Caudy's Castle is a
rock pinnacle
A pinnacle, tower, spire, needle or natural tower (german: Felsnadel, ''Felsturm'' or ''Felszinne'') in geology is an individual column of rock, isolated from other rocks or groups of rocks, in the shape of a vertical shaft or spire.
Examples are ...
of
Ridgeley (Oriskany) sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
that stands 1,070 feet (326 m) above sea level over the
Cacapon River
The Cacapon River ( ; meaning Medicine Waters), located in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle region, is an shallow river known for its fishing, boating, wildlife, hunting, and wilderness scenery. As part of the Potomac ...
near the Bloomery Pike (
West Virginia Route 127
West Virginia Route 127 is an east–west state highway located in northeast West Virginia. The western terminus is at West Virginia Route 29 near Forks of Cacapon in Hampshire County. The eastern terminus is at the Virginia state line wes ...
) south of
Forks of Cacapon in
Hampshire County,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
, United States. The rock formation is named after
James Caudy, an early Hampshire County
pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...
and
settler
A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area.
A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...
who fought off an attack by fifteen
Native Americans from the rock during the French and Indian War.
Caudy's Castle is also known as the Castle Rock. The pillar lies on the southern end of its namesake,
Castle Mountain
Castle Mountain ( bla, Miistukskoowa) is a mountain located within Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, approximately halfway between Banff and Lake Louise. It is the easternmost mountain of the Main Ranges in the Bow Valley and sits ...
.
References
External links
Caudy's Castle Rock- historical and topographical information
Landforms of Hampshire County, West Virginia
Landmarks in West Virginia
Rock formations of West Virginia
{{HampshireCountyWV-geo-stub