A Guide To The Virginia Springs Part 7

Besides Weyer's, there are other caves in the State, which are great curiosities, two of which are said to be nearly equal to Weyer's. One of them is in Page County, about a mile west of Luray, and the other in Warren County, about three miles south of Front Royal.

POWELL'S FORT VALLEY.

This curiosity is in Page County; and Kercheval gives the following account of it:

"The grandeur and sublimity of this extraordinary work of nature, consists in its tremendous height and singular formation. On entering the mouth of the fort, we are struck with the awful height of the mountains on each side, probably not less than a thousand feet. Through a very narrow pa.s.sage, a bold and beautiful stream of water rushes, called Pa.s.sage Creek, which a short distance below works several fine merchant mills. After travelling two or three miles, the valley gradually widens, and for upwards of twenty miles furnishes arable land, and affords settlement for eighty or ninety families, several of whom own very valuable farms. The two mountains run parallel 24 or 25 miles, and are called East and West Fort Mountains, and then are merged into one, anciently Mesinetto, now Masinutton Mountain. The Masinutton Mountain continues its course about 35 or 36 miles southerly, and abruptly terminates opposite Keisletown, in the County of Rockingham.

This range of mountains divides the two branches of the Shenandoah River, called the South and North Forks. This mountain, upon the whole, presents to the eye something of the shape of the letter Y, or perhaps more the shape of the hounds and tongue of a wagon.

"A few miles above Luray, on the west side of the river, there are three large INDIAN GRAVES, ranged nearly side by side, 30 or 40 feet in length, 12 or 14 feet wide, and 5 or 6 feet high. Around them, in a circular form, are a number of single graves. The whole covers an area of little less than a quarter of an acre. They present to the eye a very ancient appearance, and are covered over with pine and other forest growth. The excavation of the ground around them is plainly to be seen. The three first-mentioned graves are in oblong form; probably contain many hundreds of human bodies, and were doubtless the work of ages.

PEAK k.n.o.b, AND THE GLa.s.s WINDOWS.

These two curiosities, in Pulaski County, are thus described by Howe:

"Peak k.n.o.b, 4 miles south of Newbern, is a prominent projection in Draper's Mountain, rising about 1,000 feet, and presenting from its summit a delightful and extensive landscape. Iron ore exists in abundance in this mountain, and also coal of a good quality. In its vicinity are mineral springs, supposed to possess valuable medicinal qualities.

"On the north bank of New River, near Newbern, there is a bluff called THE GLa.s.s WINDOWS, consisting of vertical rocks nearly 500 feet high, and forming the immediate bank of the stream for a distance of four miles. They are considered a great curiosity. The face of these rocks is perforated by a vast number of cavities, which no doubt lead to caves or cells within the mountain. Some of the cells have been explored, and found to contain saltpetre, stalact.i.tes, and other concretions."

Howe tells us, that in Was.h.i.+ngton County, "westerly from Abingdon, between Three Springs and the North Fork of Holston, on Abram's Creek, in a narrow, gloomy ravine, bounded by a high perpendicular ledge, is a large waterfall, which in one single leap descends perpendicularly 60 feet, and then falls about 40 feet more ere it reaches the bottom. The stream is about 20 feet wide."

DISTANCES.

FROM WAs.h.i.+NGTON CITY TO THE VIRGINIA SPRINGS.

ROUTE NO. 1.

Miles from Miles. Was.h.i.+ngton.

From Was.h.i.+ngton to Acquia Creek Landing, 45 To Fredericksburg, 14 59 " Junction, 37 96 " Louisa, C. H., 37 133 " Gordonsville, 13 146 " Charlottesville, 21 167 " M'Ghee's, 7-1/2 174-1/2 " c.o.x's, 7 181-1/2 " Brooksville, 4-1/2 186 " Mountain Top, 4 190 " Waynesboro, 4 194 " Staunton, 11 205 " Buffalo Gap, 10 215 " Oakland House, 10 225 " Deerfield, 2 227 " Lange's, 2 229 " Cloverdale Hotel, 6 235 " Bath Alum Springs, 15 250 " Warm Springs, 5 255 " Hot Springs, 5 260 " Callahan's, 20 280 " White Sulphur Springs, 15 295 " Lewisburg, 9 304 " Blue Sulphur Springs, 13 317

ROUTE NO. 2.

Miles from Miles. Was.h.i.+ngton.

