Caudy's Castle is a rock pinnacle

Pinnacle

A pinnacle is an architectural ornament originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire...

 of Ridgeley (Oriskany)

Ridgeley sandstone

The Ridgeley sandstone is a sandstone or quartzite of Devonian age found in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, USA. The Ridgeley is fine-grained, siliceous, calcareous in its lower strata, sometimes fossiliferous, and sometimes locally pebbly or...

 sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

 that stands 1,400 feet (326 m) above sea level over the Cacapon River

Cacapon River

The Cacapon River , located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle region, is an river known for its fishing, boating, wildlife, and scenery...

 near the Bloomery Pike

Bloomery Pike

The Bloomery Pike is a north/south named route that runs from the North Frederick Pike in Frederick County, Virginia, USA to the Northwestern Turnpike near Augusta in Hampshire County, West Virginia. The Bloomery Pike was named for the community of Bloomery and the bloomeries that operated...

 (West Virginia Route 127) south of Forks of Cacapon

Forks of Cacapon, West Virginia

Forks of Cacapon , formerly Forks of Capon , is an unincorporated community in Hampshire County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The community is named for its location at the confluence of the North River and Cacapon River...

 in Hampshire County

Hampshire County, West Virginia

Hampshire County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 23,964. Its county seat is Romney, West Virginia's oldest town . Hampshire County was created by the Virginia General Assembly on December 13, 1753, from parts of Frederick and Augusta counties ...

, West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

. The rock formation is named after James Caudy, an early Hampshire County pioneer

Woodsman

-History:Woodsmen or lumberjack competitions have their roots in competitions that took place in logging camps among loggers. As loggers were paid for piece work, the ability to perform a specific task more quickly, or with a degree of showmanship, was something to be admired...

 and settler

Settler

A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...

 who fought off an attack by fifteen Native Americans

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 from the rock in the 1730s. Caudy's Castle is also known as Castle Rock. The pillar lies on the southern end of its namesake, Castle Mountain

Castle Mountain (Hampshire County, West Virginia)

Castle Mountain is a forested mountain ridge that lies along the Cacapon River south of its confluence with the North River at Forks of Cacapon in Hampshire County, West Virginia. The mountain is named for the Caudy's Castle rock outcrop pillar that lies on its southern end overlooking the Cacapon...

.

External links

• Caudy's Castle Rock - historical and topographical information