Here we behold most wondrous sights No mortal understands, Of stalactites and stalagmites, A house not made with hands. Here Nature set to work her hands In ages long since gone, That man might quit his work on lands To see and ponder on. What means these fluted columns tall,— These pendants from the dome? These sculptured figures large and small, Excelling Greece and Rome? This drapery striped with Nature’s hues, In regular spaces wrought? These scenes man’s pride at once subdues— They are beyo

The rocks in which the caves of the Florida Caverns State Park were formed are limestone. This rock is made of the mineral calcite, calcium carbonate, and it is soluble in pure water under conditions of favorable structure, a continuous supply of moving water and time. However, in the water of Florida this limestone is readily dissolved, because the humid climate and prolific vegetation contribute organic and mineral acids to water and make it a highly potent solvent that is capable of dissolvin

If these caves, we see in the Florida Caverns Park area, were formed under water, how is it possible to walk through them today? This is an obvious question which requires an answer. If rocks formed under marine waters are exposed on the land surface today it is obvious that the land has been raised out of the sea, or the sea has lowered. From geologic evidence it is known that Florida has been rising since late geologic time. This elevation is believed to be caused by downwarping at the mouth o

We have seen then in the preceding discussion how caves are formed largely in rocks saturated with water, and how by land movements and changes of sea level the caves and pores formed in this rock are moved above permanent water levels and exposed to air. It then becomes possible to deposit rock in the pores and caves rather than to increase their size by solution. As you go through the caves you will notice that the walls are wet and that water is oozing out of the pores of the rock. This water

Since early time, Florida Caverns have had interest. They were first mentioned in writings by Friar Barreda, who was with the first overland expedition made by the Spaniards to Pensacola Bay. The following paragraph is in the Friar’s own words, written 256 years ago: “On June 12 (1693) we continued northwest and after we had journeyed a little more than three leagues ... we reached an abandoned village of the Choctaw tribe called San Nicholas where I came to preach the holy gospel in the year 16

Marianna is located in the northwest section of Florida, approximately twenty miles from both the Georgia and the Alabama state lines. The Gulf of Mexico lies forty-five miles to the south, the Apalachicola River fifteen miles to the east, and Port St. Joe only seventy miles southeast of Marianna. It is relatively easy to travel to the various population centers of the southeast because of Marianna’s centralized location. Airline Service —The city is served by National Airlines, with three fligh