On September 11, 2018 Jason Williams returned to the GW Masonic Cave with his father, Larry Williams. This visit to Charles Town, which luck would have it was preceded several days by rainstorms, was significant in that the two were not able to spelunk all the way back to the signature room. The water level in that portion of the Cave had risen so high as to make it impassable, and they had to turn back.
While not the result they wanted, it confirmed what General George Washington had written about in a letter back in 1760, that the cave does indeed fill up with water – and that it is driven by rainfall.
On this return visit a survey of some of the small limestone rock formations outside but in the vicinity of the mouth of the Cave was also undertaken. A 1830s historical account that Masonic carvings were seen external to the cavern has never been confirmed – until now.
While many of the rocks and boulders around the Cave are covered by moss, several candidates did emerge. The rock images displayed below show faintly carved letters and numbers, as well as odd striations, all of which appear very old and entirely indecipherable.
Larry Williams, an intrepid soul if ever there was one, visited the GW Masonic Cave with Jason Williams on September 11, 2018.
Figures carved onto a low lying rock outside the GW Masonic Cave, of uncertain meaning.More man-made carvings outside the Cave. Pointing out worn letters carved possibly in the mid or late 1700s by Masonic lodge members. It was impossible to read or interpret these old carvings. This rock has simple striations, but clearly they are not a natural feature and were put there by someone a long time ago. The inside of the wall that was put up in the 1800s to protect the Cave.The Cave was far more wet inside compared to earlier in the summer, and the passageway to the back alcove where the GW signature is located was full up with water and could not be trespassed.Skull and Crossbones on the ceiling of the Cave. In Freemasonry the symbol is used as a reminder that death is ever immanent and is meant to incite contemplation, not fear.
Located in the middle of the main lodge room, this large and flat boulder may have been used as an alter, upon which a religious text (not necessarily a Bible) would found during meetings.A subterranean selfie of father and son inside the Cave.The eerie way out of the Cave.Outside are cement blocks with steel pipes running through them, likely installed in the late 1920s when the cave was briefly turned into a tourist spot. Possibly the pipes were used to pump water out of the Cave so visitors could more comfortable seek out the GW signature.The thick overhang of the Cave as George Washington would have first seen it when approaching for the first time in 1748.
I am a Johns Hopkins-trained, board certified adult psychiatrist with additional sub-specialty training in Psychosomatic Medicine. I live and practice medicine in Northern Virginia.
