Hubbard's Cave is a

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 ...

and 50-acre (0.2 km²) natural area located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of McMinnville in Warren County,

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. It is owned by the Tennessee chapter of

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

.Hubbard's Cave
, The Nature Conservancy website, accessed April 26, 2007 Hubbard's Cave is ecologically significant because it serves as a hibernaculum for two Federally

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

species, the gray bat ''(Myotis grisescens)'' and the Indiana bat ''(Myotis sodalis)''. The cave is known to be the largest gray bat hibernaculum in

with a population of over 500,000 gray bats. Five other bat species also

hibernate Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...

in the cave. Hibernating bats are extremely sensitive to disturbance during the hibernation period. Since they have stored up just enough energy to survive through the winter, rousing them forces the use of these precious stores. In many instances the bats will be unable to survive the winter. Consequently, the cave entrances have been gated to prevent disturbance of the bats during their hibernation. The cave consists of three entrances (branches) at the base of a large

sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...

. It is surrounded by a

mesic Mesic may refer to: * Mesic, North Carolina, a town in the United States * Mesic habitat, a type of habitat See also *Mesić (disambiguation) *Mešić Mešić is a Bosnian surname, a patronymic derived from the masculine given name '' Meša'', it ...

oak-hickory forest. In addition to its biological importance, Hubbard's Cave has played an extensive role in human history and prehistory. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the cave was heavily mined for saltpeter to produce

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). ...

. The west passage in particular is littered with evidence of this historic human use. Researchers are still working to record all of the signatures found on the walls of this passage. Unfortunately, many of the historic signatures have been covered by the spray paint of modern

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

caused by

vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The Vandals migrated to the area betw ...

s. Artifacts from the saltpeter mining works have been found scattered throughout this passage, including a remarkable ladder that was burned and nearly destroyed by vandals in 1997. Prehistoric human use is also evident in Hubbard's Cave. Most notable are the pieces of cane torches found throughout the west passage. Incredibly preserved because of the dry conditions, these fragments have been carbon dated to be around 2,000 years old.

References

Pre-statehood history of Tennessee Caves of Tennessee Protected areas of Warren County, Tennessee Nature reserves in Tennessee Nature Conservancy preserves Landforms of Warren County, Tennessee {{Tennessee-protected-area-stub