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in July 1948. For many years it was considered the longest cave in the world. As of 11 March 2022, the Organ Cave System had 38.452 miles (61.882 km) of surveyed cave passage making it the 55th longest cave in the world, the 16th longest in the United States, and the 3rd longest in
295:
again mined the cave for nitre. The cave today has the nation's largest collection of Civil War-era saltpeter hoppers. Studies have shown the cave dirt is high in calcium nitrate, which was turned into potassium nitrate using these hoppers.
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272:. Evidence of early white settlers in the cave is suggested by the date "1704" scratched on a wall, but this may be a later addition since the first white settlers to Greenbrier County came only in the 1740s.
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was the "Official West
Virginia State Fossil" and repeated the assertion that it was indeed found in Organ Cave, but without producing any new evidence.
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is the "Official West
Virginia State Fossil" and was "thought to have been found" in Organ Cave. (It contains the additional error of referring to the "
632:; 200 pages (Over 70 devoted to Organ Cave); 80 pages of map (100 ft:1 inch) of the system; descriptions of 50 other caves on the Plateau.
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338:)—had been assumed to have come originally from Organ Cave. Jefferson never visited the area, but received the fossil from
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592:, In: "Selected Abstracts from the 1995 National Speleological Society National Convention in Blacksburg, Virginia"; In:
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for being "the largest cave system in the State, containing many caves, one of which is Organ Cave. Noted also for its
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Armchair
General. January 2005. Adapted from a talk given to the Geological Society of America on March 25, 2004.
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590:"The Search for the Cave from which Thomas Jefferson Described the Bones of the Megalonyx"
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Significant fossil discoveries bear witness to the early natural history of Organ Cave:
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451:"National Natural Landmarks – National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)"
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was the true source. (His reasons had to do with historical land-ownership records.)
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held a ceremony at Organ Cave to present the owner with a certificate stating that
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troughs and vats." (It is now the third-longest known cave in the state, after the
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National
Register of Historic Places in Greenbrier County, West Virginia
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619:
History of Organ Cave
Community (Greenbrier County, West Virginia)
576:
History of Organ Cave
Community (Greenbrier County, West Virginia)
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Caves of the Organ Cave
Plateau, Greenbrier County, West Virginia
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in 1796. In the early 20th century, a local man, Andrew Price of
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Category:National
Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
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28:
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The main historical (and commercial) entrance to Organ Cave
484:. CaverBob.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-29
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Tourist attractions in
Greenbrier County, West Virginia
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The cave was used since before 1835 as a source for
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History of the
National Register of Historic Places
387:
List of National Natural Landmarks in West Virginia
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299:Organ Cave was first surveyed by members of the
564:by Lee Hadden. Armchair General. January 2005.
324:" rather than Jefferson's giant ground sloth.)
1101:Landforms of Greenbrier County, West Virginia
663:
157:The eponymous "organ" formation in Organ Cave
328:Formerly, a famous fossil discovery—that of
261:. Organ Cave's human history is attested by
1121:National Natural Landmarks in West Virginia
1075:Portal:National Register of Historic Places
307:
670:
656:
475:
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392:List of longest caves in the United States
225:.) Organ Cave has also been listed on the
679:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
311:
160:
152:
470:
436:, Volume XIX A (with 1965 Supplement),
64:Location of Organ Cave in West Virginia
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517:"National Register Information System"
479:
291:soldiers under the command of General
651:
612:"Confederate Boys and Peter Monkeys."
562:"Confederate Boys and Peter Monkeys"
522:National Register of Historic Places
440:, pp. 39, 41, 112; Supplement p. 22.
408:
227:National Register of Historic Places
509:
279:(saltpeter) for the manufacture of
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630:West Virginia Speleological Survey
621:; Agricultural Extension Division.
579:; Agricultural Extension Division.
382:List of National Natural Landmarks
51:
14:
1142:
636:
624:Stevens, Paul J., editor (1988),
595:Journal of Cave and Karst Studies
415:A History Of Organ Cave Community
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1126:Show caves in the United States
438:West Virginia Geological Survey
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567:
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434:Geological and Economic Survey
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353:Frederick Grady proposed that
301:National Speleological Society
194:takes its name from the cave.
