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W E Y E R's |
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Plakat Chambers in Weyer's Cave 1872 siehe auch: |
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Übersicht Chambers in Weyer's Cave 1836 |
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Zeitungsartikel, aus: Chambers in Weyer's Cave |
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Zeitungsartikel, aus: |
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The cavern system was discovered in 1804 by 18-year-old Bernard Weyer, a young trapper, looking for his missing trap. He named it Weyer's Cave, after himself, and, after exploring it for two years, opened it for the public, the first show cave of the United States. A young fellow named Bernard Weyer enjoyed roaming the fields and countryside near his home. He was a good hunter, and he became very annoyed when groundhogs continued to elude him and carry off his expensive traps. It was in the year 1806 when he armed himself with a spade and set off determined to catch the rascals and retrieve his traps. While digging into the groundhogs' escape hole, he came upon a subterranean fairyland of unbelieveable beauty. He explored the cave at length. The caverns contained calcareous deposits, and by penetrating the cavern floor he found layers of brilliant white crystals. The many rooms of the cavern he named after leading statesmen of the day. This cave is now known as "Grand Caverns," but was first known as "Weyers Cave." it is situated on a bluff which runs along the west bank of the South Branch of the Shenandoah River, near the present town of Grottoes. Young Weyer lived in the vicinity of Weyers Cave. An early diary spelled "Weir" when referring to Weir's Cave. There is an earlier story supported by lines in a diary. This is the story of a young white girl who was kidnapped by the son of an Indian chief. The young brave wanted little "white dove," as she was called, to be his Indian bride. These Indians were friendly, but nevertheless, when the young maiden was left unattended, the Indians swooped down and she vanished into the forest. In the area there roamed a mad woman, a deranged creature, whom some called a witch. Soon after the kidnapping she appeared at the home of the lost maiden--gabbing out a strange tale of stealing the white dove from her captors and hiding her in an underground palace where the walls were silver and the floors were pearl. The old woman said if they would give her a horse she would bring the young girl home. The tale was true....the old creature brought the child home, but with a fever. In the girl's delirium she talked of a marble palace with the moon shining through the roof. The settlers set the story down as nonsense, and it was nearly another hundred years before the young hunter found his way into the underground cavern. During the Civil War and the Valley Campaign, the cave was visited by both Confederate and Union soldiers. During their visits, over 230 soldiers signed their names on the cave's walls. One noted signature is that of W.W. Miles, signed on September 26, 1864. Once, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson was apparently camped near Port Republic and allowed his soldiers to visit the caverns. Jackson himself decided not to go, saying, "I fear I shall be underground soon enough, and I have no desire to speed the process!" |
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Artikel, Weyer's
Cave, Virginia |
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Weyer's Cave, which has been not inappropriately termed the Antiparos of Virginia, is situated in the northwestern part of Augusta County, about seventeen miles north of Staunton, and a few miles west of the Blue-Ridge Mountains. It is located in a large hill, or rather a spur of a range of small mountains, branching out southwesterly from this spine of the Atlantic watershed, and for many miles overhanging its uppermost tributaries. This cavern derives its name from one Bernard Weyer, a dweller in the neighborhood, who discovered it while hunting an Opossum, ferreting out the little animal to its retreat within the mouth. It is approached from the rustic inn, half a mile distant, by a broad camage-road to the foot of the hill, and thence by a zigzag, precipitous foot-path to the opening near the crest of the summit. |
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Weyer's Cave, welches nicht unangemessen das Ferienarchipel von Virginia genannt wird, liegt im nordwestlichen Teil von Augusta County, etwa 17 Meilen nördlich von Staunton, und ein paar Meilen westlich der Blue Ridge Mountains. Es liegt auf einem großen Hügel, oder besteht vielmehr eine aus einer Reihe von kleinen Bergen, die südwestlich von dieser Wirbelsäule der atlantischen Wasserscheide hervorbrechen und über viele Meilen über den obersten Nebenflüsse hängen. Diese Höhle leitet ihren Namen von Bernard Weyer ab, einem Bewohner in der Nachbarschaft, der sie bei der Jagd nach einem Opossum entdeckt hat, das sich gerade bei seinem Rückzug in den Mund Höhle zurückzog. Es ist von dem rustikalen Wirtshaus kommend eine halbe Meile entfernt, über eine breite Straße bis zum Fuße des Hügels, und von dort über einen abschüssigen Zick-Zack-Fußweg zur Öffnung in der Nähe der Kuppe des Gipfels. |
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*Postkarte* The Bluff Bluff kann
Täuschung und Felsvorsprung heißen. |
