Cumberland Caverns
Higgenbotham Cave, Henshaw Cave
Cumberland Caverns - Three Chessmen
LocationMcMinnville, Tennessee
Coordinates35°40′09″N 85°40′51″W / 35.66917°N 85.68083°W / 35.66917; -85.68083[1]
Length27.7 miles (45 km)[2]
Discovery1810 by Aaron Higgenbotham
GeologyMonteagle Limestone
Entrances3
List of
entrances		Higgenbotham Cave, Henshaw Cave, Onyx Curtain
Accessrestricted
Show cave openedJuly 4th, 1956
Lightingelectric
Websitecumberlandcaverns.com

Cumberland Caverns is a national natural landmark and show cave located in McMinnville, Tennessee.[2][3] It is the second longest cave in Tennessee and makes the list of longest caves in the United States and in the world.[4][5][6]

History

The main entrance was discovered by Aaron Higginbotham in 1810 while he was surveying his land on Cardwell Mountain in what is now Warren County. According to legend, Higginbotham was the first man to enter the cave and was lost for 3 days after his torch went out. It was named Higgenbotham Cave in his honor. Another smaller cave, also located on Cardwell Mountain, was discovered about this time and named Henshaw Cave. Although not nearly as big as Higgenbotham Cave, Henshaw Cave proved to be a source of saltpeter (the main ingredient of gunpowder) and was operated as a saltpeter mine during perhaps both the War of 1812 and the Civil War. In 1869 Shelah Waters, a tax revenuer, explored the cave extensively.

Higgenbotham Cave became a favorite spot for local adventurers during the 19th century and groups would ride out to the entrance in hay wagons and make the strenuous trip to a point in the cave called the Big Room (now known as the Ten Acre Room). Here, many visitors left their names and the date candled on the ceiling.

In the early 1940s, members of the National Speleological Society (NSS) began to explore Higgenbotham Cave. Within a decade, they had greatly increased the known extent of the cave. In 1953 a connection was discovered between Henshaw Cave and Higgenbotham Cave by author Tom Barr and local cavers S.R. "Tank" Gorin and Dale Smith. This connection was named the Meatgrinder because of its small size and shape. Soon afterward Tank and a caver from Indiana named Roy Davis leased the cave from its owner, A.W. Powell, and developed it into a commercial cave. The cave opened under the name Cumberland Caverns on July 4, 1956, and has been open to the public since that time.[7]

Cumberland Caverns was surveyed and subsequently mapped from 1970-1978, lengthening the known areas from approximately 6 miles to 27.616 miles.

In 1981 co-founder Roy Davis went to the Loew's Metropolitan Theatre in Brooklyn to buy a pipe organ while they were renovating and discovered that they were going to destroy the theatre's chandelier, so Roy bought both the organ and chandelier.

A portion of the Trail of Tears passes through Cumberland Caverns property. A walking trail is open to the public.[8]

Commerce

The Cumberland Caverns company offers year-round commercial tours of the cave, claiming it is the largest show cave in Tennessee. Tours include a daytime walking tour, adventure tours, overnight stays, and educational field trips. Weddings, banquets, birthday parties, and Christmas parties are also hosted. Before reaching the cave, tourists pass through a gift shop that sells tour tickets, souvenirs, and novelty items.[2]

Cumberland Caverns currently hosts 8 different tours: 4 Walking Tours and 4 Adventure Tours:

-The Cardwell Mountain History Tour is 45 minutes long and showcases the human history of the cave.

-The Discovery Walking Tour is 90 minutes long and showcases the natural science of the cave.

-The Lanterns & Legends Tour is 90 minutes long and is done entirely under oil lantern light.

-The Scholastic Spelunking Tour is restricted to school groups and field trips but is similar to the Discovery tour.

-The Hall Crawl Adventure Tour is the easiest and passes through crystal-lined passage.

-Higgenbotham's Hollow Adventure Tour begins at the original Higgenbotham Entrance and continues through the Historic Route.

-The Crucible Adventure Tour involves strenuous hiking and bouldering through the looping McCrady Canyon.

