American Caves American Cave Conservation Association Spring 2005
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American Caves American Cave Conservation Association www.cavern.org Spring 2005 In This Issue Tumbling Creek Cave: An Ongoing Conservation and Restoration Parnership American Caves • Spring 2005 New Section of Hidden River Cave Purchased1 Thomas Hall Opens After 50 Years Contents American Caves Vol. 19 No. 1, Spring 2005 Managing Editor: Debra L. Silverman Contributing Editors: William R. Elliott, Stephen T. Samoray, Sara E. Gardner and Thomas Aley Layout & Design: Debra L. Silverman Printing: Liberty Printing American Caves (ISSN 1524-4709) is an educational Tumbling Creek Cave: 8 publication produced by the American Cave Conser- vation Association. Contributed manuscripts and pho- An Ongoing Conservation tographs are welcomed and should be addressed to and Restoration Partnership the Editor. Articles are published for educational pur- by William R. Elliott, Stephen T. Samoray, poses and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sara E. Gardner and Thomas Aley Association. ©The American Cave Conservation As- sociation 2005. MEMBERS: Please send change of address and corre- spondence to: P.O. Box 409, Horse Cave, KY 42749; Virginia’s Official State Bat 18 (270)786-1466. Email: [email protected] by Debra L. Silverman Board of Directors: President: Jim Richards; Vice President: Horton H. Hobbs III; Secretary: Dave Derrick; Treasurer: Steve Sullivan; Directors: Thomas Aley; Richard C. Bell; Richard Blenz; Patricia Daugherty; Jeff Hohman; Dr. Philip E. LaMoreaux; Julian J. Lewis, Ph.D., Dr. James W. Middleton, Jr.; Jim Nieland; Anna G. Smith; Bernard Sections W. Szukalski Forum 3 Honorary Directors: Honorary President: John Wilson; The Honorable ACCA News 4 Frederick C. Boucher; William R. Halliday, M.D.; Dr. Below America 14 Francis G. Howarth; Joyce Kelly; Ronal Kerbo; John MacGregor; Roy D. Powers, Jr.; Dr. Merlin Tuttle; Pamela White Executive Director: David G. Foster Administrative Assistant: Shannon L. Johnson Marketing/Community Relations: Peggy A. Nims Chief Interpreter: Christopher Clark Museum Staff: Hannah Carroll; Sherry Delk; Edith Johnson; Jeremy Logsdon; Stan McKenney; Donna Monroe; Anthony Russell; Charolay Russell The American Cave Conservation Association was in- corporated in 1981 in the Commonwealth of Virginia for scientific and educational purposes. The Associa- Photos: tion is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation under Sec- Front: Steve Samoray at the weir in the Big Room,Tumbling Creek tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is a Cave, Missouri. This structure is used to visually gauge stream flow. publicly supported organization as defined in Sec- Photo by William R. Elliott, 23 May 2005 tions 170(b)(1)(IV) and 509(a) Contributions are tax deductible. Membership includes: Student $15; Regu- Back: lar/Subscription $25; Foreign $30; Family: $35; Sup- Large formation, main chamber, Chimney Cave, New Mexico. porter: $50; Sustainer: $100; Guarantor: $200; Bene- Photo by John Charles Woods factor: $500; Patron: $1,000. “Below America” Graphic: Courtesy Bob Springston. Visit our web site: http://www.cavern.org 2 American Caves • Spring 2005 Forum From the Director Cave Museum Expansion Ends A Century projects ... or maybe it started over a The Clarence Owens/Harry Thomas woman. No one knows. feud stories may be apocryphal, but one aspect of the feud left behind a What is generally thought to be true legacy which affected Horse Cave Dear ACCA Member: is that Clarence Owens owned the for the rest of the century. Sometime property where the cave museum in the late 1930s, Clarence Owens After five years of planning, building now sits and built the built a sewer line from one of his fundraising and hair pulling, building out of spite, knowing that downtown buildings and discharged construction on the next phase of Harry Thomas was interested in the waste directly into the main the American Cave Museum has preserving the cave entrance. passage of Hidden River Cave. finally begun. Over the next year When Harry Thomas discovered this, we will spending more than $1.5 Over the years, I have heard several he filed suit against Clarence Owens million to renovate the historic stories of the feud. The most for polluting the cave. Clarence buildings that lie adjacent to the interesting relates to a time when countersued for trespass since he American Cave Museum in Horse Clarence Owens and a group of men owned property over the back Cave. were standing on the corner of section of the cave. Clarence’s Water and Main Streets. Harry lawsuit, along with growing pollu- The project is complex. It involves Thomas was walking down the tion problems and slowing public renovating several buildings which sidewalk and has he passed the visitation during World War II, led were constructed around the rim of group of men, a knife was stuck in directly to the closing of Hidden the entrance to