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All the United States Virginia Luray The Great Stalacpipe Organ
AO Edited

The Great Stalacpipe Organ

An organ located deep within a cave, whose "pipes" are the geological features of the cave itself.

Luray, Virginia

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The Organ   joncallas
  Paulo Ordoveza/Flickr
An album recorded in the cave with the stalacpipe organ   Wikimedia
The Organ.   stanmouser
Luray Cavern   bluecorvette/Flickr
The organ from another angle   joncallas
One of the solenoid strikers of the Great Stalacpipe Organ   Jon Callas/Flickr
A plaque   Paulo Ordoveza/Flickr
  Paulo O
  m01229
Some of the cave formations   ladydragonflyherworld
The Organ situated in the cave.   skinnylawyer
The Cave   bluecorvette
The Organ, Dimly Lit.   brownpau
The organ   kaitlinmarie
More of the cave formations   ladydragonflyherworld
The Organ   trevorcoxsalford
Stalactite Organ Plaque   relizh / Atlas Obscura User
One of the mallets that gently strikes a stalactite   relizh / Atlas Obscura User
Invented by Leland W. Sprinkle, Sr. & dedicated June 7, 1957   cmkrdonahue / Atlas Obscura User
  Traveler Tim / Atlas Obscura User
  Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Wishing well   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Cave entrance   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Musical cavern   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Organ in Luray   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Organ   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Deep in the Luray Caverns of Virginia, which are known as the biggest cave complex in the Eastern United States, sits the largest musical instrument in the world.

The Great Stalacpipe Organ appears at first to be a normal organ, but instead of using pipes, the organ is wired to soft rubber mallets poised to gently strike stalactites of varying lengths and thicknesses. When the keyboard is played, the entire subterranean landscape becomes a musical instrument.

In order to achieve a precise musical scale, the chosen stalactites of the organ range over 3.5 acres, but due to the enclosed nature of the space, the full sound can be heard anywhere within the cavern. The organ was invented and built in 1954 by Leland Sprinkle, a mathematician and electronic scientist. It took him over three years to complete it.

The Atlas Obscura Podcast is a short, daily celebration of all the world's strange and wondrous places. Check out this episode about the Great Stalacpipe Organ. 

Related Tags

Caves Music Subterranean Sites Ecosystems

Know Before You Go

Visiting hours vary based on season, so be sure to check out the website for tickets and the schedule in advance. The entrance opens at 9 a.m, and closes at 4, 5, 6, or 7 p.m. depending on the season.

Community Contributors

Edited By

michelle, CC, relizh, TeaAndCoffeeLover...

  • michelle
  • CC
  • relizh
  • TeaAndCoffeeLover
  • gsj90md
  • mbison
  • Allison
  • Traveler Tim
  • cmkrdonahue
  • Jason Michael Walker
  • yarboroughsts

Published

January 21, 2010

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Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Stalacpipe_Organ
  • https://rove.me/to/virginia/luray-caverns
  • https://luraycaverns.com/visit-us/
The Great Stalacpipe Organ
970 US 211-W
Luray, Virginia, 22835
United States
38.661432, -78.485041
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