The Washington times., 1933-07-15
GREAT NATURAL BEAUTY MARKS VIRGINIA CAVERN
CHARMING ROADS, RIVERS, lakes
LURE TOURISTS, To HISTORIC,
QUAINT OLD DOMINION

(which will eventually contain 327..
900 acres. The park will be an ir
regular strip of virgin forest run
ming up the spine of the Blue
Ridge Mountains for 80 miles. 1t
is planned to eventually build
Skyline Drive the entire length
of the park.
Leaving Panorama, the road
drops steadily to Luray, seat OF
Page county.
On the south edge of the town
is the old Saltpeter Cave which
furnished ammunition to the
armies of Lee and Jackson.
Near here Sheridan's valley raid
was stopped, he having set out to
lay such waste to the Shenandoah
Valley that a travelling crow would
have to carry a knapsack OF pro-
visions.
A New HOstelry
The town has many eating
places and one Of the newest no.
tells in the State, the MimSlyn,
offers fine food and lodging.
On the western edge Of Luray,
by the side of Route 211, are the
Caverns of Luray. The caverns
entrance building is constructed
of field stone and stands almost
on the paved highway.
Once inside the caverns-the ad-
mission price is $1.65 per person,
children under IL are admitted at
half price one searches his vo-
cabulary for sufficient adjectives
to describe the scenes.
Cavern Beauties
Fantastic, grotesque, beautiful,
weird, grand, superb" are few
of the adjectiVes that come to
mind. The Luray and other large
caverns defy description.
In the Luray Caverns are to be
seen the throne room, Swiss cot
tage way, the ball room, Washing.
ton column, the cathedral and
the organ and chimes. The cav.
erns are lighted by electricity.
Continuing on to New Market,
13 miles beyond the caves, the
motorists have reached the tour
ist center of the valley, being in
the center of the cavern industry,
so to speak.
The caverns alone bring a nil.
lion visitors a year to the valley
and almost all Of them visit New
Market.
1t is located at the intersection
of Route 211 and United States
Route II, "the Valley Pike" an i'm
portant road from New York to
Atlanta.
Founded In 1785
New Market was founded in
1785 by Peter Palsel. The quiet old
town slumbered along for decades
before the coming of the rail-
roads. When a railroad was built
into the town, the town officials
would not allow the locomotive
in the community, and today the
railroad station stands a mile
north of the town.
It was at New Market that the
cadets from Virginia Military In
stitute at Lexington won them
selves undying fame. On May Is,
1864, they took part in the battle
there, being in the final charge
and capturing several pieces of
artillery. Of the 221 boys in the
battle, eight were killed and 46
wounded.
The Endless Caverns are about
four miles south of New Market
on Route II. They are reached
from the Valley Pike by a fine
private road that runs directly to
to the caverns.
Discovered by Boys
The owners of each of these
caverns claims for them "the
most beautiful in the world" :"
Each has its own distinctive fea-
lures and one of the features of
the Endless Caverns is its lighting.
Ten miles Of lead-covered cable
have been hidden in the caves so
far open to the public. New rooms
and spaces are being opened up,
the name of the caverns really
meaning what it says.
The caverns were discovered by
two boys whose dogs chased rab-
bit into large hole in a pasture.
They did some amateur exploring
and we're followed, later. by their
elders.
For many years the caverns
we're a favorite picnicking place for
farmers and their families, iIlum-