Without doubt, the first
human visitors to Crystal Caverns at Hupp’s Hill were the Native American tribes,
whose hunting  parties
frequented the northern Shenandoah Valley region. The presence of arrowheads and other
artifacts found close to the cave supports this theory.In the
1750’s, the Hupps were among the many "Dutch" (German) emigres’ moving
south along the "Great Valley of the Shenandoah". They eventually settled just
north of what is now Strasburg, VA. While exploring their property, they discovered a
large cavern lying on the crest of what would become known as "Hupp’s
Hill". For this reason, the caverns are considered the oldest documented in Virginia.
Samuel Kercheval mentioned the presence of a "extensive cavern on Hupp’s
Hill" in his 1825 "History of the Valley of Virginia".
The Hupps took advantage of the cavern’s constant 54°F. to store food.
Grand "illuminations" were held periodically for their friends and neighbors,
during which the beautifully decorated cavern rooms and corridors would be lit with scores
of candles and lanterns.
Tales have been recounted that the caverns were the refuge of
escaped slaves, making their way to freedom, as well as Hupp family servants and children
who wanted to "play hooky" for an hour or two and avoid some work!
From 1861 to 1865, Hupp’s Hill was in the center of several of the  great
battles of the American Civil War including Fischer’s Hill and Cedar Creek (Fall
1864). The caverns saw the passage of thousands of soldiers of the Northern and Southern
Armies. It is said that the cave’s dark halls sheltered deserters from both sides of
the conflict and may have been used as an ammunition dump and bomb-proof.
Local lore relates that some of the passageways may once have extended to the
Hupp mansion in Strasburg and beyond. However there is no solid evidence that these
passageways ever existed. Its likely these stories were embellished by the imaginations of
local youngsters, exploring the cavern’s seemingly endless twisting avenues and high
vaults by the light of tallow candles.
After WWI, the caverns were acquired by Bruce Hupp of Strasburg, an heir to the
extensive Hupp estate. Paths were built, electrical lights installed, and they opened for
tours on May 30, 1922. They have been open (by public tour and private appointment)
continuously since that time. |
