Warren‘ Smith’s book “INTO THE STRANGE”, pages 70-71, carries the following unusual story. The cavern in question WAS commercialized in 1978 and is located not far from Lexington, Virginia:
A few miles from the tiny town of Bell’s Cove, deep in the rugged mountains of Virginia, is an unexplored underground wonderland in the little-known Buck Hill caverns. While the nearby Natural Bridge is visited each year by several hundred thousand vacationers, the cave has not been opened as a tourist attraction. People who have entered into the cave are convinced something supernatural lurks within its dark passages. ‘It’s haunted,’ is a common statement. Jake Fitzgerald was one of the few men to venture deep within the astonishing wonderland. In October, 1889, Fitzgerald was paid a dollar a day to explore the cave. “I’ve heard some stories about the strange beauty in there,” Col. Henry Parsons said. “You tell me what you discover.”
Armed with kerosene lanterns, candles, ropes, picks and shovels, Jake Fitzgerald and his brother, Joe, disappeared into the cave. A curious group of mountaineers waited at the entrance. The sun was sinking below the mountain ridge when the two youths returned. Excitedly, they told of a limitless wonderland of jewel-like magnificence beneath the ground. Vast open chambers, crystal lakes, strangely shaped stone formations, jewel-like stalagmites and stalactites intermingled with underground rivers, waterfalls and even beautiful cave flowers.
Fired with enthusiasm, a team of eight men entered the cave. They planned to open Buck Hill Caverns for the public. For several weeks they mapped the vast network of underground passageways and moved deeper into the earth’s bowels. One day, the workmen were resting beside a frozen, stone waterfall. To their left was a yawning pit that seemingly had no bottom. They had dropped pans into the opening and listened for the sound of landing. There was only silence.
They had been eating lunch when, without warning, a strange cry drifted up from the pit. It was an eerie groan.
“My God! That sounds like a woman crying,” whispered a startled workman. The voice ceased, then broke through the darkness again like the anguished moan of a dying woman.
“There can’t be nobody down here but us,” said a youth, pressing close to the others. His spine tingled with fear. A louder moan roared through the cave, floating eerily out of the uncanny chasm. It was followed by the sound of heavy, ominous breathing.
“Something’s alive in there,” shouted the first worker. “Boys, Let’s get to the top.”
The panicked workers left their tools on the edge of the chasm. They grabbed their lanterns. It was a frantic, fearful group that clawed, ran and crawled into the welcome light of the outside world.
The crew was adamant. They would not return into the cave. Stories spread throughout the region about the unknown “phantom” or “ghost” in Buck Hill Caverns …The superstitious mountaineers listened and nodded. Ghosts, spooks and haunts were common knowledge. Everyone knew these things existed. Alarmed men refused to accept any price to explore, map and open the cave.
“There’s something prowling around down there. I ain’t going in,” was a standard reply.
It may prowl yet today in those mysterious caverns.” (Note: I’ve been in contact with a man who lives near this cave. He says that this story is a very compressed version of the whole legend. He also stated that he knew of a man who has in his possession some letters concerning this legend. The whole story can be found in the book “THE PHANTOM OF BUCK HILL CAVERNS”, by J. P. Fo1insbee.)
