LIVINGSTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — For one weekend every year, the general public has the opportunity to tour the historic Great Saltpetre Cave in Rockcastle County, Kentucky.
Each person is asked to follow a simple rule; “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.”
It highlights a major mission for the cave, and a major problem facing caves across Kentucky, and the country.
“It hurts,” said Ron Hager, a volunteer who helps bring people through the cave during their open house. “We have some caves in this area that just have terrible graffiti in them because they're open to people going and a lot of young people just go in to party.”
A poster just outside the entrance to the Saltpetre Cave shows the heavy graffiti left inside the Mullins Station Cave. People tend to leave trash as well. It’s something that frequently happens to unprotected caves, Hager said.
“In a lot of cases, it's gone forever, you know, if they break something in a cave it's gone forever,” Hager said.
For hundreds of years, the Great Saltpetre Cave was privately owned, with owners who made changes over time. It was mined in the 19th century, helping to support America’s efforts in the War of 1812. In the 1900s, it was turned into a tourist attraction, with heavy machinery brought in to help make the floor flatter.
Now, the cave is owned by a non-profit, focused on protecting it and other caves. Gates protect people from coming in and vandalizing the cave.
Property laws usually allow the owners of even historic properties to make substantial changes.
Volunteers at the cave hope people take what they’ve learned about the cave and put it into practice when visiting other caves.
