Entrance to "Gothic Avenue" in Mammoth Cave.

ID: 220
This file appears in: Great Saltpeter Cave
Entrance to "Gothic Avenue" in Mammoth Cave.

Entrance to "Gothic Avenue" in Mammoth Cave. Wooden pipes dating from the early nineteenth century that were used to pump water into the cave for saltpeter production can be seen to the right of the staircase.

Image Courtesy of the Kentucky Historical Society

This file appears in: Great Saltpeter Cave

By Sanders
Historical Marker #715 in Rockcastle County commemorates the importance of the "Great Saltpeter Cave," a large cave located south of Mt. Vernon. There, organic materials were mined to create gunpowder during the War of 1812. Sulfur,…