 1921, and in 1922, they opened to the public.

A hotel opened on the site of the caverns’ entrance and attracted travelers by automobile, bus, and train.  Air conditioning was provided using the naturally cool caverns’ air. The upper floor of the hotel was consumed by fire in 1957.Today, the second floor of the caverns’ lodge is home to the unique attraction, Main Street of Yesteryear, a collection of antique, animated window displays.These are the same displays families used to see when they visitedMain Street department stores at holiday time.

Shenandoah Caverns Pixie

The pixie first appeared at Shenandoah Caverns in the mid-1960s as a billboard and brochure logo, inviting tourists to “Come and See, Follow Me.” Our friendly pixie can still be found around the caverns lodge, in the caverns themselves, and, now, on our web site!

Shenandoah Valley – Brief History

The beautiful Valley of Virginia lies between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains. Native American groups lived in and traversed the Valley for nearly 11,000 years before Europeans penetrated the mountain ranges in the 17^th century. While a Jesuit priest is believed to have journeyed to the area in 1632, the man credited with first exploring the Valley was John Lederer, a German medical practitioner who visited in 1669. He left detailed records and crude maps. Additional early explorers included John Batts, Robert Fallam and Virginia Governor Alexander Spotswood.

Permanent settlement began in the 1730s as German and Scotch-Irish immigrants from Pennsylvania began to arrive. Many of the early settlers were Quakers who had good relations with the Indians. The Virginia government encouraged settlement on the western frontier to provide a buffer against the potential threat of Indians friendly with the French who were pushing south from Canada into the Ohio Valley. The Indian raids during the French and Indian War (1754-1763) marked the last major presence of Native Americans in the Valley. The Warriors Path long used to traverse the Valley is today known as Route 11, part of which was surveyed by George Washington.

Along this Valley route passed giants of their day: frontiersman Daniel Boone and future presidents Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Jackson. Along the route, the patriotic priest John Peter Muhlenburg preached revolution and helped form the Eighth Virginia Regiment of Continentals, made up of Valley soldiers.

Yet another war came closer to the Valley as soldiers who wore blue clashed with those in gray under the leadership of Jackson, Early, Gordon, Sheridan, Banks and Custer. Prominent Civil War sites and museums are but a few miles in any direction from Shenandoah Caverns, including the famous New Market Battlefield, where cadets from Virginia Military Institute joined the battle against Union forces.

The Shenandoah Valley today remains a vibrant, beautiful region especially touched by Nature with beautiful scenery, rich history, incomparable caverns, outstanding recreational opportunities, fertile fields, and friendly people.