Organ Cave, West Virginia
Organ Cave, West Virginia | |
|---|---|
Organ Cave Organ Cave | |
| Coordinates: 37°42′46″N 80°26′28″W / 37.71278°N 80.44111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Greenbrier |
| Elevation | 2,178 ft (664 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area codes | 304 & 681 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1555270[1] |
Organ Cave is an unincorporated community in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. Organ Cave is located along U.S. Route 219 and West Virginia Route 63 at the Organ Cave, 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Ronceverte.
As might seem obvious from the name of the town, the principal attraction here is Organ Cave, the ninth longest mapped cave in the United States. Organ Cave was mined for saltpeter, the principal ingredient of gunpowder, during the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his troops held a church service in the main entrance room of the cave during the war. Remains of the Civil War mining are in an excellent state of preservation and are seen on the commercial tour.
The early saltpeter miners discovered the bones of a large, unknown animal. The owner of the cave sent some of the bones (a forearm and a hand with giant claws) to Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson described them as "Megalonyx" (Greek for "Great Claw"). This was the first reported find of a giant ground sloth in the United States. This particular genus is now known as Megalonyx jeffersoni.
Landmark Designation
In 1973, the Organ Cave System was declared a National Natural Landmark (NNL) by the U.S. National Park Service. The designation recognized the cave’s status as the largest mapped cave system in West Virginia at the time and highlighted the exceptional preservation of saltpeter mining features left from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and the Civil War. The National Park Service emphasized Organ Cave’s dual significance, both as a geological resource, with more than 45 miles of surveyed subterranean passages, and as a cultural landmark, preserving some of the most complete and intact saltpeter mining works in the eastern United States. The NNL designation also provided Organ Cave with a degree of federal recognition and conservation priority, encouraging careful management of its fragile geological formations and historically significant mining sites. This recognition placed Organ Cave among a select group of American cave systems deemed nationally significant for both natural history and cultural heritage.[2][3][4]
References
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "National register of historic places registration form - Organ cave". Archived from the original on June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Organ Cave system, West Virginia" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 20, 2024.
- ^ "NPS.gov Homepage (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
- Humphreys, Blanche (1928), History of Organ Cave Community (Greenbrier County, West Virginia); Agricultural Extension Division.