1:
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366:the governor of West Virginia
84:38.452 miles (61.882 km)
402:
7:
1047:National Historic Landmarks
617:Humphreys, Blanche (1928),
573:Humphreys, Blanche (1928),
375:
217:in the same county and the
10:
1147:
1111:Landmarks in West Virginia
480:Gulden, Bob (2012-03-17).
232:
203:Organ–Hedricks Cave System
76:2,188 ft (667 m)
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501:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
316:Certificate stating that
207:National Natural Landmark
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430:Caverns of West Virginia
308:Jefferson's ground sloth
332:'s giant ground sloth (
215:Friars Hole Cave System
1096:Caves of West Virginia
702:Keeper of the Register
610:Hadden, R. Lee. 2005.
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169:
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717:National Park Service
697:Contributing property
527:National Park Service
465:Year designated: 1973
335:Megalonyx jeffersonii
315:
247:nine-banded armadillo
205:—was registered as a
192:surrounding community
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135:37.71806°N 80.43694°W
598:, April 1997, p. 57.
588:Grady, Fred (1995),
541:"Organ Cave-History"
482:"USA Longest Caves"
201:—also known as the
140:37.71806; -80.43694
131: /
643:Organ Cave website
426:Davies, William E.
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285:American Civil War
239:giant ground sloth
170:
168:vats in Organ Cave
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707:Historic district
545:www.organcave.com
529:. March 13, 2009.
199:Organ Cave System
184:Greenbrier County
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322:three-toed sloth
270:Native Americans
223:Pendleton County
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257:and an Ice Age
251:sabre-tooth cat
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219:Hellhole System
175:is a large and
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351:paleontologist
340:a local friend
318:M. jeffersonii
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370:M. jeffersoni
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359:Monroe County
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293:Robert E. Lee
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283:. During the
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16:Historic cave
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549:the original
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486:. Retrieved
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458:. Retrieved
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243:grizzly bear
236:
229:since 2005.
202:
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172:
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1035:Other lists
455:www.nps.gov
355:Haynes Cave
348:Smithsonian
289:Confederate
190:, USA. The
138: /
113:Coordinates
1090:Categories
941:Pocahontas
906:Monongalia
816:Greenbrier
488:2012-03-17
460:2019-04-13
398:References
357:in nearby
266:arrowheads
173:Organ Cave
166:Salt petre
126:80°26′13″W
123:37°43′05″N
106:Greenbrier
58:Organ Cave
22:Organ Cave
936:Pleasants
931:Pendleton
846:Jefferson
821:Hampshire
796:Doddridge
403:Citations
364:In 2008,
344:Marlinton
281:gunpowder
259:porcupine
211:saltpeter
89:Geography
961:Randolph
921:Nicholas
886:McDowell
876:Marshall
836:Harrison
761:Berkeley
747:Lists by
497:cite web
376:See also
255:reindeer
177:historic
94:Location
1042:Bridges
1026:Wyoming
1006:Webster
976:Summers
966:Ritchie
956:Raleigh
946:Preston
896:Mineral
861:Lincoln
851:Kanawha
841:Jackson
826:Hancock
801:Fayette
786:Calhoun
771:Braxton
756:Barbour
233:History
147:
1011:Wetzel
996:Upshur
986:Tucker
981:Taylor
951:Putnam
916:Morgan
911:Monroe
891:Mercer
871:Marion
806:Gilmer
781:Cabell
776:Brooke
749:county
690:Topics
81:Length
1001:Wayne
991:Tyler
971:Roane
901:Mingo
881:Mason
866:Logan
856:Lewis
831:Hardy
811:Grant
766:Boone
277:nitre
263:flint
1021:Wood
1016:Wirt
926:Ohio
791:Clay
503:link
180:cave
681:in
432:",
221:in
182:in
1092::
543:.
525:.
519:.
499:}}
495:{{
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671:e
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657:v
505:)
491:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