-The Guts & Glory Adventure Tour is the most extreme tour and follows The Crucible's path but continues through more rooms and ends near the light show.

On top of these tours, there are 4 Overnight Packages, each one consisting of an adventure tour, walking tour, and overnight stay. Each package is differentiated by which adventure tour comes with it, they are;

-Muddy Mayhem Overnight Package - Hall Crawl

-Skylight Sleepover Overnight Package - Higgenbotham's Hollow

-Into the Dark Overnight Package - The Crucible

-Lights Out Overnight Package - Guts & Glory

Before 2023 the tour structure was completely different. The Cardwell and Discovery tours were originally one large Daily Walking Tour, the 4 Adventure tours had different names (Hall Crawl = Rocky Topper, Higgenbotham's Hollow = Higgenbotham's Revenge, The Crucible = Parts Unknown, Guts & Glory = The Legacy Tour), and instead of 4 overnight packages there were only 2 "Caveman Campouts;" What Waits Below and Under the Mountain.

Cumberland Caverns Live

The Volcano Room in Cumberland Caverns

Cumberland Caverns was formerly home to Bluegrass Underground, a monthly music event that took place in the cave's Volcano Room. The event has become a nationally syndicated program airing on PBS.[9] In recent years, Bluegrass Underground moved to The Caverns in Pelham, Tennessee.

Now, the Volcano Room is home to Cumberland Caverns Live and hosts a variety of concerts and live music, including acts like Sister Hazel, Kip Moore, and Deer Tick (band).

Geology

Cumberland Caverns formed in Mississippian Monteagle Limestone on Cardwell Mountain, a western offshoot of the Cumberland Plateau.[10] The cave is home to stalagmites, stalactites, helictites, flowstone, cave pearls, botryoidal coral, gypsum flowers, needles, and pure white gypsum snow, as well as a variety of cave life.[11]

Formations of interest within the cavern include:

Popular culture

The 1985 movie What Waits Below was filmed in Cumberland Caverns.[13]

A Children's Education DVD by singer/songwriter Buddy Davis "Amazing Adventures: Extreme Caving" was filmed in Cumberland Caverns[14]

References

  1. ^ Barr, Jr, Thomas C. (1961). Caves of Tennessee, Bulletin 64. Nashville, Tennessee: State of Tennessee, Department of Conservation and Commerce, Division of Geology. pp. 470–482. ISBN 9780979617805.
  2. ^ a b c "Discover Cumberland Caverns". Cumberland Caverns. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  3. ^ "National Natural Landmarks - National Natural Landmarks (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-28. Year designated: 1973
  4. ^ Gulden, Bob (June 17, 2014). "USA LONGEST CAVES by STATE". NSS Geo2 Committee on Long and Deep Caves. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  5. ^ Gulden, Bob (January 1, 2015). "USA LONGEST CAVES". NSS Geo2 Committee on Long and Deep Caves. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  6. ^ Gulden, Bob (January 1, 2015). "WORLDS LONGEST CAVES". NSS Geo2 Committee on Long and Deep Caves. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  7. ^ Matthews, Larry E. [1989] 2005 Cumberland Caverns ISBN 0-9615093-4-1
  8. ^ "Field Excursions: Cumberland Caverns takes bluegrass music to a new level—underground". Nooga. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
  9. ^ "PBS Arts Gallery." PBS. [1] Accessed 28/12/2012.
  10. ^ Crawford, Nicholas (1981). "Guidebook to karst and caves of Tennessee: emphasis on the Cumberland plateau escarpment region". Eighth International Congress of Speleology: 14. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Cumberland Cavern (Higginbotham and Henshaw Caves)". National Natural Landmarks Program. National Park Service. June 28, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  12. ^ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/79692230/edward-donald-ball?
  13. ^ "What Waits Below." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. [2] Accessed 29/12/12.
  14. ^ "Go Spelunking with Buddy Davis in Cumberland Caverns". Answers in Genesis. Retrieved 2020-01-27.

External links

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