The Great Stalacpipe Organ – Luray, Virginia - Atlas Obscura
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The Great Stalacpipe Organ

Luray Caverns
Luray, Virginia

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

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The Organ joncallas (CC BY 2.0)
The Organ joncallas (CC BY 2.0)
Paulo Ordoveza/Flickr (Creative Commons)
An album recorded in the cave with the stalacpipe organ Wikimedia
The Organ. stanmouser (CC BY 2.0)
Luray Cavern bluecorvette/Flickr (Creative Commons)
The organ from another angle joncallas (CC BY 2.0)
One of the solenoid strikers of the Great Stalacpipe Organ Jon Callas/Flickr (Creative Commons)
A plaque Paulo Ordoveza/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Paulo O (Creative Commons)
m01229 (Creative Commons)
Some of the cave formations ladydragonflyherworld (CC BY 2.0)
The Organ situated in the cave. skinnylawyer (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The Cave bluecorvette (CC BY 2.0)
The Organ, Dimly Lit. brownpau (CC BY 2.0)
The organ kaitlinmarie (CC BY-ND 2.0)
More of the cave formations ladydragonflyherworld (CC BY 2.0)
The Organ trevorcoxsalford (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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)
1840
1471
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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. 

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.

subterranean sites caves music ecosystems
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