Hidden River Cave. his side. River Cave for more than 50 years. These buildings are situated in one of the most unique settings in Harry turned and as he turned Today, the City of Horse Cave owns America. Visiting tourists often ask Clarence Owens fled. Harry caught most of the cave properties which “why was the museum building up with Clarence in the middle of Clarence and Harry bickered over. constructed along the cliff face Water Street and proceeded to beat The renovation of these buildings beside the cave entrance?” the tar out of him so severely that and planned expansion of the tours Clarence allegedly was forced to into Hidden River Cave are at long In my column this issue, I thought spend time recuperating in a hospital last putting to rest a divisive local I’d share a bit of the unique“cave in Louisville. feud which began nearly a century war” era history which led to the ago. construction of the museum Clarence Owens then sued Harry building. To get to the bottom of Thomas for the public beating. On And now, as Paul Harvey says,“you the story, I consulted local book- the day of the trial, a well dressed know the rest of the story ....” store owner and historian Tom stranger appeared in the back of the Chaney. Here’s the story in Tom’s courtroom. When it was discovered David G. Foster own words – that he was a private detective hired by the Thomas’ to spy on Clarence “Back around the 1920s, two of Owens, the lawsuit was abruptly Horse Cave’s most prominent dropped. According to my sources, businessmen, Clarence Owens and the man would have testified that Executive Director cave owner Harry Thomas feuded Clarence Owens was recuperating in constantly. Noone knows how the a house of ill repute ... not a hospi- feud started. Perhaps they were tal.” jealous of each others ideas and American Caves • Spring 2005 3 ACCA News Hart County Herald Above: Horse Cave Mayor JoAnne Smith signed the deed to property purchased by the city from the Joe Chaney Estate for the American Cave Conservation Association (ACCA). Funds for the purchase were provided by the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund (KHLCF). City Attorney Pat Ross, right, looks on along with from left, ACCA Executive Director Dave Foster; KHLCF staff member Mary Jean Eddins, Marcia Witherspoon, representing the Joe Chaney Estate, and KHLCF attorney Barbara Pauley. New Section Cave Museum Construction Begins of Hidden River Cave Purchased Five years of planning and fundraising have at long last led The Horse Cave City Council, during their February 2005 to the beginning of a renovation project to expand the meeting, approved the purchase of a tract of land lying American Cave and Karst Center into three historic between Highway 31W and the railroad tracks and buildings which surround the entrance of Hidden River adjacent to the current city park. American Cave Conser- Cave. vation Association Director, Dave Foster explained to the council that the land would be purchased by the city with a Tim Peters of Peters Construction Company of Louisville, grant from the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Kentucky will be acting as construction manager for the Fund. project. The first phase of the work is primarily involving exterior work such as tuckpointing the brick walls, The land was purchased from the Joe Chaney Estate for replacing windows and replacing the roof. The construc- $11,600. Foster explained that the cave tract lying below tion is expected to be completed in time for the summer the property was a critical part of the ACCA’s effort to 2006 season. acquire the historic tour sections from the entrance of Hidden River Cave to Sunset Dome, the cave’s largest Funding for the project has come from numerous dona- room. tions from ACCA members and several major grants 4 American Caves • Spring 2005 including support from the James Graham Brown Foun- dation, federal Community Block Grant Program, federal TEA-21 program, and federal HUD funding. Completion of the project will result in additional giftshop and lobby space, a small theatre area, additional exhibit areas, and space for a karst library on the third floor. Thomas Hall Opens After 50 Years A new walkway constructed at Hidden River Cave has opened an area of the cave that has not been shown to the public since 1943. The new walkway skirts the edge of the enormous“First Dome” chamber and provides a view of a large underground river canyon known as Thomas Hall, which is named for the cave’s previous owners. ACCA help carry several thousand pounds of plastic wood Dr. G. A. Thomas began giving tours of the cave around decking to the edge of the flood zone. the turn of the century. In 1916, his son Dr. H.B. Thomas, installed a lighting system and improved the tours. Back in Once the floodwaters receded, the project continued the 1920s and 1930s, tourist could walk a system of under the supervision of Paul Carter, a local construction wooden stairs and bridges through the hall which eventu- contractor.