Smoke Hole Caverns
Encyclopedia
Smoke Hole Caverns is a picturesque show cave
in Grant County
in West Virginia
's Eastern Panhandle.
SHC were opened to the public on 30 May 1940. They are located near the mouth of Smoke Hole Canyon
from which the cave takes its name. They are located on WV 28 13 km west of Petersburg
.
Local lore has it that the cave was utilized during Prohibition
by moonshine
rs. There is only one entrance into the caverns which made it secure and with an ever present supply of fresh water it was a perfect place to produce moonshine. The cave also has an artesian well.
On the night of November 10/11, 2009, the Smoke Hole Caverns Gift Shop and Restaurant were completely destroyed by fire. The Caverns and local lodging facilities remain open.
SHC is owned and operated by Jerry and Janet Hedrick.
Reputed to have one of the largest ribbon stalactites in the world, Smoke Hole Caverns has been adapted significantly to make it tourist friendly. A large number of lights have been installed without using appropriate filters. This has resulted in considerable damage to the stalactites and stalagmites, which took millions of years to form, and most are now covered in green algae. The operators have even gone so far as to add fish to a pond in the cave. There appears to be a complete disregard for maintaining this wondrous resource and a keen desire to make it as theme park like as possible, to the point it would seem of drilling through stalactites. If visitors want to see this cave before it is destroyed, they are running out of time.
Show cave
Show caves — also called tourist caves, public caves, and in the United States, commercial caves — are caves that are managed by a government or commercial organization and made accessible to the general public, usually for an entrance fee...
in Grant County
Grant County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,299 people, 4,591 households, and 3,273 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 6,105 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
in 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...
's Eastern Panhandle.
SHC were opened to the public on 30 May 1940. They are located near the mouth of Smoke Hole Canyon
Smoke Hole Canyon
Smoke Hole Canyon — often called simply the Smoke Hole — is a rugged long gorge carved by the South Branch Potomac River in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA...
from which the cave takes its name. They are located on WV 28 13 km west of Petersburg
Petersburg, West Virginia
Petersburg is a city in Grant County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,423 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grant County.-History:...
.
Local lore has it that the cave was utilized during Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
by moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
rs. There is only one entrance into the caverns which made it secure and with an ever present supply of fresh water it was a perfect place to produce moonshine. The cave also has an artesian well.
On the night of November 10/11, 2009, the Smoke Hole Caverns Gift Shop and Restaurant were completely destroyed by fire. The Caverns and local lodging facilities remain open.
SHC is owned and operated by Jerry and Janet Hedrick.
Reputed to have one of the largest ribbon stalactites in the world, Smoke Hole Caverns has been adapted significantly to make it tourist friendly. A large number of lights have been installed without using appropriate filters. This has resulted in considerable damage to the stalactites and stalagmites, which took millions of years to form, and most are now covered in green algae. The operators have even gone so far as to add fish to a pond in the cave. There appears to be a complete disregard for maintaining this wondrous resource and a keen desire to make it as theme park like as possible, to the point it would seem of drilling through stalactites. If visitors want to see this cave before it is destroyed, they are running out of time.