Great Saltpeter Cave

Great Saltpeter Cave is located in southern Kentucky, about 10 miles from I-75. It was open as a commercial cave into the 80's, but is now generally closed to the public. It is owned by the Rockcastle Karst Conservancy (http://www.rkci.org/gsp.shtml). It is open to the public one weekend a year in May. It is also used as a meeting place for cavers affiliated with local "grottos" of the NSS.
The cave was mined for saltpeter during the War of 1812 and the Civil War, and many wooden mining artifacts from these periods are preserved in the cave. In more recent years, it was a place for social gatherings including concerts and dances. The "Renfro Valley Barn Dance" radio program was broadcast nationally from the cave in 1939 by CBS. You can find a detailed history of the cave in the Conservancy's website. When I visited the cave as a tourist in 1984, I was handed a kerosene lantern and a map of the cave.
I gained access this weekend because of a commission to do some paintings of the property. I used the cave's commercial lighting system to take the photos. This is the largest room in the cave, sometimes called the "Ballroom." It used to have a wooden dance floor. You can see some wooden mining artifacts at lower left.

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A long passage, with heaps of dirt left from saltpeter mining.

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I like big old caves. I've been through several in New York State and in Virginia but I've never made it to Kentucky. Nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

dan

John,

Thanks for posting. It brings back memories of the only spelunking experience in my life to this very cave in the early 1970's. I remember a watery passage called "Devil's bathtub", and many other interesting formations. Our guides were very mindful that we left the cave in exactly the same condition as when we entered it. It was also my introduction to "cave grot", which I still eat to this day partly because it brings back memories of my experiences in this cave.

Cheers,