Charles Town Cave — also formerly known as Crystal Lake Cave and Lakeland Cave — is located in the center of Charles Town, West Virginia, United States.Davies, William E. (1958), ''Caverns of West Virginia'', 2nd edition, Volume XIX(A) of the ''West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey'',

Beckley, West Virginia Beckley is a city in and the county seat of Raleigh County, West Virginia, United States. It was founded on April 4, 1838. This city is the home of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology or West Virginia University, Beckley Campus. ...

: Biggs-Johnson-Withrow, pp 148. One entrance was in the cellar of a bakery (since demolished) and led down to a passage about 175 feet long to a large pool of clear water about 25 feet in diameter. Much of the cave is under the current Old Opera House building. The cave was discovered accidentally in 1906 and was for a time developed as a commercial

show cave A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to ...

in the late 1920s and early '30s. Water sampling in 1997 showed the presence of petroleum contamination in the water. The cave is closed to the public. Rumors persist about other entrances to the cave in various Charles Town and Ranson buildings.

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History of the Cave in Charles Town
on YouTube Caves of West Virginia Limestone caves Landforms of Jefferson County, West Virginia Charles Town, West Virginia {{EastPanhandleWV-geo-stub