Thumping Dick Hollow, also known as Thumping Dick Cove, is a small

cove A cove is a small type of bay or coastal inlet. Coves usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creeks, or recesses in a coast are o ...

in Franklin County, south

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 ...

, within the domain of the

University of the South The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...

and town of Sewanee. It is noted for its unusual name, old-growth forest, and caves.

Description

Thumping Dick Hollow is a small cove with multiple

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 ...

s and caves including ''Solomon's Temple''. It is also noted for its old growth forest. It is one of the segments of the

Sewanee Perimeter Trail The Sewanee Perimeter Trail is a private mixed-use mountain top trail of owned and maintained by the University of the South in Sewanee, TN Sewanee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The popula ...

. In 1973, Dick Cove was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.

Origin of name

There are multiple traditions as to the origin of the unusual name. The hollow was referred to as early as 1858 before the

was built. A popular version relates that a local resident named "Dick" built a water-powered grain mill in the 19th century; when in operation, the mill made a "thumping" sound that was heard throughout the surrounding forest. Another version of the origin states that the a hydro powered sump pump or sawmill made a thumping sound when in operation.

Location

Thumping Dick Hollow located off of the old Stagecoach route of the Breakfield Road in

Sewanee, Tennessee Sewanee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area. Sewanee is best known as the home of ...

and forms part of the

. It is approximately in elevation below Breakfield Road. From gate #7 on Breakfield Road, follow the path beyond the gate for until it crosses a stream with a collapsed bridge. Cross over the stream and follow a faint path to the left until the entrance to the Columned Entrance Cave is visible. The second cave, Solomon's Temple, is further ahead around the cliff on the right.

In literature

Noted early 20th century New England author, drama critic, and

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

professor Walter Prichard Eaton wrote of the hollow. In his 1922 collection of essays ''Penguin, Persons, and Peppermints'', Eaton describes a visit to the hollow in early spring while celebrating the Southern American gift for colorful place names.(EATON)

Gallery

File:ThumpingDickHollow-Cave1-Entrance.jpg, No-Name Cave File:ThumpingDickHollow-Cave1-EntranceInterior.jpg, No-Name Cave Interior File:ThumpingDickHollow-Cave1-InteriorDome.jpg, No-Name Cave Interior Dome File:ThumpingDickHollow-SolomonsTempleCliffEntranceView.jpg, Cliff Towards Solomon's Temple Cliff File:ThumpingDickHollow-SolommonsTempleWaterfall.jpg, Waterfall below Solomon's Temple Cave File:ThumpingDickHollow-SolomonsTemple-EntranceInterior.jpg, Solomon's Temple Cave Entrance Interior File:ThumpingDickHollow-Sinkhole.jpg, A sinkhole looking up File:ThumpingDickHollow-CollapsedSinkHole.jpg, Collapsed Sinkhole below Solomon's Temple Cave

Notes

References

Sewanee Day Hiking Maps Retrieved June 5, 2016

{{authority control Wild caves Caves of Tennessee Sewanee: The University of the South Landforms of Franklin County, Tennessee Valleys of Tennessee National Natural Landmarks in Tennessee