Baltimore to Harper's Ferry, 82 Was.h.i.+ngton to Harper's Ferry, 104 To Charlestown, 10 114 " Winchester, 22 136 " Newtown, 8 144 " Strasburg, 10 154 " Woodstock, 11-1/2 165-1/2 " Mt. Jackson, 13 178-1/2 " New Market, 7 185-1/2 " Spartapolis, 6-1/2 192 " Harrisonburg, 11 203 " Mt. Crawford, 8 211 " Mt. Sidney, 7 218 " Staunton, 10 228 Thence as in No. 1, to the White Sulphur, &c.

Or from Harrisonburg, via Augusta Springs, to the Warm Springs, 60

ROUTE NO. 3.

RICHMOND VIA CENTRAL RAILROAD.

Miles from Miles. Richmond.

To Atley's, 9 " Peak's, 6 15 " Hanover Court-House, 3 18 " Wickham's, 2 20 " Junction, 7 27 " Noel's, 5 32 " Hewlett's, 4 36 " Beaver-dam, 4 40 " b.u.mpa.s.s's, 6 46 " Frederick Hall, 5 51 " Tolersville, 6 57 " Louisa Court-House, 6 63 " Trevilian's, 5 68 " Gordonsville, 9 77 " Lindsay's, 5 82 " Cobham, 2 84 " Campbell's, 3 87 " Keswick, 4 91 " Shadwell, 3 94 " Charlottesville, 4 98 Thence as in No. 1 by stage to White Sulphur.

ROUTE NO. 4.

FROM RICHMOND, VIA JAMES RIVER Ca.n.a.l, TO LYNCHBURG, THENCE BY STAGE VIA THE NATURAL BRIDGE, DIBBREL'S SPRINGS, AND COVINGTON, TO THE WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS.

Miles from Miles. Richmond.

To Manakintown, 17 " Jude's Ferry, 5 22 " Michaux's, 9 31 " Cedar Point, 2 33 " Jefferson, 6 39 " Cartersville, 8 47 " Columbia, 10 57 " New Canton, 9 66 " Scottsville, 13 79 " Rockfish, 12 91 " Warminster, 8 99 " Hardwicksville, 4 103 " Tye River, 5 108 " Bent Creek, 9 117 " Staple's Mills, 12 129 " Lynchburg, 17 146 " Natural Bridge, 38 184 " Dibbrel's Springs, 18 202 " Clifton Forge, 10 212 " Covington, 13 225 " Callahan's, 5 230 " White Sulphur, 15 245

ROUTE NO. 5.

LYNCHBURG TO WHITE SULPHUR.

Miles from Miles. Lynchburg.

To New London, 10 " Liberty, 15 25 " Buford's, 14 39 " Fincastle, 14 53 " Scott's, 18 71 " Mountain House, 7 78 " Sweet Springs, 9 87 " Red Sweet, 1 88 " White Sulphur, 16 104

ROUTE NO. 6.

FROM STAUNTON TO ROCKBRIDGE ALUM SPRINGS, VIA LEXINGTON.

Miles from Miles. Staunton.

There are two routes, one of which is to Greenville, 12 To Fairfield, 11 " Lexington, 12 35 The other is to Middlebrook, 11 To Brownsburg, 12 " Lexington, 12 35 " Rockbridge Alum, 17 52 From Rockbridge Alum to Bath Alum Springs, 17

ROUTE NO. 7.

FROM GUYANDOTTE TO WHITE SULPHUR.

Miles from Miles. Guyandotte.

To Charleston, 48 " Salines, 5 53 " Falls of Kanawha, 30 83 " Gauley Bridge, 5 88 " Hawk's Nest, 8 96 " Locust Lane, 2 98 " Blue Sulphur, 40 138 " Lewisburg, 13 151 " White Sulphur, 9 160 From White Sulphur to Salt Sulphur, 26 From White Sulphur to Red Sulphur, 43 From Red Sulphur to Blue Sulphur, 33 From Scottsville to Brooksville, 25 To Staunton, 19 44 From Waynesboro to Greenville, 17 From Winchester to Jordan's White Sulphur Springs, 6 From Winchester to Capon Springs, 22 From Lexington to Covington, 41 From Winchester to Romney, 43 To Clarksburg, 111 154 " Parkersburg, 83 237 From Fredericksburg to Richmond, 62 From Richmond to Petersburg 22 From Staunton to Parkersburg, 234

CENSUS OF VIRGINIA FOR 1850.