Carter Caves State Resort Park
Carter Caves State Resort Park is located in Carter County, Kentucky, United States, along Tygarts Creek. It is formed by Carter Caves, and nearby Cascade Caves, which were added to the park in 1959. On December 16, 1981, of the park were desig ...
near
Olive Hill, Kentucky
Olive Hill is a home rule-class city along Tygarts Creek in Carter County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,599 during the year 2010 U.S. Census.
History
Olive Hill began as a rural trading post established by the Henderson ...
. It 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 2001.
It has also been known as Swingle's Cave and as Swindell's Cave. It is a limestone cave with of measured length.
It has served as a
saltpeter
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrat ...
, or niter, mine, by the early 1800s. It has been believed, by local tradition, that niter mined from the cave was used to make gunpowder for 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 ...
, including supplying for the 1815
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815 between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the French ...
. With .
The cave entrance is gated by a "limestone block and iron bar structure, resembling a jail cell", which was built in the mid-1900s.
The cave was developed for use by bats.
The cave is unique in that it is a hibernaculum for the endangered
Indiana Bat
The Indiana bat (''Myotis sodalis'') is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is grey, black, or chestnut in colo ...
in the winter months.
It is open for cave tours during the summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.