The Great Saltpetre Cave is a notable

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

located in

Rockcastle County Rockcastle County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Mt. Vernon. The county was founded in 1810 and named for the Rockcastle River, which runs through it. The river, in turn, is named ...

in southeastern Kentucky. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, it served as an important source of saltpeter, a vital component of

gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...

Also known as black powder. The cave was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2013, and is within the boundary of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Other names include Kincaid's Cave and The Great Cave on Crooked Creek. Robert Baker discovered the cave in the late eighteenth century.Kleber p.387 A stream ran through the cave, and was wide enough so that oxcarts could be used to bring the saltpeter above ground. However, torchlights had to be used to light the cave so that workers could mine the saltpeter from the ground. At the cave, calcium nitrate, also called niter, is leached from dry soil. When Doctor Samuel Brown, a

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

professor of anatomy, chemistry, and surgery, gave in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1806 the first scientific description of Kentucky's saltpeter production, he drew mainly from the experiences of the Great Saltpetre Cave. As with most saltpeter caves, the land above the cave is a hardwood forest-covered

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

. Typically the saltpeter would be sent to

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

to be made into gunpowder. During the War of 1812, sixty to seventy men were employed to mine the cave of its saltpeter, deemed necessary as British blockades prevented saltpeter shipments from overseas. Many of the workers at the cave were slaves. To a lesser degree the cave was also mined during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. During the later war, the Union soldiers that worked at the cave also lived in the cave, due to its year-around temperature giving respite from cold winters and hot summers. For a time, ending in the 1970s, Great Saltpetre Cave was a commercial cave, and was open not only for tours, but also for ballroom dances, a museum, and weddings. However, the guests would often damage the

cave formations A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending o ...

by taking souvenirs. Some would also leave their names in the cave, the most notable of which was Daniel Boone. Today the cave is owned by the Rockcastle Karst Conservancy, as part of the Great Saltpetre Preserve, off Kentucky State Route 1004. Overnight camping stays are possible upon request if the requester belongs to certain organizations. Artifacts from the cave's mining days are still visible at the site. The 1997 Steven Seagal film '' Fire Down Below'' was partially filmed at the cave.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{coord, 37, 22, 01, N, 84, 17, 15, W, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-KY_source:UScensus1990 Caves of Kentucky Kentucky in the War of 1812 Protected areas of Rockcastle County, Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Rockcastle County, Kentucky Nature reserves in Kentucky Landforms of Rockcastle County, Kentucky Daniel Boone National Forest Limestone caves Mining in Kentucky