Grand Caverns
Back in 1804 Bernard Weyer discovered the unusual caves situated on a bluff belonging to his neighbor Mr. Mohler. Nearly a century before, the courageous "Sir Knights of the Golden Horseshoe" had passed by this part of the Blue Ridge—within ten miles of the entrance of the caverns, perhaps, and because of the layout of the land never suspected the underground "Buried City." Today these are called Grand Caverns and are located between Elkton and Mt. Sidney, the latter town being on the Lee-Jackson Highway.
Young Weyer was a great hunter who enjoyed roaming the fields and hillsides in search of game. The historian Kercheval tells the story of the day when Weyer went to find an elusive ground-hog, having previously set a trap for it. The animal not only had not been captured but for some time had made a successful getaway with each trap set for it. Weyer decided to dig for the ground-hog hide-out. "A few moments' labor brought him to the antechamber of this stupendous cavern, where he found his traps safely deposited." Not content with eleven pages of flattering and minute descriptions of every passageway known then, Kercheval used another page with "Note A" and "Note B" which described later explorations. This makes interesting reading for those who have either visited the Caverns or have not had that privilege and plan to see them. In these accounts he included Congress Hall, The Infernal Regions, Washington's Hall, The Church, Jefferson's Hall and numerous others.
The Historical Collections of Virginia by Henry Howe gives a vivid picture of Weyer's Cave and the author further states:
"A foreign traveller who visited the cave at an annual illumination, has, in a finely written description, the following notice:
" ... Weyer's Cave is in my judgment one of the great natural wonders of this new world; and for its eminence in its own class, deserves to be ranked with the Natural Bridge and Niagara, while it is far less known than either.... For myself, I acknowledge the spectacle to have been most interesting; but, to be so, it must be illuminated, as on this occasion. I had thought that this circumstance might give to the whole a toyish effect; but the influence of 2,000 or 3,000 lights on these immense caverns is only such as to reveal the objects, without disturbing the solemn and sublime obscurity which sleeps on everything. Scarcely any scenes can awaken so many passions at once, and so deeply. Curiosity, apprehension, terror, surprise, admiration, and delight, by turns and together, arrest and possess you. I have had before, from other objects, one simple impression made with greater power; but I never had so many impressions made, and with so much power, before. If the interesting and the awful are the elements of the sublime, here sublimity reigns, as in her own domain, in darkness, silence, and deeps profound."
Bear in mind that this account was given long before 1850 and that Grand Caverns was first known as Weyer's Cave.
We learned that the Cave was used as a source of income by its owners first in 1836, when the large chambers were converted into temporary dance halls for the countryside youth. Mentioned above is the fact that the caverns were lighted once a year and admission was charged on this occasion. About 1925 the passages were lighted properly and tourists began their trek to this wonder of nature.
A modern note is to be found in the name "Linbergh Bridge"—one not mentioned as such by any of the early writers!