Organ Cave
| Organ Cave System | |
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National Natural Landmark National Register of Historic Places |
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 The main historical (and commercial) entrance to Organ Cave
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Greenbrier |
| Elevation | 2,188 ft (666.9 m) |
| Coordinates | 37°43′05″N 80°26′13″W / 37.71806°N 80.43694°WCoordinates: 37°43′05″N 80°26′13″W / 37.71806°N 80.43694°W |
| Length | 38.452 mi (62 km) |
| Designated NNL | November 1973 |
| Owner | Private owner |
| IUCN category | III - Natural Monument |
| Nearest city | Ronceverte, West Virginia |
  Location of Organ Cave in West Virginia
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| Website: Organ Cave | |
Organ Cave is a large and historic cave in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, USA. The surrounding community takes its name from the cave.
In 1973, the Organ Cave System — also known as the Organ-Hedricks Cave System — was registered as a National Natural Landmark for being "the largest cave system in the State, containing many caves, one of which is Organ Cave. Noted also for its saltpeter troughs and vats." (It is now the third-longest known cave in the state, after the Friars Hole Cave System in the same county and the Hellhole System in Pendleton County.) Organ Cave has also been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2005.
Significant fossil discoveries bear witness to the early natural history of Organ Cave: giant ground sloth, grizzly bear, nine-banded armadillo, sabre-tooth cat, reindeer and an Ice Age porcupine. Organ Cave's human history is attested by flint arrowheads used by early American Indians. 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.
The cave was used since before 1835 as a source for nitre (saltpeter) for the manufacture of gunpowder. During the American Civil War, Confederate soldiers under the command of General Robert E. Lee 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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Wikipedia